A hypothetical list of biota, or "hypothetical list" for short, is a list of

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

(of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

etc.) which are not recorded from a given geographical area, but which ''may'' be found there. Such lists are sometimes included by authors of regional biota, partly to demonstrate that the authors have considered and rejected the taxa in question rather than overlooked them, and partly to encourage researchers and others to seek out the taxa in question so that they can be added to the list of the area's biota in future revisions. Taxa may be included for different reasons: * They may be resident close to the region in question, and the region may have habitat which appears suitable * They may be long-distance vagrants with a pattern of occurrence * They may be poorly studied taxa, which the authors feel could be found in the region if appropriate search techniques are used * There may be historical evidence of occurrence which the authors felt was not watertight enough to justify inclusion in a definitive list for the region A 1973 checklist of

fleas Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, ar ...

in Connecticut added species to its hypothetical list if they were documented in a bordering state and have a

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

found in Connecticut. Ornithological works which have included hypothetical lists include the following: * '' A field guide to the birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific'' by Pratt, Bruner and Berrett * '' Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide'' by Rasmussen and Anderton

References

Biological literature {{biology-stub