diff --git a/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/lmdb_data.py b/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/lmdb_data.py
index d4e4c65b23..1f3353a397 100644
--- a/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/lmdb_data.py
+++ b/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/lmdb_data.py
@@ -149,6 +149,18 @@ def _remap_keys(frame: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
     return out
 
 
+def _remap_atom_types(atype: np.ndarray, type_remap: np.ndarray) -> np.ndarray:
+    """Remap real atom types while preserving negative virtual sentinels.
+
+    Positive indices retain NumPy's normal bounds checking, so malformed LMDB
+    data cannot be silently reinterpreted as a different species.
+    """
+    remapped_atype = atype.astype(np.int64, copy=True)
+    real_atom_mask = remapped_atype >= 0
+    remapped_atype[real_atom_mask] = type_remap[remapped_atype[real_atom_mask]]
+    return remapped_atype
+
+
 def is_lmdb(systems: str) -> bool:
     """Check if systems points to an LMDB dataset."""
     return systems.endswith(".lmdb") or Path(systems, "data.mdb").is_file()
@@ -466,10 +478,16 @@ def __init__(
     def _compute_natoms_vec(self, atype: np.ndarray) -> np.ndarray:
         """Compute natoms_vec from a frame's atype array.
 
+        Negative virtual types are excluded from the per-type counts, matching
+        mixed-type NPY data handling. This function also excludes positive
+        indices outside the configured type map. The leading nloc entries still
+        include every atom slot.
+
         Returns [nloc, nloc, count_type0, count_type1, ...] with length ntypes+2.
         """
         nloc = len(atype)
-        counts = np.bincount(atype, minlength=self._ntypes)[: self._ntypes]
+        real_atype = atype[(atype >= 0) & (atype < self._ntypes)]
+        counts = np.bincount(real_atype, minlength=self._ntypes)
         vec = np.empty(self._ntypes + 2, dtype=np.int64)
         vec[0] = nloc
         vec[1] = nloc
@@ -579,7 +597,7 @@ def __getitem__(self, index: int) -> dict[str, Any]:
             frame["atype"] = frame["atype"].reshape(-1).astype(np.int64)
             # Remap atom types from LMDB's type_map to model's type_map
             if self._type_remap is not None:
-                frame["atype"] = self._type_remap[frame["atype"]].astype(np.int64)
+                frame["atype"] = _remap_atom_types(frame["atype"], self._type_remap)
         if "virial" in frame and isinstance(frame["virial"], np.ndarray):
             frame["virial"] = (
                 frame["virial"].reshape(9).astype(self._resolve_dtype("virial"))
@@ -1459,9 +1477,9 @@ def __init__(
                         and "atype" in frame
                         and isinstance(frame["atype"], np.ndarray)
                     ):
-                        frame["atype"] = self._type_remap[
-                            frame["atype"].reshape(-1)
-                        ].astype(np.int64)
+                        frame["atype"] = _remap_atom_types(
+                            frame["atype"].reshape(-1), self._type_remap
+                        )
                     self._frames.append(frame)
 
         # Shuffle if requested
diff --git a/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/stat.py b/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/stat.py
index ca00f6c064..4e418cae8a 100644
--- a/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/stat.py
+++ b/deepmd/dpmodel/utils/stat.py
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ def collect_observed_types(sampled: list[dict], type_map: list[str]) -> list[str
     Returns
     -------
     list[str]
-        Sorted list of observed element symbols.
+        Sorted list of observed element symbols. Negative virtual atom types
+        and indices outside ``type_map`` are ignored.
     """
     from deepmd.utils.econf_embd import (
         sort_element_type,
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ def collect_observed_types(sampled: list[dict], type_map: list[str]) -> list[str
         atype = to_numpy_array(system["atype"])  # shape: [nframes, natoms]
         observed_indices.update(np.unique(atype).tolist())
     observed_types = [
-        type_map[i] for i in sorted(observed_indices) if i < len(type_map)
+        type_map[i] for i in sorted(observed_indices) if 0 <= i < len(type_map)
     ]
     return sort_element_type(observed_types)
 
diff --git a/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_lmdb_data.py b/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_lmdb_data.py
index 0838cca0ab..59db455a76 100644
--- a/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_lmdb_data.py
+++ b/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_lmdb_data.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     LmdbTestDataNlocView,
     SameNlocBatchSampler,
     _expand_indices_by_blocks,
+    _remap_atom_types,
     compute_block_targets,
     is_lmdb,
     make_neighbor_stat_data,
@@ -165,6 +166,44 @@ def _create_lmdb_with_type_map(
     return path
 
 
+def _create_lmdb_with_virtual_type(path: str) -> str:
+    """Create one LMDB frame containing a negative virtual atom type."""
+    atype = np.array([0, -1, 1], dtype=np.int64)
+    frame = _make_frame(natoms=len(atype))
+    frame["atom_types"] = {
+        "type": "<i8",
+        "shape": atype.shape,
+        "data": atype.tobytes(),
+    }
+    frame["atom_numbs"] = [
+        {
+            "type": "<i8",
+            "shape": (1,),
+            "data": np.array([1], dtype=np.int64).tobytes(),
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "<i8",
+            "shape": (1,),
+            "data": np.array([1], dtype=np.int64).tobytes(),
+        },
+    ]
+
+    env = lmdb.open(path, map_size=10 * 1024 * 1024)
+    with env.begin(write=True) as txn:
+        meta = {
+            "nframes": 1,
+            "frame_idx_fmt": "012d",
+            "type_map": ["O", "H"],
+            # Virtual atoms occupy coordinate slots but are not real species.
+            "system_info": {"natoms": [1, 1]},
+            "frame_nlocs": [len(atype)],
+        }
+        txn.put(b"__metadata__", msgpack.packb(meta, use_bin_type=True))
+        txn.put(b"000000000000", msgpack.packb(frame, use_bin_type=True))
+    env.close()
+    return path
+
+
 def _create_lmdb_with_system_ids(
     path: str,
     system_frames: list[int],
@@ -571,6 +610,23 @@ def test_testdata_no_type_map_in_metadata(self):
         self.assertIsNone(td._type_remap)
         tmpdir.cleanup()
 
+    def test_virtual_type_preserved_during_remap(self):
+        """Both LMDB consumers must retain virtual sentinels when remapping."""
+        path = _create_lmdb_with_virtual_type(f"{self._tmpdir.name}/virtual_type.lmdb")
+
+        reader = LmdbDataReader(path, ["H", "O"])
+        frame = reader[0]
+        np.testing.assert_array_equal(frame["atype"], [1, -1, 0])
+        np.testing.assert_array_equal(frame["natoms"], [3, 3, 1, 1])
+
+        test_data = LmdbTestData(path, type_map=["H", "O"], shuffle_test=False)
+        np.testing.assert_array_equal(test_data.get_test()["type"], [[1, -1, 0]])
+
+    def test_positive_out_of_range_type_still_raises(self):
+        """A malformed real type must not be mistaken for a virtual sentinel."""
+        with self.assertRaises(IndexError):
+            _remap_atom_types(np.array([0, 2]), np.array([1, 0]))
+
 
 # ============================================================
 # auto_prob / frame_system_ids tests
diff --git a/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_observed_type.py b/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_observed_type.py
index c08b672415..d20cfa3cef 100644
--- a/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_observed_type.py
+++ b/source/tests/common/dpmodel/test_observed_type.py
@@ -65,6 +65,15 @@ def test_out_of_range_index_ignored(self) -> None:
         result = collect_observed_types(sampled, type_map)
         self.assertEqual(result, ["O"])
 
+    def test_virtual_type_ignored(self) -> None:
+        """Negative virtual types must not alias the end of the type map."""
+        sampled = [
+            {"atype": np.array([[0, -1, 1]])},
+        ]
+        type_map = ["O", "H", "Au"]
+        result = collect_observed_types(sampled, type_map)
+        self.assertEqual(result, ["H", "O"])
+
 
 class TestObservedTypeStatFile(unittest.TestCase):
     """Test stat file save/load round-trip for observed_type (dpmodel)."""