Wikispecies — an open directory of taxonomic information

History and scope

Wikispecies began in August 2004 with an open invitation to professional biologists and other specialists to contribute. From early on it emphasized use by and for scientists and informed contributors rather than as a general-interest encyclopedia. By 2005 the project established many links to articles in Wikipedia and began serving as a convenient catalogue that complements descriptive encyclopedic content. Over time the site grew to contain hundreds of thousands of taxon pages and remains a volunteer-driven resource.

Audience, contributors and standards

Wikispecies is intended primarily for taxonomists, systematists, curators, researchers and other scientifically literate users. Contributors are expected to follow principles of verifiability and to cite taxonomic literature; formal credential checks are not imposed, but experience and reliable sourcing are valued. Community policies guide page structure, citation practices and the handling of nomenclatural issues, and editors may refer to specialist external databases and published monographs when resolving names.

Integration and uses

One practical role of Wikispecies is as a cross-reference for connected projects: many Wikimedia projects and editors consult its pages for standardized names and hierarchical placement. For example, Wikipedia taxoboxes often draw on taxonomic information that is maintained or referenced in Wikispecies. The use of Latin scientific names allows contributors around the world to identify the same taxon regardless of local common names or language differences. Although the main portal and much of the interface are presented in English, entries frequently include vernacular names and links to resources in other languages.

Key features

• Focus on formal nomenclature: accepted names, synonyms, authorities and bibliographic citations.
• Hierarchical organisation that reflects taxonomic placement rather than natural-history description.
• Community-moderated editing with an emphasis on sourcing to primary taxonomic literature and databases.
• Interoperability with other reference tools, including links to related Wikimedia content and external catalogues.

Wikispecies remains an active volunteer project: its value lies in providing an open, searchable index of taxonomic names that complements specimen collections, regional checklists and formal taxonomic monographs. For contributors and users seeking more information, the project pages and help sections linked from the main portal describe participation guidelines, citation formats and templates used to structure taxon pages.