Ideotype

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ideotype (′id·ē·o′tīp) as defined by www.answers.com -- (systematics) A specimen identified as belonging to a specific taxon but collected from other than the type locality.

The term 'ideotype' was believed to be used first by molecular geneticists to describe the appearance, or more specifically, the desired appearance of a microbe colony or plant. Simply, ideotype means idea-type, or an idealized envisioned appearance that is desired.

More recently, the term has been been co-opted by plant breeders (see also http://www.irri.org/publications/irrn/pdfs/vol29no1/MiniRev1.pdf) to describe the idealized appearance of a plant variety.

The term has not yet been utilized by the social sciences, but has potential to describe such things as idealized mate characteristics. For example, an individual may be seeking a mate with blonde hair, blue eyes, clear complexion, etc. That would be the individual's mate ideotype. Further, ideotype dysfunctions might include child predators and the like, whose ideotype is inappropriate to societal norms.