neotropical

adjective

neo·​trop·​i·​cal ˌnē-ō-ˈträ-pi-kəl 

variants or less commonly neotropic

ˌnē-ō-ˈträ-pik 

often capitalized

: of, relating to, or constituting the tropical New World biogeographic region that extends south, east, and west from the central plateau of Mexico

Examples of neotropical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 1,600-acre former floodplain is great for hiking and birdwatching: Keep an eye out for sandhill cranes and neotropical migratory songbirds, nonprofit conservation group River Partners notes. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 23 Dec. 2024

More than 110 bird species and 42 reptile species call the park home, in addition to the endangered scarlet ibis, neotropical otter, oncilla and West Indian manatee. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 14 Aug. 2024

These freshwater pools are fullest between June and September, after the austral spring’s rains, and the unique ecosystem is home to endangered species like the scarlet ibis and neotropical otter. —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 15 July 2024

The researchers estimated that in the neotropical genus Chiton, for example, the eyespots evolved within just 7 million years — a blink of an eye in evolutionary time. —Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

neo- + tropical

Note: Introduced, along with nearctic, ethiopian entry 2, and palearctic, by the British zoologist Philip Sclater (1829-1913) in "On the general Geographical Distribution of the Members of the Class Aves [read June 16th, 1857]," in Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Zoology, vol. 2 (1858), pp. 130-45.

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for neotropical

• subtropical
• intertropical
• microscopical
• topical
• tropical