20-21 st
June 2008 hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Ostend, Belgium.
Sponsored by MarBEF
We have made great progress with the World and European Registers of Marine Species, and related activities by using side-meetings at other events and email. To create more momentum we need to more closely involve and energise the people who should be involved. A face-to-face meeting between the editors and data management team is thus planned for 20-21 st June 2008 at VLIZ.
This workshop is for the taxonomic experts who validate marine species names and information in online databases. Their efforts are enabling the availability of authoritative quality controlled information on marine species names and associated information that contribute to
MarBEF, EDIT, PESI, WoRMS, GBIF, OBIS and Species 2000 Catalogue of Life.
The workshop outcomes will include (1) increased enthusiasm and know-how amongst taxonomic experts as to online publication processes and benefits; (2) deadlines for progress on WoRMS, interoperability and our initiatives; (3) Multi-author paper on known and knowable marine species started. It may also include side meetings of major-taxon editors on 19 th June 2008. Editors planning such meetings should contact Ward Appeltans.
Documents to be circulated:
1.
Taxonomy21 report from EDIT;
2.
Towards a management hierarchy;
3.
Comments from end-users and collaborators, including Atlas of Living Australia and ICES;
4.
How many marine species are known and unknown
5.
Discussion paper on WoRMS organisation, management, responsibilities, recommended citation style, and funding.
Persons attending:
Taxonomic editors
Angel Martin (Ostracoda), National Oceanography Centre, UK
Arvanitidis Christos (Polychaeta), Institute of Marine Biology and genetics, Hellenic Centre of Marine
Research (HCMR), Greece
Bailly Nicolas (Pisces), WorldFish Center, Philippines
Bamber Roger (Pycnogonida), The Natural History Museum, UK
Blachowiak-Samolyk Katarzyna (Ostracoda), Polish Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology,
Poland
Bouchet, Philippe (Mollusca), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France
Boury-Esnault, Nicole (Porifera), Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille; Station Marine d'Endoume,
France
Boxshall Geoff (Copepoda), The Natural History Museum, UK
Buckland Clare, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, UK
Chancerel Thomas, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France
Costello Mark J. (Amphipoda), University of Auckland, New Zealand
Cribb Thomas (Trematoda), The University of Queensland, Australia
Davie Peter (Decapoda), Queensland University, Australia
De Broyer Claude (Chief Editor RAMS), Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium
Deprez Tim (Mysidacea, Nematoda), Universiteit Gent; Faculteit Wetenschappen; Vakgroep Biologie;
Afdeling Mariene Biologie, Belgium de Voogd Nicole (Porifera), Naturalis, The Netherlands

d’Udekem d’Acoz Cédric (Amphipoda), Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium
Emig Christian (Brachiopoda, Phoronida), BrachNet, France
Fauchald Kristian (Polychaeta), Smithsonian Institution/National Museum of Natural History, USA
Gittenberger Adriaan (Tunicata), National Museum of Natural History Naturalis, The Netherlands
Gofas Serge (Mollusca), Universidad de Málaga, Spain
Gordon Dennis (Bryozoa), National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New
Zealand
Hoeksema Bert (Scleractinia), National Museum of Natural History Naturalis, The Netherlands
Longshaw Matt (Myxozoa), The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, UK
Macpherson, Enrique (Crustacea), Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CSIC), Spain
Mapstone Gillian (Siphonophora), The Natural History Museum, UK
Rosenberg Gary (Mollusca), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, USA
Segers Hendrik (Rotifera), Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Free University of Brussels, Belgium
Sterrer Wolfgang (Gnathostomulida), Bermuda Natural History Museum, Bermuda
Stöhr Sabine (Echinodermata), Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate
Zoology, Sweden
Türkay Michael (Decapoda), Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg; Departement of Marine Zoology,
Germany van Soest Rob (Porifera), Zoological Museum of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Walter Chad (Copepoda), Smithsonian Institution, USA
Watling Les (Cumacea), University of Hawaii at Manao, USA
Data managers
Appeltans Ward, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Decock Wim, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Hernandez Francisco, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Palomares Maria Lourdes (Deng), Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada
Renaudier Sylvain, Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Free University of Brussels, Belgium
Vanden Berghe Edward, Rutgers University; Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, USA
Vandepitte Leen, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Vanhoorne Bart, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Other invitees
Connolly Niamh, European Science Foundation; Marine Board, Belgium
Mees Jan, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Orrell Thomas, Integrated Taxonomic Information System & Catalogue of Life, USA
Patterson David, Encyclopedia of Life, Marine Biological Laboratory, USA
Pissierssens Peter, UNESCO; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission; IOC Project Office for
IODE, Belgium
Remsen David, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Denmark
Roskov Yury, Species 2000 Secretariat; Plant Science Laboratories; The University of Reading, UK
Observers
Balian Estelle, Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Free University of Brussels, Belgium
Dencheva Kristina, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria
Moncheva Snejana Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria
Panayotova Marina, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria
Slabakova Natalia Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria
Stefanova Kremena, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria

INTRODUCTION
Session Chair: Geoff Boxshall
09:00-09:30 Welcome to VLIZ (Dr Jan Mees, Director)
Housekeeping, About VLIZ and its Data Centre
09:30-10:00 A vision for modern taxonomy using online databases as a service for users and taxonomists (EDIT future of taxonomy manifesto) (Mark Costello)
10:00-10:30 Challenges in quality control in online marine biodiversity information systems (Edward Vanden Berghe)
10:30-11:00 Refreshments
DATA MANAGEMENT
11:00-12:30 How WoRMS and ERMS databases and editing systems work (Ward
Appeltans and Bart Vanhoorne).
Discuss online editing, interactions with external resources, and potential developments. Review and make recommendations for standard vocabularies for species names (WoRMS+others), place names (IHO gazetteer), ecology and habitat terminology, species attributes, and online tools to facilitate these.
12:30-13:30 Lunch
USER NEEDS
Session Chair: Mark Costello
13:30-14:30 Addressing needs of end-users
14:30-15:00 Round table discussions on how to improve and develop WoRMS, ERMS etc.
15:00-15:30 Refreshments
15:30-16:00 Towards a classification of life for data management (Dennis Gordon)
16:00-17:00 Continue round table discussions
Reception with famous Belgian beers.

DAY 2
Session Chair: Philippe Bouchet
09:00-09:30 Review conclusions from Day 1.
09:30-10:30 (a) Filling gaps in Taxonomic Editors
(b) Linking to authoritative External Global Species Databases
Tanaidacea, Lophogastrida, Cestoda, Turbellaria, Hexacorallia, AlgaeBase, Mysida,
Nematoda, Enoplometopidae (Astacidea), Mammalia, Reptilia, Aves, others?
10:30-11:00 Refreshments
INVENTORING MARINE BIODIVERSITY
11:00-12:30 How many marine species are known and unknown (Mark Costello)
Discuss ‘known’ number of species per taxon, and ways to estimate number yet to be described. [Plan for joint multi-author publication of WoRMS editors and CoML deliverable on the number of known and knowable marine species ; Mark Costello review current status]
New marine species descriptions: what is actually being achieved?
(Philippe Bouchet and Thomas Chancerel)
12:30-13:30 Lunch
Session Chair: Ward Appeltans
13:30-15:00 WoRMS management issues a.
Organisation and management responsibilities. b.
Agree style of recommended citation. c.
Money matters – agree terms for call for proposals from Taxonomic
Editors to spend GBIF and Lounesbury funds to develop WoRMS content. d.
WoRMS Logo e.
Brochure and/or poster to advertise WoRMS at conferences
15:00-15:30 Refreshments
15:30-16:30 Summary of key conclusions and action items.
Any other business?
17:00 End of workshop