Syntypaikkojen

Syntypaikka, and the plural syntypaikkojen, is a term used in taxonomy to refer to the geographic locality from which the type material of a taxon was collected. The word is formed from synty (origin) and paikka (place), and in Finnish scientific usage it denotes the place associated with the description of a species or other taxon.

The syntypaikka is a key element in the formal description of a taxon. For most taxa, the description specifies where the holotype or other type specimens were found, providing a fixed reference point for the name. When referring to more than one taxon or to several type localities, one uses the genitive plural syntypaikkojen to indicate the localities collectively or possessively (for example, the type localities of the taxa in a study).

In practice, the syntypaikka can influence subsequent research in several ways. It aids in tracing the provenance of material, assessing historical collection efforts, and informing biogeographical analyses. If the type locality is poorly documented or uncertain, it can create challenges for locating the original habitat or for interpreting the context of the description. In some disciplines, additional locality data may be provided for syntypes or isotypes to improve clarity.

The concept is linked to nomenclatural codes that govern the naming of organisms, such as the codes for zoological and botanical nomenclature. While the exact terminology may vary slightly between fields, the underlying idea remains: the syntypaikka grounds the name of a taxon to a concrete geographic origin.