World Register of Marine Species
Encyclopedia
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a database
that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the information, which is gathered from several regional and taxon-specific databases. WoRMS maintains valid names of all marine organisms, but also provides information on synonyms
and invalid names. It will be an on-going task to maintain the registry, as new species are constantly being discovered and described by scientists. In addition, the nomenclature of existing species is often found to need correcting.
WoRMS was founded in 2008. It is primarily funded by the European Union
and hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute in Ostend
, Belgium. WoRMS has established formal agreements with several other biodiversity projects, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
and the Encyclopedia of Life
. In 2008, WoRMS stated that it hoped to have an up-to-date record of all marine species completed by 2010, the year in which the Census of Marine Life
was completed.
As of November 2011, WoRMS had 212,633 valid marine species, of which 191,155 were checked. Their goal is to capture of all of the estimated 240,000 marine species. There are 27,367 species that are remaining to be added to the database.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the information, which is gathered from several regional and taxon-specific databases. WoRMS maintains valid names of all marine organisms, but also provides information on synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
and invalid names. It will be an on-going task to maintain the registry, as new species are constantly being discovered and described by scientists. In addition, the nomenclature of existing species is often found to need correcting.
WoRMS was founded in 2008. It is primarily funded by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute in Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, Belgium. WoRMS has established formal agreements with several other biodiversity projects, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around the world; GBIF's information architecture makes these data...
and the Encyclopedia of Life
Encyclopedia of Life
The Encyclopedia of Life is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.9 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world...
. In 2008, WoRMS stated that it hoped to have an up-to-date record of all marine species completed by 2010, the year in which the Census of Marine Life
Census of Marine Life
The Census of Marine Life was a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans...
was completed.
As of November 2011, WoRMS had 212,633 valid marine species, of which 191,155 were checked. Their goal is to capture of all of the estimated 240,000 marine species. There are 27,367 species that are remaining to be added to the database.