WoRMS System Description
WoRMS System Description
Ward Appeltans
Version 16 June 2008
URMO – UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms ......................................... 21
TISBE - Taxonomic Information System for the Belgian coastal area. ................... 21
NWARMS - North West Atlantic Register of Marine Species ................................ 22
RAMS - The Register of Antarctic Marine Species ................................................. 22
MARECO - pelagic biodiversity in the open ocean along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge . 23
MASDEA - Marine Species Database for Eastern Africa ........................................ 24
Macrobel - Macrobenthos of the Belgian Continental Shelf .................................... 25
HABs - IOC-UNESCO Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Micro Algae ......... 26
Platyhelminthes - World database of Proseriata and Kalyptorhynchia .................... 27
Isopoda - World List of Marine Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans ..... 30
The WoRMS database system
Background
It is the VLIZ database, called Aphia, initially a local initiative to store and disseminate species information of the Belgian part of the North Sea, that now serves as the IT platform for WoRMS. The main purpose of the development of the database was to support all the biological data management activities at VLIZ, and to make sure taxonomy used in the different projects was consistent. The users of this database are data managers, taxonomists, ecologists, volunteer researchers and the general public.
The VLIZ data centre is internationally recognized in biological data management and on behalf of the European Network of Excellence MarBEF hosts the European Register of
Marine Species (ERMS) and has developed and manages the European Node of the
Ocean Biogeographic Information System (EurOBIS). VLIZ, with support from MarBEF and in close collaboration with OBIS has started the initiative to use the Aphia database and online system to create a World Register of Marine Species.
WoRMS receives also support from GBIF, Richard Lounsbery Foundation and the new
EU Funded project PESI. But many more resources are spent indirectly to WoRMS through many efforts from individuals, projects and initiatives that contribute to
WoRMS.
Through Aphia, 34 regional and global species databases are now brought together into a single information system.
Description of database
The MS SQL relational database structures can be found at: http://www.marinespecies.org/structure/ http://www.marinespecies.org/structure/specimens.htm
Users
Web statistics
Month
Jan-07
Feb-07
Mar-07
Apr-07
May-07
Jun-07
Jul-07
Aug-07
Sep-07
Oct-07
Nov-07
Dec-07
Jan-08
Feb-08
Mar-08
Apr-08
May-08
Unique visitors
2
35
115
1254
3164
3191
3118
3084
3916
5698
6845
6799
6392
8054
10301
10947
11865
Number of visits
3
152
514
1721
4425
4720
4700
5269
6862
9610
13439
12922
12294
14113
17536
19161
19166
Pages
517
12101
26215
24955
54140
78135
66033
91110
124584
138760
156526
130270
183296
211842
309628
307531
210003
Hits
768
14273
28223
35078
76843
103937
92365
128975
220206
207646
229469
209441
279687
321173
478981
445042
346554
Bandwidth
3.35 MB
292.14 MB
764.35 MB
859.18 MB
1.18 GB
1.52 GB
1.72 GB
2.31 GB
4.12 GB
6.43 GB
23.07 GB
5.25 GB
9.76 GB
9.67 GB
16.42 GB
8.06 GB
6.44 GB
List of organisations and people who have received copies of ERMS and WoRMS (endusers)
Government agencies
1.
Italy (Ministry of Environment)
2.
Italy (Nature Protection Directorate)
3.
Germany (Federal Environmental Agency)
4.
Denmark (ICES)
5.
The Netherlands (RIKZ)
6.
France (EUNIS/European Topic Centre on Nature protection and Biodiversity)
7.
Belgium (MUMM)
8.
UK (JNCC)
Research organisations
1.
Greece (HCMR)
2.
France (IFREMER)
3.
France (MNHN)
4.
France (SB Roscoff)
5.
USA (National Cancer Institute)
6.
Italy (SZN)
7.
UK (MBA)
8.
Denmark (NERI)
9.
USA (MBL)
10.
Australia (CSIRO)
11.
Germany (IFM-GEOMAR)
12.
Germany (BGBM)
13.
Sweden (Hafok)
Universities (Researchers, Students)
1.
USA (UCSD)
2.
Germany (Freie Universität Berlin)
3.
France (USTL)
4.
Greece (University of Aegean)
5.
Denmark (University of Aarhus)
6.
Canada (University of British Columbia, Fisheries Centre)
7.
Spain (Universidade da Coruña)
8.
UK (UCL)
SMEs
1.
Norway (Akvaplan-niva)
2.
France (CREOCEAN)
3.
New Zealand (Saatchi & Saatchi)
4.
UK (Finding Sanctuary, Unicomarine Ltd.)
Data progress
Number of records:
Taxon names: 224,660
Valid species: 122,518
Synonyms: 56,391
Sources: 45,663
Distributions: 194,461
Specimens: 2,511
Pictures: 5,657
Notes: 84,634
Links: 27,315
Feeding types: 8,929
Taxonomic editors: 149
Special collections
So far 13 Regional species databases, two global thematic databases and 19 global species databases have been integrated into Aphia (table 1). Each database forms a special collection in Aphia and most of them have their own separate website (see annex
1 for a description of all the collections). The collections are formed on the basis of assigning a context to a record, being a name, a source, a distribution, a specimen etc..
In total, we integrated 311,234 taxon names of which 224,442 were species and 61,861 were species synonyms. After integration (eliminating identical entries), 224,654 (about
70% of the above number of taxon names) were retained.
160,733 (+9,504 which are not part of a special collection), or 55% of all the taxon names were unique, belong to no or only one collection.
Of the 286,303 species names we received, 134,007 (+7,467 which are not part of a special collection) or 49% were unique, belong to no or only one collection.
Table 1. overview of the species databases that are integrated in Aphia together with the number of names, species and valid species names they represent. all names all species valid species
Regional registers
ERMS - European Register of Marine Species
URMO - UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms
TISBE - Taxonomic Information System for the Belgian coastal area.
NSBP - North Sea Benthos Project
NSBS - North Sea Benthos Survey
NWARMS - North West Atlantic Register of Marine
Species
RAMS - The Register of Antarctic Marine Species
MASR - Marine Arctic Species Register
MARECO - pelagic biodiversity in the open ocean along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
MASDEA - Marine Species Database for Eastern Africa
BlackSea - Black Sea species checklist
Macrobel - Macrobenthos of the Belgian Continental
Shelf
Non-indigenous species in Belgium
54603 37611
24291 20505
21944 11280
3533 1599
2028 847
12011
13268
3237
6122
7649
1347
41 13
30098 20479
3210 1348
1032
547
364
63
31629
19000
8509
1387
770
5724
7064
1244
10
17680
1238
315
63
Global thematic registers
HABs - IOC-UNESCO Taxonomic Reference List of
Harmful Micro Algae
Non-indigenous species
Global species registers
Platyhelminthes - World database of Proseriata and
Kalyptorhynchia
Nemertina - Nemertina World Checklist
Porifera - World Porifera Database
Ostracoda - World check list of Halocyprida
Cumacea - World check list of Cumacea
Hydrozoa - World list of Hydrozoa
Amphipoda - World Amphipoda database
Brachiopoda - Brachiopoda world database
Phoronida - Phoronida world database
Crinoidea - World List of the Crinoids
Ophiuroidea - World Ophiuroidea Database
Euphausiacea - Euphausiacea World list
Isopoda - World List of Marine Freshwater and
Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans
Mangroves - World List of Mangroves
Pisces - World Database of Marine Pisces
Polychaeta - World Register of Polychaeta
Pycnogonida - Pycnogonida World Database
Ascidiacea - World list of Ascidiacea
NeMys
293
2075
182
713
1289
2928
976
2363
18470 15531
325
1453
244
1296
2225
3774
633
29
130
4345
107
1559
2819
411
24
94
3772
87
14763 12191
198 121
52731 42359
20461 17007
1430 1326
5562
8170
5188
6952
91
675
10063
72
16905
11397
1310
2745
6376
733
1348
8194
244
1287
1283
2477
404
11
94
2153
86
Editing, rights and data quality
The Aphia database is build up from regional and global species databases and work that is done by the database management team. When the taxonomic experts provided us with a list of names, the database management team entered the data and logged in with the login details of the taxonomic expert. The database management team also entered names from sources such as publications and datasets, which means names that do not directly come from the taxonomic experts. In that case, they log in with their own login details.
A quality flag is attached to each taxon name, based on the status of the person who created or changed the record in the database.
The quality flag is indicated at two levels:
The record status , by stating who has added/edited the name (database management team or taxonomic expert and the name of the person is listed in the edit history)
The status of the name :
When added/edited by database management team: o Accepted (in grey) o Unaccepted, and all other possibilities (in orange)
When added/edited by a taxonomic expert: o Accepted (in black) o Unaccepted, and all other possibilities (in red)
Only taxonomic experts and members of the database management team have access to add/edit information online. Access rights for taxonomic experts are based on the taxonomic hierarchy, which means they can only add/edit information to their specific taxon group.
A lot of information in Aphia has been entered by the database management team. For every record, the source of information is added (be it a publication, database or expert person). This means however, that a lot of the information has not been validated by the taxonomic experts. At this moment, all the information is shown on the WoRMS portal.
However, only the information that is part of a collection, is shown on the collection websites (e.g. only the information that has the isopod context, is shown on the isopod portal, http://www.marinespecies.org/isopoda).
In total, Aphia holds 224,653 taxon names , of these:
104,464 are not checked by a taxonomic expert (75,273 if you exclude ERMS).
161,629 are valid names, of which 90,099 are not checked by a taxonomic expert
(63,287 if you exclude ERMS)
In total, Aphia holds 178,906 species names , of these:
77,076 are not checked by a taxonomic expert (54,464 if you exclude ERMS)
122,515 are valid names, of which 65,140 are not checked by a taxonomic expert
(44,646 if you exclude ERMS).
Table 2. gives an overview of the number and percentage of valid names (belonging to the taxon corresponding to each collection) that are in Aphia, but are not part of the global species databases. And the number of these names that are not validated by taxonomic experts, and the number of names that derive from ERMS.
All names in: valid names not in: % non-checked from ERMS
World database of
Proseriata and
Kalyptorhynchia
Nemertina World
Checklist
World Porifera
Database
Ostracoda - World check list of
Halocyprida
World check list of
Cumacea
World list of Hydrozoa
World Amphipoda database
Brachiopoda world database
Phoronida world database
World List of the
Crinoids
World Ophiuroidea
Database
Euphausiacea World list
World List of isopods
World List of
Mangroves
World Database of
Marine Pisces
World Register of
Polychaeta
Pycnogonida World
Database
World list of
Ascidiacea
NeMys
1289
2928
18470
325
1453
2225
3774
633
29
130
4345
107
14763
198
52731
20461
1430
5562
8170
218 14
7
106
61
0
3
70
3
209
463
1048
267
497
0
1
1112 77
42 3
2899 57
2
0
9
303 70
2
3
1
0
1
5
230 14
5
6
210
6
93
1112
42
2899
61
0
2
200
69
3
119
463
819
200
238
497
147
0
0
694
1
0
0
0
0
62
4
0
46
0
68
320
0
3
365
Future developments
List of planned new system developments:
Shopping basket to download lists of species names and additional information
(specimens, references, distributions, notes, …) as spreadsheets in MS Excel,
PDF, MS Access. Including selection of the quality status flags.
Facilitate off-line editing by providing spreadsheets for editing and re-importing.
Automated message to the Tax Editor when new information is added or existing information is changed by another member of the editorial board for a particular taxon.
Add expert-validated quality flags with other types of information
(not only taxon names, e.g. distribution, specimen, feeding type, image, …).
Organise queue for non-validated information.
Further develop the online ID key tool: improve layout, include tool to import/export files.
Browse distributions based on the gazetteer (include specimen distribution records) and add maps to distributions.
Add hierarchical habitat list (suggestions?).
New layout/webdesign, making synonyms and supplemental (non-expert validated) information less prominent. Search options: e.g. guide the visitor directly to the accepted name.
Set-up a mailing list for publishers to inform taxonomists/experts about newly published papers on a particular taxon.
Online editing manual (video screen capture).
Update fuzzy tool: new Tony Rees implementation
New check tools: double taxon checker, double gu checker.
Images: send reason for deletion to image provider, allow image uploads for specimens
Different taxonomic tree views: display valid names only, valid + synonyms, ...)
Add citation of each register, per special collection
Develop online delete archive + edit history (~Wiki)
Enable record locking, after validation by taxonomic expert
Create LSIDs
Implement data exchange formats (TAPIR?)
Other suggestions?
Future ideas
Enable Tax editors to create news items on the homepage, as a mechanism to advertise new species discoveries.
How to retrieve information from the database
Through the website
You can:
Search for a taxon (any rank)
Search for taxa described by a particular author
Search for taxa described in a particular year
Search for a taxon by ID (WoRMS ID/TSN ID)
Search for a taxon by common name
Search for a reference, and list species
Search for a geographic location, and list species
Search for a picture of a species
Search for a specimen
Select extra criteria: only valid names (on/off), only marine names (on/off)
Generate a list of taxa that corresponds to a number of criteria.
Some examples :
1.
Leave taxon field blank
2.
Select validity/marine, e.g. only valid names of marine species
3.
Select rank (equal to, lower or equal to, higher to), e.g. equal to species
4.
Select higher taxon group, e.g. Holothuriidae
creates list of all valid species names of Holothuriidae.
1.
Search for authority that contains a publication date = 2004
2.
Select only valid names of marine species
3.
Select rank equal to species
4.
Select Holothuriidae as higher taxon group
creates list of new holothuriid species published in 2004
1.
Search for a geographic location
2.
In/exclude subareas (is based on parent-child relationships of geographic locations in our marine gazetteer)
3.
Select rank
4.
Select higher taxon group
5.
Select validity of distribution record (Certainly valid; Also probably valid; Also probably false; All records)
6.
Select synonyms (Sort on synonyms, list valid names; Sort on valid names, list synonyms; Only valid names)
e.g. create a distinct list of fish species that are without mention of incorrectness observed in Belgian marine waters (and include all subareas).
1.
Search for a specimen
2.
Select by code
3.
Select by type (holo-, lecto-, neo-, syn-, topo-, para-, allo-, paralecto-, co-) /nontype/all types
4.
Select specific museum (drop down-list)/all locations
5.
Select taxon rank
6.
Limit to higher taxon
e.g. create a list of holotype specimens from the genus Actinopyga .
Extra search criteria for Taxonomic editors
Limit to non-checked (not expert validated) names
Limit to Marine/Brackish/Fresh/Terrestrial environment (Yes/No/Unknown)
Limit to a specific collection and/or exclude a specific collection e.g. create a list of Porifera species names, not validated by a Tax expert, that are part of the European Register of Marine Species, and are not listed in the World Porifera
Database.
Through the download page
Every month we freeze a monthly version of the database and make these monthly backups available from the download page
(http://www.marinespecies.org/download/index.php).
You need a password to access this webpage. Tax editors can simple ask for this by email
(info@marinespecies.org). Non-taxonomic editors need to fill in the request form
(downloadable from the home page).
The database is a simple version of the actual database and contains:
1.
All the taxonomic and related information a.
WoRMS ID b.
Taxon name linked to parent taxon c.
Sources d.
Environment flags e.
Notes f.
Vernacular names g.
Distribution records h.
Collection context
2.
Taxon tree to browse the taxonomic hierarchy
3.
Export tool a.
Select higher taxon b.
Select rank, e.g. down to subspecies level c.
Delimiter, e.g. tab, comma, … d.
Select collection context, e.g. ERMS, …
E.g. creates excel sheet of all taxa of Isopoda belonging to the ERMS context
Through the taxon match tool
You can use the WoRMS Taxon Match Tool to automatically match your species list or taxon list with WoRMS. After matching, the tool will return your file with the WoRMS
IDs, valid names (notifies when your name is an unaccepted synonym), authority and publication date, the hierarchical classification, quality status (expert validated or not).
When there are no exact matches the system provides a pick-list of all possible matches.
For performance reasons, the limit is set to 1,000 rows. You can send larger files to info@marinespecies.org and we will return the results to you as soon as possible.
Through the webservice
As a user or developer you can use the WoRMS webservice to feed your own application with standard WoRMS taxonomy. We currently support the platform-independent
SOAP/WSDL standard. A few example of possible applications:
get the AphiaID for your taxon
check the spelling of your taxa
get the authority for your taxa
get the full classification for your taxa
resolve all your invalid names to valid ones
match your species list
resolve a common name to a scientific name
For problems or questions, please contact info@marinespecies.org
If you simply want to link to WoRMS, just use this URL: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Your Species i.e. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Solea solea
Through RSS feeds
If you install an RSS reader (or call them using your MS Outlook), you will receive a notification when new records are added or existing records are edited.
For example, to view the latest changes open your internet browser and go to: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=rss e.g. if you want to see the changes in the Isopoda World Database, go to: http://www.marinespecies.org/isopoda/aphia.php?p=rss
How to add information to the database
The data manager provides you with a login password.
You need to login via the WoRMS interface: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=login or via the specific subportal, e.g. http://www.marinespecies.org/isopoda/aphia.php?p=login
Once logged on you can view all the records in the database, but you can only add information within your taxonomic group.
Add a new valid taxon
Go to the parent taxon using the search tool and click on [add child taxon]. This will open a new window “Aphia add a taxon”, with an empty taxon form. Fill in all the necessary information and click on [add].
The fields indicated with a red asterisk are mandatory fields. The information in the parent field can not be changed, as you indicated that you wanted to create a “child” taxon for the taxon you started from. The record status of the name will automatically be
“checked by editor” and in the edit history at the bottom of the page, the “date”, and created by “your name” will be listed.
Add a new invalid taxon
If the accepted name is not available, then add the name first. This requirement is not needed for cases like nomen nudum, nomen inquirendem and temporary name.
Go to the parent taxon and follow the same procedure as for adding a new valid taxon
(click on [add child taxon]). Change the status into “unaccepted’ and enter the “accepted name”. If possible fill in all other information and click on [add].
Add a new environment flag
You can add an environment flag while adding a taxon or if the name is already created you need to go to the taxon page and click on [edit taxon]. There are four environment flags (marine, freshwater, brackish and terrestrial). Each flag has three options (Yes, No and Unknown). As a default, WoRMS shows only marine and/or brackish water species based on the environment flags: marine = YES or Unknown and/or brackish = Yes or
Unknown. It is especially important that pure freshwater and terrestrial species are ruled out by saying Yes at the freshwater and terrestrial flags respectively.
Add a new source
Go to the literature page and click on [add source]. This will open a new window
“APHIA add source”, with an empty source form. Fill in all the details of the reference
(can be a publication, an expert or a database) and click on [add].
It is also possible to add a weblink and to upload the full text publication. The maximum file size is set at 50 MB. If you would like to upload a larger file or if you would experience any problems during the uploading, please contact us.
Add a source to a taxon
Go to the taxon page and click on [link source]. This will open a new window “Aphia link a source to a taxon”, with an empty form. Enter the first characters and click on
[pick]. This will open a new window “Aphia pick list: source”, where you can select your source from the drop-down list and click on [pick]. Fill in the other specifications and click on [link source]. You can ask the system to remember the reference during your edit session, so that you don’t have to select it again and again.
Add a new vernacular
Go to the taxon page and click on [add vernacular]. This will open a new window “Aphia add a vernacular” with an empty vernacular form. Fill in all the fields and click on [add].
Add a geographical location
Go to the VLIMAR gazetteer on: http://www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/vlimar and login with your WoRMS password. Fill in the necessary fields and click on [create]. The geographical location is automatically transferred to WoRMS.
Add a distribution record to a taxon
Go to the taxon page and click on [add distribution]. Select a geo-unit from the dropdown list. You can further describe the distribution in the relevant fields and click on
[add].
Add a new specimen
Go to the taxon page and click on [add specimen]. This will open a new window “Aphia add specimen record” with an empty specimen form. Fill in all the fields. This module is also used to add type localities.
Add a feeding type to a taxon
Go to the taxon page and click on [add feeding type]. This will open a new window
“Aphia add feedingtype’. Select a feeding type from the predefined drop-down list, add more information if possible and click on [add].
Add a link to a taxon
Go to the taxon page and click on [add link]. This will open a new window “Aphia add a link’. You can enter a url and click on [add].
Add a note to a taxon
Go to the taxon page and click on [add note]. This will open a new window “Aphia add a note”. You can add free text (in any language), select the type of the note and click on
[add].
Add a image to a taxon
Go to the taxon page and click on [add image]. This will open a new window “Aphia add image’. The taxon name is automatically filled in. You can further describe the image, select the image from your computer and click on [upload]. The maximum file size is set at 50 MB.
How to edit information in the database
You have access to edit all the information in the system within your taxonomic group.
Change a taxon name
Go to the taxon page and click on the [edit taxon] button just next to the name. Change the information and click on [update]. If you made a minor spelling change and you don’t want to create a new line in the edit history you can select “minor edit” next to the
[update] button.
Change the status of a name
Go to the taxon page and click on [edit taxon]. Change the status into “unaccepted or any other possible status from the pick list’ and in case it is a synonym, enter the “accepted name”. If possible fill in all other information and click on [update].
Change the record status
When you have changed taxonomic information of a taxon, the record status will automatically be set to “checked by taxonomic editor” and the edit history will include
“date” and “changed” by “your name”.
If you want to validate the taxon information without having to change any information, go to the taxon page and click on [mark as checked], the record status will be set to
“checked by taxonomic editor”.
Change (the status of) a distribution
Go to the taxon page and click on [edit] next to the distribution record. This will open a new window “Aphia edit distribution details”. You can change the information and click on [update].
It is also possible that the distribution and other information was correctly entered, but that the location is not a valid distribution for that species (e.g. it turned out that although it was published, the identification of the specimen was wrong). Instead of deleting the distribution record and losing valuable information, you can change the validity of the record by ticking-off the [valid] and [certain] buttons. The possibilities are “not valid”,
“valid, but not certain and “probably not valid”. You can add the reason why the distribution is not certainly valid and also refer to the source of publication (if the correction is published).
Change (the identification of) a specimen
Go to the taxon page and click on [edit] next to the specimen record. This will open a new window “Aphia edit specimen details”. Edit the information and click on [update].
If a specimen description has been published, but afterwards turns out to be given the wrong name, you can make a trace of its identification history. Go to the taxon page and click on [edit] next to the specimen record (add the first identification if not entered yet by adding a new specimen record). This will open a new window “Aphia edit specimen details”. Click on [edit] next to the name identification. This will open a new window
“Aphia edit identification”. Tick-off the valid box and click on [update]. The status of the specimen record will be set to “not valid”. Other possibilities are “valid, but not certain and “probably not valid”. To add the new identification, click on [add identification] just below the previous name identification. This will open a new window “Aphia add identification”. Enter the correct name and additional information and click on [add] and next click on [update] in the “edit identification” form.
How to remove information from the database/website
In principle we do not delete information which has been published in primary literature or which is in common use (many hits in google). In that case you need to correct the error by changing the status (see how to edit information).
However, when you manage your own subportal (e.g. http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera , you can fully control which information becomes public by ticking-on/off the collection context of each information item.
However, information can be wrongly entered into the database or spelling mistakes were made. Sometimes entries into the database are based on published spelling mistakes, but the name never got in common use. This kind of information should be removed as soon as possible before they start their own life.
To remove information from the database, you need to click on the respective [delete] buttons. An email is sent to the database management team, who can finally delete the information. They will inform you when this is done.
Note that each information item has a unique ID number. The numbers of the deleted items are never overwritten. The reason of the deletion of a record is archived. This is important for other data systems that are linked to these records.
Annex 1. Aphia special collections
Regional registers
ERMS - European Register of Marine Species http://www.marbef.org/data/erms.php
ERMS is an authoritative taxonomic list of species occurring in the European marine environment, defined from the splash zone above the high tide mark and down to 0,5 psu
(salinity) in estuaries. This register is updated almost daily in the framework of the
MarBEF EU Network of Excellence by a board of taxonomic editors, which are the world experts on the taxonomy of their taxon of interest.
Not only taxonomic information is available, but also information on distribution and common names. In October 2006, ERMS contains 52,865 taxon records and 38,141 distribution records.
URMO – UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms http://www.marinespecies.org/urmo/
The UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO) is an already large and gradually growing dataset that is being edited by Jacob van der Land at the National
Museum of Natural History, Leiden and many co-authors.
URMO is hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) as a contribution to IODE.
TISBE - Taxonomic Information System for the Belgian coastal area. http://www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/tisbe/
Tisbe is a taxonomic list of species recorded from the Belgian coast, the Southern Bight of the North Sea and the surrounding countries. The focal area of this database runs from northern France (rocky shores north of Wimereux, where the fauna changes dramatically) to southern Holland, including the Delta area and the whole of the tidal part of the
Scheldt estuary. Information on species from the Belgian coastal area is retrieved from published literature. The distribution details are recorded with as much precision as possible.
The tisbe database is a VLIZ initiative and currently contains 21,095 taxon records and
24,670 distribution records.
NSBP - North Sea Benthos Project http://www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/nsbp/
The ICES Study Group on the North Sea Benthos Project 2000 (an offshoot of the ICES
Benthos Ecology Working Group) is integrating recent macrobenthic infaunal data
(1999-2001) available from various sources, including national monitoring surveys, in
North Sea soft bottom sediments. The main goal is an overall comparison with the ICES
North Sea Benthos Survey data of 1986, in order to determine whether there have been any significant changes and, if so, what may be the causal influences (e.g., climate change, fishing impacts). The work will contribute valuable information on several other topics such as habitat classification and the distribution of sensitive and opportunistic species.
The individual partners retain ownership of their data, but the datasets are made available to the project to allow analysis of species composition and community structure, and to make a comparison with the 1986 North Sea Benthos Survey.
NWARMS - North West Atlantic Register of Marine Species
This North West Atlantic register spans diatoms to marine mammals in the North
American waters from Davis Strait to Cape Hatteras. Information on taxonomy as well as geographical distribution is available.
The NW Atlantic register is a product of the Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC) of the
Huntsman Marine Science Centre (http://www.huntsmanmarine.ca). The NSF funded
CORONA project (Coordinated research on the North Atlantic) has also given a great deal of support to compile this list, as their major goal is to encourage trans-Atlantic ecological research when closely related taxa are found both in the NW and the NE
Atlantic Ocean.
Classification also follows Aphia. This register is an outgrowth of species lists of the
ARC's Bay of Fundy Species Information
(http://www.marinebiodiversity.ca/BayOfFundy/search.html) and other web products, expanded to the Gulf of Maine, Canadian Atlantic, and finally NW North Atlantic species. ARC species lists are based on paper and electronic published, in-press, and unpublished literature, and the ARC museum database. Though some sources and species were undoubtedly missed, an attempt was made to make these lists comprehensive and authoritative species registers. NWARMS currently contains 3,679 taxa.
The ERMS and NWARMS database form the NARMS database (North Atlantic Register of Marine Species). The NARMS database can be consulted on http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/narms/ . When looking for a certain taxon, specifications concerning the region can be made (European and/or North West Atlantic).
RAMS - The Register of Antarctic Marine Species http://www.scarmarbin.be/
The objective of RAMS is to compile and manage an authoritative taxonomic list of species occurring in the Antarctic marine environment, for establishing a standard reference for marine biodiversity research, conservation and sustainable management.
The taxonomic scope of RAMS covers Antarctic animal species from the three realms of the Southern Ocean: the sea floor (meio-, macro- and megabenthos), the water column
(zooplankton, nekton) and the sea-ice. In a second phase, the phytoplankton, micro- and macrophytobenthos will be covered.
The geographic scope of RAMS is in priority the Southern Ocean s.s., i.e. the area between the Antarctic Polar Front (or Antarctic Convergence) and the coasts of the continent. Sub-Antarctic species (occurring between the Subtropical Convergence to the north and the Antarctic Polar Front to the south, i.e. in the Magellan region and in the sub-Antarctic Islands region) are included in certain cases.
A series of preliminary species lists of Antarctic marine invertebrates, mostly for macrobenthic groups, were compiled by Andrew Clarke and Nadine Johnston of the
British Antarctic Survey (BAS), with funding from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth
Office and British Antarctic Survey. Some lists (e.g. gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes, pycnogonids, amphipods, isopods, cheilostomatid bryozoans) have been checked by taxonomic experts, others (e.g. anthozoans, hydrozoans) are being reviewed.
RAMS is managed by an Editorial Board comprising an Executive Committee and associate Taxonomic Editors. The RAMS Executive Committee will play an advising role in the development of RAMS and propose Taxonomic Editors. It will link with the
SCAR-MarBIN international steering committee. To allow RAMS to be as exhaustive and authoritative as possible, the role of the network of Taxonomic Editors will be crucial. These Taxonomic Editors are world experts on the taxonomy of their relevant taxa and will be in charge of the content and quality control of data for their specific group.
MASR - Marine Arctic Species Register
No separate species website available http://www.arcodiv.org/
The CoML project Arctic Ocean Biodiversity and VLIZ are building a register of Arctic marine species. The list currently contains 3,237 taxa of which 1,244 are valid species names. Editor is Russ Hopcroft.
MARECO - pelagic biodiversity in the open ocean along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Integration of different methods to study patterns and changes in pelagic biodiversity in the open ocean along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge http://www.mar-eco.no/
http://www.marbef.org/modules.php?name=People&lvl=Proj&show=html&proid=1649
(description of the project)
MAR-ECO is an international exploratory study of the animals inhabiting the northern mid-Atlantic. Scientists from 16 nations around the northern Atlantic Ocean are participating in research of the waters around the mid-Atlantic Ridge from Iceland to the
Azores.
The project MAR-ECO, an element of the Census of Marine Life, rises to the challenge and investigates the diverse animal life along the vast underwater mountain chains of the open ocean.
The MAR-ECO project is also one of the Responsive Mode Projects within the MarBEF
Network of Excellence. The project will run until December 2008. All species encountered in this project will receive a “MARECO” context. It will then be possible to create a species list of the open ocean along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
MASDEA - Marine Species Database for Eastern Africa http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/masdea/
MASDEA is a biogeographic/taxonomic database of marine species in the Western
Indian Ocean and East Africa. The database was originally developed by Edward Vanden
Berghe while working as project manager of the RECOSCIX-WIO project in Mombasa, and now maintained as a collaborative venture between the Kenya Marine and Fisheries
Research Institute and VLIZ.
BlackSea - Black Sea species checklist http://www.vliz.be/projects/Ocean-Ukraine/
OCEAN-UKRAINE is a three-year (March 2007 - August 2009) interdisciplinary project, that involves the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and two major Ukranian marine institutions: the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas (IBSS) and the Marine
Hydrophysical Institute (MHI). The general objective is to strengthen capacity in these institutes and to integrate them in European networks through a bilateral partnership with
Flanders.
The SIBEMA project is a collaboration between the Flanders Marine Institute and the
Institute of Oceanology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The project addresses important issues related tot the process of achievement of the European standards in the field of marine sciences in Bulgaria and the Black Sea region as a whole. In particular, this refers building of an efficient exploratory and institutional infrastructure to meet the nowadays challenges in scientific management.
One of the common objectives is to create a register of species that occur in the Black
Sea.
Macrobel - Macrobenthos of the Belgian Continental Shelf http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/macrobel/
The Belgian Continental Shelf (BCS) (surface : 2 017 km²) is only 0.5 % of the North
Sea surface, but it has a very high diversity in marine habitats and associated biological communities. Macrobenthic organisms are good candidates for monitoring the short and long-term effects of natural and anthropogenic impacts on and within the marine environment because of their direct link with the sediment and with the processes that occur immediately above the sediments.
This database has delivered an atlas with distribution maps of the macrobenthos of the
BCP for the periods 1977-1983 and 1994-2000. Besides biogeographic and taxonomy information, which is given for each taxon, descriptive details on morphology, biology, ecology, habitat preferences and illustrations are given for a limited number a taxa.
Eventually, by continuing monitoring programmes, our knowledge of different effects of anthropogenic activities on the macrobenthos will aid in the development of a sustainable management plan for the Belgian Coastal Shelf.
Reference: Degraer, S.; Wittoeck, J.; Appeltans, W.; Cooreman, K.; Deprez, T.;
Hillewaert, H.; Hostens, K.; Mees, J.; Vanden Berghe, E.; Vincx, M. (2006). The macrobenthos atlas of the Belgian part of the North Sea. Belgian Science Policy: Brussel,
Belgium. ISBN 90-810081-6-1. 164, photographs, 1 cd-rom pp.
Non-indigenous species in Belgium http://www.vliz.be/NL/Infoloket/nietinheemsLIJST
This list represents all species present on the Belgian Continental Shelf (BCP) that do not originate from this area. The criteria used to distinguish between indigenous and nonindigenous species are the same as mentioned above (non-indigenous species).
Within this list, a distinction will be made between established and non-established populations. Established populations refer to species found attached to or buried in a substrate and are likely to maintain a self-sustaining population. Non-established refers to species only washed ashore. Information on the first record and the year of introduction will be made available where possible.
The compilation of a list of non-indigenous species for the Belgian Continental Shelf is a
VLIZ initiative. So far, about 85 species are found to be non-indigenous to the BCP.
Global thematic registers
HABs - IOC-UNESCO Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Micro Algae http://www.marinespecies.org/hab/
The List contains both species producing toxins and species that cause harm due to biomass, mucus, morphology (spines etc). The names and data on all toxic species appear as WoRMS checked names (see www.marinespecies.org) whereas names of harmful species, which potentially can be any plankton species, are not necessarily checked but are always valid names.
The predecessor and basis for this list is the on-line version of the IOC Taxonomic
Reference list of Toxic Plankton Algae which was provided in cooperation with and hosted by the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen.
The Committee hopes to extend the list during the coming years, to include additional information, including illustrations. Editor is Ø. Moestrup, Copenhagen. Associate
Editors are G.A. Codd, Dundee; M. Elbrächter, Sylt; M.A. Faust, Washington D.C. ; S.
Fraga, Vigo; Y. Fukuyo, Tokyo; G. Cronberg, Lund; Y. Halim, Alexandria; F.J.R.
Taylor, Vancouver and A. Zingone, Naples.
Non-indigenous species
The following criteria were used to distinguish non-indigenous species from native species:
new species in a certain area
a geographic discontinuity between the occurrence and the remainder of the distribution area
localised occurrence
expansion of an initially localised range
insufficient natural dispersal to account for observed distribution
a population explosion
association with artificial means of transport
associated with or dependent on non-indigenous species
incomplete genetic variability
distant populations are genetically identical
taxonomic relationship to other non-indigenous species
These criteria are based on publications by Chapman & Carlton (1991), Boudouresque
(1994) and Ribera & Boudouresque (1995) (source: Wolff, Non-indigenous marine and estuarine species in The Netherlands. Zool. Med. Leiden 79 (2005)).
Global species registers
Platyhelminthes - World database of Proseriata and Kalyptorhynchia http://www.marinespecies.org/Rhabditophora/
To enhance the study of Turbellaria and to facilitate their identification, a database was developed at the Research Group Biodiversity, Phylogeny of the University of Hasselt, in close cooperation with VLIZ. The end goal of this database is to cover all
Rhabditophoran flatworms, providing figures of habitus and important details of the anatomy, literature data and information on distribution. At the moment, only the taxa
Eukalyptorhynchia and Proseriata are completed and made accessible.
This database is also an addition to the database developed by Seth Tyler and collaborators (http://devbio.umesci.maine.edu/styler/turbellaria), to which members of the research group Biodiversity, Phylogeny and Population studies also have contributed.
Currently, the database contains 1,295 records on Rhabditophoran flatworms.
Nemertina - Nemertina World Checklist
No website available yet
This is a world checklist of Nemertina, provided to VLIZ by Raymond Gibson (professor at the Liverpool John Moor University).
The checklist contains 1,304 valid species names. There is also information available on synonyms and distributions.
Porifera - World Porifera Database http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/
The publication of the book “Systema Porifera” and a long term accumulation of literature records of extant sponges by Rob van Soest and John Hooper has led to a cooperation between VLIZ and the first author. All the sponge taxa from “Systema
Porifera” are incorporated in the database: all valid names and all original combinations; other names are entered on an ad-hoc basis.
This world list is intended to promote stability and act as a tool for higher taxon revisions, regional monographs and eventually as a catalogue of the world’s sponge specimen databases as these are slowly being accumulated through EurOBIS and GBIF.
It is believed that the list is 95% complete, but the goal is – of course – 100% completeness.
The editorial committee of this database consists of Rob van Soest, Nicole Boury-
Esnault, Dorte Janussen and John Hooper, all taxonomic experts for the Porifera (or part of the Poriferan taxonomy).
Ostracoda - World check list of Halocyprida
No separate website available.
The taxonomic expert is Martin Angel.
Cumacea - World check list of Cumacea http://www.marinespecies.org/cumacea/
1,453 cumacean taxa are currently present in this database. Distributions can be searched through a Coastal Marine Bioregions Map. The mentioned distribution terms are commonly used in this world database to point out the zoogeographic province of the cumacean species. There is also a key to the families available: drawings and short explanatory notes make it possible to determine your specimen to family level.
The taxonomic expert for this group is Les Watling.
Hydrozoa - World list of Hydrozoa http://www.marinespecies.org/hydrozoa/
Hydroids and medusae are among the most exquisitely beautiful marine animals.
Although the marine species vastly outnumber the freshwaters ones, the genus Hydra may nevertheless be the best known hydrozoan. Almost no textbook on invertebrate zoology fails to present Hydra. However, the simple Hydra is not representative at all for the Hydrozoa and it may actually give a wrong impression of the complexity of this animal group.
There are about 3,500 known species which cover an immense variety of forms and different life histories, which makes it nearly impossible to devise a generalized picture of this group.
Because its main focus is on taxonomy, aspects of hydrozoan biology and ecology are not included in this database. The extra information is limited to distribution records.
This world list of Hydrozoa is a long-term project. At present only a small fraction of the taxa are covered, but sections will be added continuously.
The following Hydrozoan experts are involved in maintaining, updating and checking this database: Ferdinando Boero, Peter Schuchert, Cinzia Gravili, Jean Bouillon, Francesc
Pagès & Josep-Maria Gili.
Amphipoda - World Amphipoda database
No separate website available.
The taxonomic expert is Jim Lowry et al..
Brachiopoda - Brachiopoda world database http://www.marinespecies.org/brachiopoda
World list of all extant brachiopod species. From the about 5,000 described genera, only
~113 are extant and ~399 species from the ~30,000 described ones. The taxonomic expert is Christian Emig.
Phoronida - Phoronida world database http://www.marinespecies.org/phoronida
The taxonomic expert is Christian Emig.
Crinoidea - World List of the Crinoids
No separate website available
The taxonomic expert is Charles Messing.
Ophiuroidea - World Ophiuroidea Database http://www.marinespecies.org/ophiuroidea
The world list is intended to act as a tool for anybody, who needs correct taxonomic information, specialists and non-specialists alike. It will also act as a backbone for specimen and geographic information, which is being accumulated by OBIS and GBIF.
This first ever world database of extant ophiuroid species names is the result of long term accumulation of taxonomic information from the literature by Sabine Stöhr and Tim
O’Hara. The number of described extant species of ophiuroid has been estimated to
2,000. The world list currently includes 2,153 valid species and subspecies names and thus it is the most recent and up-to-date census of the taxon available. We believe the list to be at least 90% complete, but will continue to add information. The list will also be updated, when new species are described or revisions of taxa are published. The taxonomic expert is Sabine Stöhr.
Euphausiacea - Euphausiacea World list
No separate website available
The taxonomic expert is Volker Siegel.
Isopoda - World List of Marine Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans http://www.marinespecies.org/isopoda http://invertebrates.si.edu/isopod/
This list began as an initiative of the US National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution, maintained by the late Brian Kensley and Marilyn Schotte. It grew into a valuable resource http://invertebrates.si.edu/isopod/ for providing nomenclature on the Isopoda: Schotte, M., B.F. Kensley, and S. Shilling. (1995 onwards).
World list of Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Crustacea Isopoda. National Museum of
Natural History Smithsonian Institution: Washington D.C., USA. This list is now reconstructed at http://www.marinespecies.org, with more detailed information on synonymies and distributions, and a capability to host more information, such as images, original literature, and specimen data. This list will be transferred on a monthly basis back to the Smithsonian site. The taxonomic editor is Marilyn Schotte and Associate editors are Niel Bruce, Buz Wilson, Gary Poore, John Markham, Christopher Boyko and
Stefano Taiti.
Mangroves - World List of Mangroves http://www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/mangroves
The list contains all the mangrove species names, linked to distribution information. The objective of this online database is to allow researchers world-wide to fill the composition of mangroves in any specific lagoon or part of a lagoon in order to generate global or regional maps for mangrove species distributions. The editor is Farid Dahdouh-
Guebas.
Pisces - World Database of Marine Pisces
No separate website available http://www.fishbase.org
The list of fish species (valid and synonyms) is provided to WoRMS by Fishbase.
Taxonomic editor is Nicolas Bailly.
Polychaeta - World Register of Polychaeta
No separate website available
The list of polychaete species (valid and synonyms) is provided to WoRMS by Kristian
Fauchald.
Pycnogonida - Pycnogonida World Database http://www.marinespecies.org/pycnobase/
Taxonomic editors are Roger N. Bamber & Aliya El Nagar, with input from Franz Krapp,
Claudia Arango and Yoshie Takahashi.
Ascidiacea - World list of Ascidiacea
No separate website available.
The taxonomic expert is Karen Sanamyan.
NeMys http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/nemys/ http://intramar.ugent.be/nemys/
NeMys is a database system developed to store as many as possible types of biological information on mainly marine taxa in a fully digital way. The concept of storing data on morphology, biogeography, taxonomy, literature, pictures, collections and molecular analyses in one dataset, creates a large group of possible end users and makes it possible to analyse and compare data on a taxonomic group from different points of view.
The database was developed at the Marine Biology Section (Ghent University) mainly with focus on Marine Nematoda and Mysida. Data input is done at the Marine Biology
Section (Ghent University) (Mysida by Tim Deprez – PhD, Nematoda by Meiobenthic researchers).
The data structure was created in close collaboration with the VMDC at VLIZ. VLIZ has developed and maintains this mirror of the master database; the latter is located at the marine biology Section (UGent).
Annex 2. List of main tables and fields in the WoRMS database
Taxonomical information
tu_id tsn tu_name unique ID number unique ID number from ITIS taxon name (for species this is only the species epiton, for subspecies this is only the subspecies epiton) tu_displayname tu_fuzzyname tu_authority tu_parent
Full taxon name (for species and everything below species, this is parent name + the epiton) possible spelling variation (ref. Tony Rees) name of the author(s) and the year of publication contains the name of the first higher taxonomic level (for species this is genus or subgenus)
Taxon that functions as nomenclatural type tu_typetaxon tu_typedesignation Possible values : a. Type by original designation : If one nominal species is designated as the type species when a nominal genus-group taxon is established, that nominal species is the type species b. Type by subsequent designation : If an author established a nominal genus or subgenus but did not fix its type species, the first author who subsequently designates one of the originally included nominal species validly designates the type species of that nominal genus or subgenus (type by subsequent designation), and no later designation is valid. tu_rank c. Type by monotypy : If a new genus is divided into subgenera at the time its name is established, and if the nominotypical subgenus contains only a single species, that nominal species is deemed to be the type by monotypy of the new nominal genus.
Kingdom
Subkingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Superclass
Class
Subclass
Infraclass
Superorder
Order
Suborder
Infraorder
Section
Subsection
Superfamily
Family
Subfamily
Tribe
Subtribe
Genus
Subgenus
Species
Subspecies
Natio
Variety
Subvariety
Forma tu_acctaxon tu_status
This links the synonym to the accepted taxon name
Possible values : a. accepted b. unaccepted (all synonyms) c. nomen nudum d. nomen inquirendum e. alternate representation (e.g. species name with/without subgenus) f. nomen dubium g. temporary name (e.g. taxon + incertae sedis) tu_unacceptreason Reason tu_credibility Not used tu_completeness Not used tu_qualitystatus Possible values : a. “checked by taxonomic editor : included in ERMS 1.1” : this taxon name is originally entered from the ERMS book. This quality status indicates that the taxonomy of this taxon has not changed since the publication of this book. b. “added by database management team” : someone of the database management team has added this taxon to the database. c. “checked by taxonomic editor” : one of the taxonomical editors has checked the taxonomical validity of this taxon and has made the necessary changes. If this quality status is on, the taxonomical information should not be changed prior to consulting the taxonomical expert. It is however still possible to add vernacular tu_marine names and distributions. d. “edited by database management team” : someone of the database management team has last edited this taxon.
Occurs in marine waters (Yes/No/Unknown) tu_brackish tu_fresh tu_terrestrial
Occurs in brackish waters (Yes/No/Unknown)
Occurs in fresh waters (Yes/No/Unknown)
Occurs on land (Yes/No/Unknown)
tu_fossil Possible values: a. unknown b. recent only c. fossil only d. recent + fossil
This field generates the taxonomic hierarchical tree tu_sp
Source information
id imis_id source_type unique ID number unique ID number from IMIS source_name source_abstract source_link source_note source_id sourceuse_id
Possible values: a. Publication b. Database c. Expert
Full reference
Abstract/summary of publication
Weblink, e.g. DOI
Free text source_orig_fn Link to full text version (max 50MB)
Source linked to taxon tu_id Link to taxon name
Link to source
Possible values: a. original description : original description of the taxon. b. basis of record : source when creating the record in aphia. c. additional source : extra source. d. source of synonymy : source mentioning that the taxon is a synonym. e. redescription : source redescribing taxon. f. new combination reference : when new ‘genus – species epiton’ combination g. status source : source with information on status of the taxon. pagenr page numbers of original description of this taxon, when source is original description.
Vernacular information
id unique ID number
tu_id vername lan_id note source
Link to taxon name
Common name
Define language
Free text source of vernacular, linked to source table
Distribution information
id tu_id gu_id source_id unique ID number
Link to taxon name
Link to place name (linked to geo-unit ID)
Link to source unacceptsource_id Link to source when distribution is not accepted unacceptreason Reason of invalidity (e.g. misidentification) valid_flag Tick-box (Yes/No) certain_flag map_flag endemic_flag exotic_flag specimenflag lat long depthshallow depthdeep beginyear beginmonth
Tick-box (Yes/No)
Distribution is based on a map only the taxon is endemic to the specified location
Species non-native to this place
Specimens caught and stored
Latitude
Longitude
Min depth
Max depth
Year
Month beginday endyear endmonth endday min_abundance max_abundance note
Day
Year
Month
Day
Minimum abundance
Maximum abundance
Free text
Specimen information
id sm_code sm_alt_number museum_id label_text preservation unique ID number
Collection code
List of museums/collections free text
Possible values: a. Herbarium sheet
Identification
Source
Type sm_count field_notes
Collector
Locality
Locality details
Lat
Lon
Precision depthshallow depthdeep beginyear beginmonth beginday endyear endmonth endday note b. Wet specimen: Ethanol c. Wet specimen: Formol d. Culture e. Silica gel f. Slide g. Dried
Taxon name
Link to source of publication
Possible values: a. Holotype b. Syntype c. Neotype d. Topotype e. Lectotype f. Paratype g. Allotype h. Cotype i. Paralectotype j. Nontype
Number of specimens
Free text
Person name
Link to gu_id
Free text
Latitude
Longitude
As radius of the circle
Minimum depth
Maximum depth
Year
Month
Day
Year
Month
Day
Free text
Feeding type information
id description unique ID number
Possible values: a. deposit feeder: selective b. deposit feeder: non-selective c. epigrowth feeder
code definition stage d. predator/omnivore e. parasitic: endoparasitic f. suspension feeder g. omnivore h. predator i. scavenger j. deposit feeder: surface k. deposit feeder: subsurface l. grazer m. not feeding n. parasitic: ectoparasitic o. carnivore p. unknown q. parasite r. deposit feeder s. detritus feeder t. herbivore u. interface grazer v. filter feeder w. suspension feeder: facultative
Extra codes e.g. 1A, 1B explanation
Possible values:
Egg
Juvenile
Adult
Larva
Postlarva
Spat
Subadult
Zoea
Nauplius
Polyp
Medusa
Ephyra
Megalopa
Free text
Link to source note source
Image information
id
Title
Description
Author unique ID number
Free text
Free text
Person name
Tu_id
File name
Note
Email address
Taxon name only JPG, GIF, PNG, max file size 50MB
Free text
Note information
id type lan_id note tu_id
Source unique ID number
Possible values: authority, biology, breeding, distribution, general, taxonomy, …) language
Free text
Link to taxon name
Link to source
Geographical information
Gazetteer ID Unique ID number
Preferred Appellation Name of the location
Appellation Source Source of information
Placetype
Lan
Parent Locality
Possible values: e.g. sea, bay, sandbank, abyssal plain, channel, cave, coast, … language
Link to the name of the first higher geographical level
Lat
Lon
MinLat
MinLon
Latitude
Longitude
Minimum Latitude
Minimum Longitude
MaxLat
MaxLon
Map to use
Maximum Latitude
Maximum Longitude
World, Europe, EEZ, …shape files
