[Taxacom] Real time batch spell checking of scientific names now available via IRMNG

[Tony.Rees at csiro.au]

Dear Taxacomers,

Mindful of the present round of acronym-bashing, I thought I might let you know of a useful new feature added today to my own aggregated biodiversity database "IRMNG": real-time spelling correction of multiple supplied species names (previously this feature was only activated on single supplied names for performance reasons, to avoid potentially lengthy delays, now worked around).

Here's how to use it:

- Take a list of species names including potentially misspelled ones (can also have authorities appended too as available), one per line, max. around 1,500-2,000 at a time depending on word length.

** Here is an example small set of real world marine species data I am currently working on for a user in my agency, from a field survey list, excluding names which already have an exact match in the main IRMNG list):

Acanthophora glomerata
Acrosterigma vlamigi
Aeverrillia pilosa
Alcospira rosea
Alliodoris hedley
Anadara articulata
Ancilla cingulata
Angula sphaeruia
Anquipecten aurantiacus
Arca avellana_MTQ
Arca avellana_QMS
Arcania foleolata
Ashtoret planipes
Australium tentoriformis
Austrolabidia gracilipes
Beania spinulosa
Biflustra limosa
Botryocladia skottsbergi
Bufonia margaritula
Bugula johnsoni
Bursa thersites
Calliostoma monile
Callyspongia schultzi
Cancilla fillaris
Caulerpa urvilliana

(and so on)

- Go to the IRMNG data access page at http://www.cmar.csiro.au/datacentre/irmng/, copy-and-paste the list into the search box

- Press "check species names"

Look for "Species names not found" at the bottom (obviously, names found will be resolved first, however in this case there are none).

After each name not found there will be information about whether at least the genus name is held in that form (for something, may not be the intended target of course) then either the nearest matching species name or names, or a "no match" message at species level. Click on any near match name to get the full taxonomic hierarchy, synonym status where known, and other information as presently held in the database.

For the record IRMNG could not be built without drawing on other "names aggregator" activities (acronyms if you must) including Catalogue of Life (only 2006 version as yet), WoRMS (World register of Marine Species) and more - eventually also to include names from The Plant List when that data is re-usable as advised earlier today (thanks Rafaël!) -
building on the efforts of their respective aggregators of course (since entering names individually would not be tractable). It is also not complete at this time (only 1.9 million species names held, lots including many fossil species and certain higher plants still missing), but will be added to further as time and resources may be available. Once I have all The Plant List data added plus more recent updates to Catalogue of Life included it should be useful to more people again.

I hope at least some on this list may find this feature useful in your work and I am very happy for you to recommend the site to others as appropriate.

Regards to all- Tony


Dr Tony Rees 
Manager | Divisional Data Centre
Marine and Atmospheric Research
CSIRO
E Tony Rees at csiro.au T +61 3 6232 5318
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
www.cmar.csiro.au/datacentre
Manager, OBIS Australia regional Node, http://www.obis.au
LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tony-rees/18/770/36