TheWorldRegisterofMarineSpeciesis
Hostedby
FlandersMarineInstitute(VLIZ),BelgiumonbehalfoftheSocietyforthe
ManagementofElectronicBiodiversityData.
Fundedby
EUMarBEFNetworkofExcellence,OceanBiogeographicInformationSystem,
SloanFoundation,GlobalBiodiversityInformationFacility,RichardLounsbery
Foundation,andcontributionsfromtheTaxonomic Editors.
Supportedby
Species2000,CatalogueofLife,IntergovernmentalOceanographic
CommissionofUNESCO,ZooBankoftheInternationalCodeonZoological
Nomenclature,InternationalUnionofBiologicalSciences,International
AssociationforBiologicalOceanography,WorldFishCenter,SeaAroundUs
Project,EncyclopaediaofLife,CensusofMarineLife,InternationalCensusof
MarineMicrobes.
World Register of Marine Species
Firstauthoritativelistofnamesofallmarinespecies
Standardsbased,qualitycontrolled,expertvalidated,
openͲaccessinfrastructureforresearch,education,
anddataandresourcemanagement
www.marinespecies.org
info@marinespecies.org
TowardsaWorldRegisterofMarineSpecies
TheaimofaWorldRegisterofMarineSpecies(WoRMS)istoprovidean
authoritativeandcomprehensivelistofnamesofmarineorganisms,
includinginformationonsynonymy.Whilehighestprioritygoestovalid
names,othernamesinuseareincludedsothatthisregistercanserveas
aguidetointerprettaxonomicliterature.
ThecontentofWoRMSiscontrolledbytaxonomicexperts,notby
databasemanagers.WoRMShasaneditorialmanagementsystemwhere
eachtaxonomicgroupisrepresentedbyanexpertwhohastheauthority
overthecontent,andisresponsibletocontrolthequalityofthe
information.Eachofthesemaintaxonomiceditorscaninviteseveral
specialistsofsmallergroupswithintheirareaofresponsibility.
MarineSpecies.orgisthewebinterfaceofWoRMS.WoRMSholdsa
numberofregionalandglobalauthoritativemarinespecieslistsofwhich
afewaremaintainedexternally.Themajorityoftheselistshastheirown
websitehostedunderMarineSpecies.org.
WoRMScontainsvalidspeciesnames,synonymandvernacularnames,
andextrainformationsuchaspictures,literatureandbiogeographic
data.Besidesspeciesnames,WoRMSalsocontainsthehigher
classification.Theclassificationusedisa‘compromise’between
establishedsystemsandrecentchanges.Itsaimistoaiddata
management,ratherthansuggestanytaxonomicorphylogenetic
opiniononspeciesrelationships.
KeepingWoRMSupͲtoͲdateisacontinuousprocess.Newinformationis
entereddailybythetaxonomiceditorsandbyourmembersofthedata
managementteam.Oftendataalsocomeinfromcontributionsoflarge
datasets,suchasglobalorregionalspecieslists.Nodatabaseofthissize
iswithouterrorsandomissions.Wedon’tpromisetomakenoerrors,but
wedopromisetofollowupandgivefeedbackonanycommunications
pointingouterrors.Feedbackisverywelcome!
TheWorldRegisterofMarineSpeciesintegrates
Globalspecieslists
x WorldlistofPorifera
x WorldlistofProseriataandKalyptorhynchiaͲRhabditophora
x WorldlistofMysids–Nemys
x WorldlistofNematodes–NeMys
x WorldlistofCumacea
x WorldlistofBrachiopoda
x WorldlistofPhoronida
x WorldlistofPycnogonida
x WorldlistofOphiuroidea
x WorldlistofIsopoda
x WorldlistofCopepoda
x WorldlistofEuphausiacea
x WorldlistofNemertina
x WorldlistofTanaidacea
x WorldlistofMarinePisces(Fishbase)
x WorldlistofPolychaeta
x WorldlistofRotifera
x UnescoRegisterofMarineOrganisms
Soontocome:Asteroidea,Crinoidea,Holothuroidea,
Mollusca,Amphipoda,Trematoda,Echiura,Chaetognatha
Regionalspecieslists
EuropeanRegisterofMarineSpecies(ERMS)
RegisterofAntarcticMarineSpecies(RAMS)
NorthAtlanticRegisterforMarineSpecies(NARMS)
TaxonomicInformationSystemfortheBelgianCoastalArea(TISBE)
MarineSpeciesDatabaseforEasternAfrica(MASDEA)
NorthSeaBenthosProject(NSBP)
BoardofEditors
Thelistoftaxonomicexpertscanbefoundonline.
Pleasecontactusatinfo@marinespecies.orgifyouhaveanyquestions
orwanttocontributetothisinitiative.