The scope of Checklist Bank is, by implication, "checklists" but this term has no clear and concise definition and is used differently in different user communities. The term is used here to define a range of related types of data resources. This pages serves to define the scope of those resources.

The minimal criterion for a checklist are that it

contain a summarised list of species
that it has an explicit scope
that the list is complete relative to the scope.

These minimal criteria distinguish checklist data from, for example, occurrence data which are not summarised lists of species but which may reference one or more instances of the same species within a single dataset when, for example, the dataset is listing multiple specimens or occurrences of a specimen.

Checklist and the GNA format

In terms of the Global Names Architecture and the use of the Darwin Core Archive format, a checklist contains a core data file based on the Taxon Class where the primary record is based on a Taxon ID. A checklist would not contain a core file where the primary record was based on a Taxon Occurrence identifier.

This criterion alone is not sufficient to define a checklist. The list of taxa would have to be complete relative to the intended scope of the list.

Checklist Scope

The list of species within a checklist are bound by a circumscription or scope. Checklist provide a summary of the species that fall within this scope. Scope may be set by one or any combination of the three criteria listed before.

Defined geographic area

All checklists have some defined geographic scope. This information may be derived from a publication title or it may be a component of parsable dataset metadata. There is a potential for ambiguity where a locality may be homographic or the boundaries have changed over time. Examples of different levels of geographic scope include:
global (i.e., the IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species)
supra-national (e.g., The Amazon Basin, Africa)
national (e.g., China, France)
Sub-national (e.g., Provence region, Barnstable County, Texas)

Thematic (or Semantic)

Checklists may be circumscribed by a particular theme, which may be ecological, biotic, environmental, or anthropocentric. Some of these may only have context in combination a defined geographic area (e.g., "Invasive Aquatic Plants of Florida") Examples include:
Environmental - Extremophiles, Euryhaline, Cold-Tolerant, etc.
Biotic - Parasitic, Predators, Venomous, Poisonous, etc.
Ecological - Invasive, Exotic, Forest Pests, Leaf Miners, Pollinators, etc.
Administrative - CITES, "red" lists, commercial

Taxonomic group

Checklists are always bound by some taxonomic context that may be inclusive of all species (IUCN Red List) or defined by a higher taxonomic (Curculionidae, Phoronida) or 'well known' group ("higher plants," Fish), or may be highly focused (e.g., a taxonomic monographic, or revision of a species or species complex). In most cases, this identification of taxonomic scope is part of the overall checklist dataset metadata. It may simply be a component of the title, for example. The GNA EML metadata standard allows taxonomic scope to be referenced as a taxonomic group name. Given the potential instability of the circumscription of a group (Higher groups may have lump or split child groups depending on the expert) a taxon concept reference is the best practice (i.e., "Curculionidae Lyal 2006").

Types of checklists

Checklists may be categorised into a number of different classes or types with the distinction based primarily on an increasing degree of organsation, detail, and expert verification of key taxonomic and nomenclatural properties. Given this degree is plastic, these categories are not entirely discreet but serve to enable some general distinctions and provide some working terms to these. The categories and alternative terms have been derived through a review of resources listed at the bottom of this page.

Species list

Alternative terms: List, Informal List

A list of species, containing little or no higher taxonomic information other than what might may be included in the list metadata. A species list is a flat list of species. Species are often organised alphabetically and bound by a thematic scope often constrained to a particular geographic area. The species list may be used as the primary organisational class for a wide range of additional properties related to the taxon. The main distinction between a Species List and an Inventory is the lack of a higher taxonomic data within the data records.

Examples:

Chapman Example

Inventory

An inventory has more structure than a Species List. An inventory provides a taxonomic organisational framework for the species list and may provide summarised details regarding the terminal taxa. Inventories may be used to produced summarised regional species lists and species information data in the manner of a Flora or Fauna (below) but without a sufficient degree of taxonomic scrutiny to fit the designation of a Catalogue (below). Inventories may be based on (or reference) more detailed taxonomic catalogues.

Examples:

A Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Washington State
The online version of USDA Plants represents a regional inventory.
The Flora of Northern Ireland

Catalogue

Alternative terms and subclasses: Register, Flora, Fauna, Atlas, Conspectus, Florula, Catalog, Taxonomic Monograph, GSD, Global Species Dataset,

The term "catalogue" refers to comprehensive taxonomic lists with a high degree of taxonomic rigor and detail. Considered to be authoritative and more formally approved by a taxonomic expert or expert(s). A catalogue links names to primary (always) and often, secondary, publication references. Synonymy is detailed. Additional components include references to type specimens and type information, diagnosis, description.

Examples:

Nomenclator

Alternative terms: Nomenclatural list, nomenclature

Nomenclators are a special class of checklists in that the listed species names carry no explicit taxonomic status. Instead nomenclators catalogue the details of the original publication of a name and, in general, whether this publication complied with the relevant rules of nomenclature. Nomenclators, by definition, are not concerned with matters of taxonomy.

Examples:

Nomenclator Zoologicus
the International Plant Names Index
Index Fungorum
ZooBank.

Relationship among checklist types

There are some practical usages to the definitions given below that have specific implications in integrating and referencing these resources. Based on the descriptions above the following relationships are implied and will be promoted and facilitated by GBIF.

Species Lists and Inventories do not provide taxon concept GUIDS. They would referenced either a name identifier via a Nomenclator if there was no specific known taxon concept. They would reference a taxon concept GUID if one was available that matched the intended concept. In addition, taxonomic catalogues will be recommended to tie names to nomenclatural GUIDS published by this class of checklist.

Components of checklists

The breakdown of checklist components is based on Thompson, F. C. & Knutson, L. 1987 with some additions

Nomenclatural

Component	Species List	Inventory	Catalogue	Nomenclator
Valid (Zoology) or Accepted (Botany) names	implied	implied	explicit	no
Synonyms	No	Optional	Yes	Homotypic (Nomenclatural)
Type species, genus	No	No	Yes	appears to be optional
Nomenclatural status	No	No	Yes	Yes
Vernacular Names	optional	optional	optional	No

Bibliographic

Bibliographic data may be a component of checklists. In cases of more detailed taxonomic catalogues it may extend the synonymy information to include all publications examined. This material includes secondary specimen references where the examiner may refer to the published description of a specimen rather than a directly examined specimen.

Component	Species List	Inventory	Catalogue	Nomenclator
Authors and Dates	optional often no	optional often no	Yes	Yes
Original citations	No	Generally No	Yes	Yes
Subsequent Citations	No	No	Yes, often	No

Biotic

Component	Species List	Inventory	Catalogue	Nomenclator
Distribution	Rare	Sometimes	Yes	No
Occurrence status	Possible (esp as dataset metadata)	Possible	Possible	No
Specimens	No	No	Yes	Type references
Associations with other species	No	Possible	Possible	No

Descriptive Characters

Note that Monograph is listed in a column of it's own to distinguish this important property from other catalogues.

Component	Species List	Inventory	Catalogue	Monograph	Nomenclator
Diagnostic information about the taxon	No	No	Rarely	Yes	No
Identification assistance (keys, images,etc.)	Possible	Possible	Rarely	Yes	No

References

Much of the content of this page was derived from a thread on this subject on the Taxacom discussion list - Feb 2008. We are grateful to the contributors to this discussion.

Lee Belbin, Arthur Chapman, Don Colless, Mark Costello, Doug Daly, David Giblin, Roger Hyam, Robin Leech, Chuck Miller, David Remsen, Mike Palmer, F. Christian Thompson, Matt von Konrat, Anna Weitzman, Doug Yanega,

KOPONEN, T., S. PIIPPO, J. ENROTH, P. RAO, AND Y.-M. FANG. 1998. Principles of checklists. Bryol. Times 95: 1-2.

http://botany.okstate.edu/floras/

Thompson, F. C. & Knutson, L. 1987, Catalogues, Checklists, and Lists: A need for some definitions, new words, and ideas.

This page relates to the main subject of a page on the GBIF communications server.

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