Recognizing the value of type localities can help democratize taxonomy for the Global South

Type localities, the geographic areas from which type specimens originate, play a central role in taxonomy (Azevedo-Santos et al. 2025, 2026). Despite their importance, many taxonomists, especially those working in the Global South, are still forced to travel enormous distances, often at a prohibitive personal and financial cost, to access type specimens housed in collections in Europe and the United States (Nakamura et al. 2026). Although many species were originally described from biodiversity-rich regions in the Global South, researchers in these regions are often handcuffed in making additional taxonomic progress because viewing name-bearing types typically requires travelling to museums in the Global North. We suggest that journal editors and peer reviewers permit authors to use recently collected topotypes, specimens collected from the type locality, as comparative material when direct examination of type specimens is not feasible. For many researchers in the Global South, type localities are more geographically accessible, reducing the burden of international travel, complicated visa processes, and funding limitations. Topotype material, particularly fresh material, also offers substantial scientific advantages by providing new genetic and genomic data, coloration, and fine-morphological details that are frequently degraded or lost in historical specimens (Chakrabarty et al. 2013).