An authoritative classification and catalogue of marine names.
World Register of Marine Species
The aim of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms, including information on synonymy. While highest priority goes to valid names, other names in use are included so that this register can serve as a guide to interpret taxonomic literature. This register of marine species grew out of the European Register of Marine Species (ERMS), and its combination with several other species registers maintained at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ).
The content of WoRMS is controlled by taxonomic experts, not by database managers. WoRMS has an editorial management system where each taxonomic group is represented by an expert who has the authority over the content, and is responsible for controlling the quality of the information. Each of these main taxonomic editors can invite several specialists of smaller groups within their area of responsibility to join them.
Resources to build WoRMS and Aphia (its core platform) have evolved over time. At the start, resources were provided mainly by the EU Network of Excellence ‘Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning’ (MarBEF), and also by the EU-funded Species 2000 Europe and the European Register of Marine Species (ERMS) projects. Currently, Aphia and WoRMS are maintained and further developed through support of LifeWatch Belgium, which is part of the European LifeWatch E-Science Infrastructure for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research. VLIZ is also responsible for building the LifeWatch Species Information Backbone, to which WoRMS and its sub-registers are a valuable contribution.
Type: virtual/e-infrastructure
Creation date: 2007
Access & costs: Free online access
Website: http://www.marinespecies.org
Contacts:
- General email - info@marinespecies.org
- Leen Vandepitte, VLIZ - leen.vandepitte@vliz.be