Taxacom: a class of errors in Worms (and similar databases)

[Geoff Read]

This seems to be a case where the records are incomplete.  The original name field for the bird species is wrong, and in fact the original name is missing from WoRMS. There is a general lack of possible information (no linked original description source).
I don't know where WoRMS got its bird info from - maybe it's just marine & coastal birds from a bare-bones marine checklist.  So perhaps not a good example of the general situation in a database specialising in marine inverts and not so much interested in Aves in toto.   

In WoRMS I think a general search for instances of lack of parenthesis where there is a younger genus name requires the WoRMS database managers to do the search. Editors & users don't have the complex search capability to find the mismatches.

So, as Mark Costello suggested, an approach to the WoRMS data team to investigate for other instances would be a great idea.

Geoff
--
Geoffrey B. Read, Ph.D.
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
gread at actrix.gen.nz



>---- Original Message ----
>From: Erikjan Rijkers via Taxacom <taxacom at lists.ku.edu>
>To: "Taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>Sent: Sun, Feb 23, 2025, 8:58 PM
>Subject: Taxacom: a class of errors in Worms (and similar databases)
>
>Hello,
>
>This is a request to taxonomic database implementors/admins. The Worms 
>database is just an example.
>
>On page
>   https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marinespecies.org%2Faphia.php%3Fp%3Dtaxdetails%26id%3D344099&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cbb6e0a2d2bc84034c41808dd545ec9a1%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638759488442067033%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mjE8xXtDy9KpSuzjdClXBzSQIBWeHeMifPXQybEumqY%3D&reserved=0
>
>There is the species name and a genus name:
>   Papasula abbotti Ridgway, 1893
>   Papasula Olson & Warheit, 1988
>
>These are, of course, literature references. Ridgway in 1893 described 
>Sula abbotti [1]. It seems clear that parentheses are needed, like so:
>   Papasula abbotti (Ridgway, 1893)
>
>The year of the genus being more recent than the species name, i.e., 
>1988 > 1893, already implied that parentheses are needed.
>
>It seems to me such cases can be easily found automatically and changes 
>could be made, perhaps also automatically, or at least flagged to the 
>editor(s) concerned as a change that is probably needed.
>
>Perhaps such changes or flagging could be implemented? It seems such a 
>small and simple improvement.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Erikjan Rijkers
>
>
>[1] https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.biodiversitylibrary.org%2Fpage%2F15780967&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cbb6e0a2d2bc84034c41808dd545ec9a1%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638759488442085745%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=kyugYg5BFRAntFy6JNFkcnhO8Qyw9ez4%2BZeFkOlupSU%3D&reserved=0
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