Abstract
Global biodiversity documentation is limited by a persistent biodiversity knowledge split, in which high biodiverse nations have their specimens extracted and housed elsewhere. Holotypes, the name-bearing specimens required for the description of new species, are central to this imbalance. We investigated how geopolitical and socioeconomic factors shape the deposition of mammalian holotypes described over the past 35 years. While 95% of post-1990 mammal discoveries originated in the Global South, 60% of their holotypes are housed abroad, mainly in Global North institutions. Wealthier nations extracted holotype specimens disproportionately, especially from biodiverse regions with weak environmental policies, despite stronger local academic capacity improving retention. Maintaining these inequalities not only hampers efforts to reduce disparities in the distribution of type material, but also limits the discovery and revision of species. Addressing these disparities requires coordinated structural investment in local collections and taxonomic capacity, governance measures that prioritize regional deposition and equitable specimen management, and access policies that improve repatriation, mobility, and shared control over type material.
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Acknowledgements
Our sincere gratitude is extended to the global community of taxonomists, field naturalists, and scientists, past and present, whose dedicated work in discovering and describing new mammal species has made this study possible.
Funding
R.L.C. thanks the USP Programa de Apoio aos Novos Docentes USP – 2025 (PRPI) for their support. K.C. thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for research fellowship (#444240/2024-1). J.J.M.G. thanks Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (proc. 88887.478942/2020-00) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil (proc. 2024/18469-0) for research grants. M.T.M. thanks the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil (proc. 2023/14506-5 and 2024/22798-9) for research grants. This work is also a contribution of the National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT) in Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity Conservation funded by CNPq (grant 465610/2014-5/ 409197/2024-6).
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Moura, M.R., Carvalho, R.L., Ceron, K. et al. Local expertise anchors biodiversity documentation, but geopolitical power drives parachute discovery. npj biodivers (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-026-00137-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-026-00137-6
