IMIS

The Marine Species Identification Portal (http://species-identification.org/) is an initiative of ETI BioInformatics under MARBEF (an EC funded network of Excellence) and KeyToNature (a project in the EC e-contentPlus Programme). This website provides open access to scientific information on marine species, including identification keys, to support the scientific community in activities such bio-monitoring programs, and to provide students and other interested parties with general information on marine biodiversity. The Marine Species Portal unlocks information on 9,875 marine species and 5,545 higher taxa, most with descriptions and illustrations. A total of 7,932 taxa are keyed out in 52 identification keys. Furthermore 19,876 synonyms plus 2,782 vernacular names in English, and 8,389 names in 25 other languages, facilitate searching. The information was compiled over a period of 10 years by a global network of collaborating taxonomists started with UNESCO support. Currently 31 species documentation projects are included; information on authors and other contributors can be found for each section under the menu item ‘credits’. Most projects are also available on CD-ROM published in ETI's World Biodiversity Database series. The information and identification systems presented here were constructed using the Linnaeus II taxonomic data management package that is downloadable from the ETI website. Differences in geographic coverage and taxonomic treatments are the consequence of a decentralized, author-driven mechanism that ETI set up for species documentation; a process that is still ongoing. The Marine Species Portal is very much a work in progress; other functionality such as dynamic maps will be added. Your participation to improve, enhance and increase the content of this site is much appreciated and encouraged! If you have keys on missing taxa, hold better illustrations or more detailed descriptions, don't hesitate to contribute! This is your site; we merely facilitate the information sharing process! We are interested in your feedback to improve the information service. Relevant URLS Marine Species identification Portal: http://species-identification.org/ MarBEF: www.marbef.org KeyToNature: www.keytonature.eu ETI: www.eti.uva.nl