The Catalogue of Life is planned to become a comprehensive catalogue of all known species of organisms on Earth by the year 2011. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 2011 ( MMXI) will be a Common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. Rapid progress has been made recently and this, the seventh edition of the Annual Checklist, contains 1,105,589 species. Please note that this is probably just more than half of the world's known species. This means that for many groups it continues to be deficient.
The present Catalogue is compiled with sectors provided by 52 taxonomic databases from around the world. Many of these contain taxonomic data and opinions from extensive networks of specialists, so that the complete work contains contributions from more than 3,000 specialists from throughout the taxonomic profession. Species 2000 and ITIS teams peer review databases, select appropriate sectors and integrate the sectors into a single coherent catalogue with a single hierarchical classification. Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the Taxonomy of biological Species It is planned to introduce alternative taxonomic treatments and alternative classifications, but an important feature is that for those users who wish to use it, a single preferred catalogue, based on peer reviews, will continue to be provided.
Contents |
The Catalogue is published as two products:
Species 2000 [1] & ITIS Catalogue of Life: Annual Checklist:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: Dynamic Checklist:
It differs in concept from the Annual Checklist in that:
In June 2001 the Species 2000 and ITIS organisations decided to work together to create the Catalogue of Life. They declared a target for completing coverage for all 1. 75 million known species by 2011. The two organisations remain separate and different in structure. However, by working together in creating a common product, the partnership has enabled them to reduce duplication of effort, make better use of resources, and to accelerate production. The combined Annual Checklist on CD-ROM has become well established as a cited reference used for data compilation and comparison. For instance, it is used as the principal taxonomic index in the GBIF data portal and recognised by the CBD.
Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist. CD-ROM and Digital resource at Catalogue of Life - Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U. K.
Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Ruggiero MA, Orrell TM, Paglinawan LE, Brewer PW, Bailly N, Hertum J van, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. CD-ROM and Digital resource at Catalogue of Life - Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U. K.