Cybertaxonomic approach to revision
of larger groups: 3i experience
Dmitry A. Dmitriev & Chris H. Dietrich
Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 S. Oak st., Champaign IL, 61820.
E-mail: [email protected], Http://ctap.inhs.uiuc.edu/dmitriev/
WHAT IS CYBERTAXONOMY?
3i PROGRAM DETAILS
Taxonomists have always been at the forefront of efforts to document
global biodiversity. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts over the 250 years
since Linnaeus established the present system for classifying and naming
species, the vast majority (perhaps 90% or more) of species remain
undocumented. Taxonomists currently describe ~20,000 new species per
year, but recent estimates suggest that between 27,000 and 130,000 species
are being lost each year to extinction. Thus, efforts to document the world’s
species need to be accelerated.
Because the number of practicing taxonomists is not likely to increase
appreciably in the near future, the most practical solution to addressing the
need for more rapid species discovery and documentation is to make
taxonomists more efficient.
Revisionary study is a crucial part of the job of any taxonomist. A good
taxonomic revision summarizes knowledge about a group of organisms and
incorporates many kinds of evidence to test hypotheses of species identity,
including morphology, distribution patterns, ecological preferences,
bioacoustics, and molecular variation. Revisions result in some previously
described species being synonymized, new species being described and
illustrated, and tools being provided for identification of known species.
Taxonomic revisions of diverse groups of organisms are challenging
because they require efficient management and synthesis of large amounts
of nomenclatural, morphological, and distributional data. Such revisions,
when published, provide a snap-shot of the modern knowledge on a group of
organisms. However, because revisions also stimulate further study and
species discovery within a group of organisms by synthesizing often difficult
to obtain data from previous literature and collections of specimens, they
often quickly become outdated. Thus modes of dissemination other than
traditional print media are necessary to facilitate rapid updating of taxonomy.
The relatively new field of cybertaxonomy aims to develop information
processing tools that enable taxonomists both to produce traditional
taxonomic revisions more rapidly and to develop new models for managing
and disseminating taxonomic information. Cybertaxonomy has the same
goals as traditional taxonomy: identifying, documenting, and describing the
biodiversity on the planet. Technological advances, including relational
databases, digital imaging, and Internet dissemination, help to overcome
some of the logistical problems inherent to large revisions, and provide
systematists with tools to increase both the quality and quantity of such
studies. The advantages of on-line revisions over traditional print publication
include free (or low cost) easy access of up-to-date information via a
computer with an Internet connection. Collaborative projects are easy to
manage because on-line access to the database enables simultaneous
entering and editing of data. Such ready access to preliminary results (e.g.,
preliminary identification keys) facilitates further research because a large
audience of researchers can access and preview species descriptions,
illustrations, keys for identification, and detect and fix errors before final
publication. Use of interactive identification keys based on data matrices
simplifies development of dichotomous keys and is ultimately more flexible:
species may be added to the key one by one, which is extremely difficult with
dichotomous keys.
• 3i is an abbreviation for Internet-accessible
Interactive Identification. This is a set of tools
intended to facilitate the efficient production of
Internet-based virtual taxonomic revisions,
published monographs, and checklists. The
package facilitates storage, retrieval and
integration
of
taxonomic
nomenclature,
specimen-level data on distributions and
ecological associations, morphological character
data
and
associated
illustrations,
and
bibliographic information.
• Data is stored in a customized MS Access
2000 relational database residing on Microsoft
web server.
• Web interfaces for specialized querying of the
database are developed using ASP (Active
Server Pages) programming technology. The
interfaces include simple and advanced searches
on any field in the database, interactive keys
designed to include attributes similar to those of
Delta IntKey and Lucid (two popular programs for
development of interactive keys), and complete
taxon
treatments
including
synonymies,
descriptions, images, lists of material examined,
distributional maps, tables of host plants, and
literature citations.
• 3i works with any browser supporting frames
and JavaScript (tested on Internet Explorer 5.0–
8.0, Netscape 4.08–7.02, Opera 5.0–7.2, Safari,
Mozilla, Firefox 1–3, MSN, and Chrome browsers
on both Mac and PC computers).
• Data from 3i are shared with Catalog of Life,
Encyclopedia of Life, Discover Life, Global Name
Index, and GBiF.
• Free download is available from the web site
(Dmitriev, 2003 onward).
2
Catalogue of Life
NEXT STEPS
• Transition to SQL Server platform and
development of on-line interfaces for entering
data. This will promote collaborative projects.
• Collaboration with the Species File group to
enhance functionality of the later with tools
required to produce virtual taxonomic revisions.
Impacts of 3i on Leafhopper
Taxonomy (Past 5 Years*)
1
3
Total number of taxa in DB
14450
Valid names of genera
1104
Valid names of species
6616
New genera described
14
New species described
87
New synonyms recognized
276
Genera in interactive keys
298
Species in interactive keys
913
Genera in paper revisions
21
Species in paper revisions
505
Number of characters in keys
265
Number of illustrations
19845
Number of specimens
140526
Georeferenced specimens
137275
Number of paper publications
7
Number of paper pages
530
* Including the time for 3i software development
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was supported in part by NSF grants DEB0315373, DEB0529679,
DEB0715499, Encyclopedia of Life mini grant, and Hatch award ILLU-875-361.
PUBLICATIONS
Basic Steps Involved in Creating Online and Printed Monographs using 3i
1.Sort specimens and identify species;
2.Enter nomenclature and citations for previously described taxa into database;
3.Enter data from specimen labels;
4.Georeference localities and import coordinates into database;
5.Conduct comparative morphological study to select appropriate characters;
6.Score characters for each species and enter data into database;
7.Export morphological data matrix for phylogenetic analysis;
8.Capture standard views of specimens illustrating diagnostic morphological
features of each species and states of each character and import these into
database.
After these steps have been completed, the virtual monograph is finished
because 3i automatically generates an interactive key and a treatment of each
species (or higher taxon) including synonymy, verbal description, distribution
map, and list of specimens examined (Fig. 1). To create manuscript for
publication, the individual species treatments may be exported to a word
processor document and a dichotomous key may be generated interactively
using the key building tool in 3i (Fig. 1, 2).
Dmitriev D.A., 2003 onward. Web site: 3i interactive keys and taxonomic databases.
http://ctap.inhs.uiuc.edu/dmitriev/
Dietrich, C.H., Dmitriev, D.A., 2006. Review of the New World genera of the leafhopper tribe
Erythroneurini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). Bull. Illinois Natur. Hist. Survey.
37(5): I–IV, 119–190.
Dietrich, C.H., Dmitriev, D.A., 2007. Revision of the New World leafhopper genus Neozygina
Dietrich & Dmitriev (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Erythroneurini). Zootaxa. 1475:
27–42.
Dmitriev, D.A., Dietrich, C.H., 2007. Review of the New World Erythroneurini (Hemiptera:
Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). I. Genera Erythroneura, Erasmoneura, Rossmoneura, and
Hymetta. Bull. Illinois Natur. Hist. Surv. 38(2): I–V, 59–128.
Dietrich, C.H., Dmitriev, D.A., 2008. Review of the species of New World Erythroneurini
(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). II. Genus Zyginama. Bull. Illinois Natur. Hist.
Surv. 38(3): I–IV, 129–176.
Dmitriev, D.A., 2008. New and little known species of Erasmoneura Young (Hemiptera:
Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). Zootaxa. 1851: 65–68.
Dmitriev, D.A., Dietrich, C.H., 2009. Review of the New World Erythroneurini (Hemiptera:
Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). III. Genus Erythridula. Bull. Illinois Natur. Hist. Surv. 38(6): I–
IV, 215–334.
Dmitriev, D.A., Dietrich, C.H., 2010. Review of the New World Erythroneurini (Hemiptera:
Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). IV. Genus Eratoneura. Bull. Illinois Natur. Hist. Surv. 39(3): I–
VIII, 79-258.