ECAT World Taxonomies Gap Analysis

The taxonomies data set has been analysed at Phylum/Division level, assessing the state of taxonomic treatment. These findings are listed here and summarised below

 

Index:

 

Monera

Bacteria (incl. Archaea)

Bergey's Manual is a complete Bacteria GSD.

Cyanophycota

Bergey's and AlgaeBase - world coverage

Plantae

Anthocerotophyta

2-300 spp., ITIS does N. America

Bacillarophyta

~7000 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage 

Bryophyta

1500 spp., TROPICOS - world coverage

Charophyta

~90 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Chlorophyta

7000spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Chrysophyta

250 - 1000 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Craspedophyta

ITIS and AlgaeBase - world coverage

Cryptophyta

~200 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Dinophyta

~2000 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Euglenophyta

~1600 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Haptophyta

~500 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Hepatophyta

6500 spp., some treatments, not online.

Phaeophyta

 ~1700 spp.AlgaeBase - world coverage,  

Prasinophyta

~500 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Rhodophyta

~7000 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Xanthophyta

600 spp., AlgaeBase - world coverage

Coniferophyta

Well treated;World List of Cycads, John Hendricks

Cycadophyta

250spp., good treatment

Equisetophyta

ITIS treatment for N. America

Ginkgophyta

ITIS treatment for N. America

Gnetophyta

ITIS treatment for N. America

Lycopodiophyta

ITIS treatment for N. America

Magnoliophyta

258650 spp., level of treatment captured by GSPC Metadatabase. Some commercial families at a very high level of treatment.

Psilophyta

No data

Pteridophyta

15000spp., ITIS has N. Am data; otherwse some non-web treatments

Fungi

72000 spp., Extend of Species Fungorum Unclear.

Ascomycota

Basidiomycota

Deuteromycotina

Myxomycota

Animalia

Acanthocephala

600 marine species, no treatment encountered. AFAIK some commercial importance as parasites to commercial fish

Annelida

ITIS well under way with global treatment, maybe excepting Hirudinea.

Apicomplexa

no data

Arthropoda

Chelicerata

Spiders; 'All'  (c. 40000) known species catalogued

Acari; No estimates. Except for ticks, no treatment. Commercially and medially important as parasites, vectors and vermin. A significant gap!

Other orders + Pycnogonida; no data

Crustacea

40000 spp. very patchy except commercial Decapoda and a few other groups (isopoda). Large biodiversity Gap

Hexapoda

Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Siphonaptera, Trichoptera, Hymenoptera, Phthiraptera

Major orders with a certain level of treatment in progress. Networks of collaborators forming

Minor to medium orders such as Blattaria, Dermaptera, Isoptera, Phthiraptera, Ephemeroptera

Lack of treatment may be important Gap

Myriapoda

Chilopoda; to be completed

Diplopoda; only N. America in ITIS -Significant Gap

Brachiopoda

No data

Chaetognatha

No data, major part of Zooplankton, 70-100 spp.

Gap?

Chordata

Cephalochordata+Tunicata

2000+ spp. no treatment

Gap?

Amphibia, Aves, 'Pisces', Mammalia, Reptilia

Good - although sometimes competing - treatments.

 

Ciliophora

8000 spp. no treatment - a possible Gap

Cnidaria

ITIS + Hexacorallians of the World seem to cover the group

Ctenophora

Small taxon (90spp.), a species list exist at http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Ctenophores.html go get it 

Cycliophora

2 spp.

Echinodermata

7000 spp., no treatment - Major gap

Echiura

140 spp., no treatment

Ectoprocta

5000 spp., treatment (Lidgard, FieldMus) in progress

Entoprocta

~170 spp.

Gastrotricha

400 spp., no treatment

Gnathostomulida

 80 spp., some treatment

Hemichordata

100 spp., no treatment

Kinorhyncha

100 spp., no treatment

Loricifera

10spp., no treatment

Mollusca

>75000 spp. Except for Cephalopoda, the treatment is geographically segmented. more investigation needed. Possible Gap(s)

Myxozoa

no data

Nemata

25000+ spp., no online treatment GAAAAAB!!! 

Nematomorpha

240 spp., no treatment 

Nemertea

1000 spp., emerging treatments 

Onychophora

Few, no treatment

Orthonectida

20 spp., list on Wikipedia

Phoronida

10-16 spp., no treatment

Placozoa

1sp., no treatment... 

Platyhelminthes

18000+ spp., ERMS has European data, but no world treatment exist. This is a medically and agriculturally very important group (parasites). Major gap

Porifera

10000 marine spp., except for ERMS, no treatment.  Gap

Priapula

8spp., no treatment

Protozoa

Some treatment of Foraminifera. All other lacking.  Major gap  

Rhombozoa

65spp., no treatment

Rotifera

<2000 spp., no treatment except FaEu

Sarcomastigophora

1500 spp., no treatment. Ecosystem importance.   Gap

Sipuncula

150 spp,. no treatment except ERMS

Tardigrada

180 spp., no treatment

Gap Analysis

A number of Phyla/Divisions totally lack taxonomic treatment. Also, for the same groups it is often hard or impossible to obtain figures for the number of species they contain. These groups are in general under studied and often totally lack a taxonomic community. Seen in isolation, they may not present significant gaps as these groups are in general fairly small, but in concert they constitute a major gap that will be hard to overcome.

Significant gaps can be perceived for AcariNemata and the Platyhelminthes . These are all mega diverse groups with significant medical and economic importance as either pests or parasites. These groups might be highlighted in a prioritization process.

Even as significant gaps occur in Crustacea, DiplopodaEchinodermata, many Insect orders (the major insect orders all have a reasonable level of treatment, but a good number of medium size orders remain untreated)  and Porifera . These are medium size to large animal groups that have no treatment but may not be of as high an importance as the previous.

The treatment status of the Magnoliophyta (flowering plants) is monitored by the GSPC meta database. Although certain gaps exist for a number of families, the Magnoliopsida are in general well treated. Certain economically important and large families are indeed among the best treated groups.

The Fungi is a very large group and only a few treatments exist. However, the initiatives taken by Species Fungorum aim at covering 40% of the species at the end of 2005 and the Fungi as such can not be considered a gap. Certain groups of Fungi may even though be without any possibilities for treatment and could be considered gaps.

The Bacteria (including Archaea and Cyanobacteria) are treated in Bergey's Manual of Bacteriology and represent one of the most complete treatments available.

Viral names and species are handled by the ICTVdB