Elvis Taxon

In paleontology, an Elvis taxon is a taxon which has been misidentified as having re-emerged in the fossil record after a period of extinction, but is not actually a descendant of the original taxon, instead having developed a similar morphology through convergent evolution. This implies the extinction of the original taxon is real, and the two taxa are polyphyletic. By contrast, a Lazarus taxon is one which actually is a descendant of the original taxon, and highlights missing fossil records, which may be filled later. The term Elvis taxon is used because of the large number of sightings of Elvis Presley long after his death, as well as for his many impersonators.

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