Lazarus species

English

Etymology

Referring to the Biblical story of Lazarus, who was raised from the dead.

Noun

Lazarus species (plural Lazarus species)

1. A species that was thought to be extinct but has been rediscovered.
2. A species that disappears from the fossil record only to reappear in much later deposits.
   • 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 37:

     The term ‘Lazarus species’ was coined by the palaeontologist David Jablonski to describe a taxon that was thought to have gone extinct during a mass extinction event, but which is found to exist several million years later.

Related terms

• Lazarus taxon