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

[Erikjan Rijkers]

Op 2/24/25 om 07:20 schreef Mikhail Daneliya:
> Thank you!
> There are mistakes in taxonomic publications as well, abundant. It is just
> normal to err. So, the best practice is you noticed a mistake, write to the
> subject editor in WORMS. It is their constant dedication to correct such
> mistakes.

I understand your point, of course, but in the case of a whole *class* 
of errors I don't agree. These should not be addressed piecemeal but 
wholesale.

My email to TAXACOM should be regarded as addressed to all 
above-mentioned subject editors - and not just in WORMS. You say it's 
normal to err, which only sounds fair enough.  It's carelessness that 
allows such simple validation errors to exist in any database.

Best regards,

Erikjan

> Sincerely,
> Mikhail
> 
> On Mon, 24 Feb 2025, 07:50 Erikjan Rijkers via Taxacom, <
> taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
> 
>> Op 2/24/25 om 00:06 schreef Geoff Read:
>>> perhaps not a good example of the general situation in a database
>>
>> Perhaps - but it's not exactly an accidental error:
>>
>> Of the names in the GBIF backbone file (admittedly from 202308) which
>> has 2,614,593 accepted species names (in 268,274 genera), there is more
>> than 1 % erroneously unparenthesized.
>>
>>   From GBIF name records that have status='ACCEPTED':
>>
>> [...]
>> Zygopleura Koken, 1892  | Zygopleura plebia Herrick, 1887
>> Zygosoma Labb?, 1899    | Zygosoma gibbosum Greeff, 1880
>> Zygota F?rster, 1856    | Zygota congener Zetterstedt, 1840
>> Zynodes Whalley, 1970   | Zynodes strigerella Hampson, 1903
>> Zyzzyva T.L.Casey, 1922 | Zyzzyva squamosa C.H.Boheman, 1844
>> (28836 rows)
>>
>> The 'accepted' names from checklistbank.org (from 202502) are 0.5%
>> erroneously unparenthesized (~13,000 names).
>>
>>>
>>> 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.
>>
>> Surely the biologists/curators (who I would expect might be on TAXACOM)
>> should instruct their own technical people.
>>
>> Erikjan
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>