DOI: 10.15468/39omei
title: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy

description: The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy is a single, synthetic management classification with the goal of covering all names GBIF is dealing with. It's the taxonomic backbone that allows GBIF to integrate name based information from different resources, no matter if these are occurrence datasets, species pages, names from nomenclators or external sources like EOL, Genbank or IUCN. This backbone allows taxonomic search, browse and reporting operations across all those resources in a consistent way and to provide means to crosswalk names from one source to another. It is updated regulary through an automated process in which the Catalogue of Life acts as a starting point also providing the complete higher classification above families. Additional scientific names only found in other authoritative nomenclatural and taxonomic datasets are then merged into the tree, thus extending the original catalogue and broadening the backbones name coverage. The GBIF Backbone taxonomy also includes identifiers for Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) drawn from the barcoding resources iBOL and UNITE. International Barcode of Life project (iBOL), Barcode Index Numbers (BINs). BINs are connected to a taxon name and its classification by taking into account all names applied to the BIN and picking names with at least 80% consensus. If there is no consensus of name at the species level, the selection process is repeated moving up the major Linnaean ranks until consensus is achieved. UNITE - Unified system for the DNA based fungal species, Species Hypotheses (SHs). SHs are connected to a taxon name and its classification based on the determination of the RefS (reference sequence) if present or the RepS (representative sequence). In the latter case, if there is no match in the UNITE taxonomy, the lowest rank with 100% consensus within the SH will be used. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy is available for download at https://hosted-datasets.gbif.org/datasets/backbone/ in different formats together with an archive of all previous versions. The following 105 sources have been used to assemble the GBIF backbone with number of names given in brackets: Catalogue of Life Checklist - 4766428 namesInternational Barcode of Life project (iBOL) Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) - 635951 namesUNITE - Unified system for the DNA based fungal species linked to the classification - 611208 namesThe Paleobiology Database - 212054 namesWorld Register of Marine Species - 188857 namesThe Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera - 183894 namesThe World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) - 131891 namesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy - 114350 namesTAXREF - 109374 namesThe Leipzig catalogue of vascular plants - 75380 namesZooBank - 73549 namesIntegrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) - 68377 namesPlazi.org taxonomic treatments database - 61346 namesGenome Taxonomy Database r207 - 60545 namesInternational Plant Names Index - 52329 namesFauna Europaea - 45077 namesThe National Checklist of Taiwan (Catalogue of Life in Taiwan, TaiCoL) - 36193 namesDyntaxa. Svensk taxonomisk databas - 35892 namesThe Plant List with literature - 32692 namesUnited Kingdom Species Inventory (UKSI) - 29643 namesArtsnavnebasen - 29208 namesThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - 21221 namesAfromoths, online database of Afrotropical moth species (Lepidoptera) - 13961 namesBrazilian Flora 2020 project - Projeto Flora do Brasil 2020 - 13829 namesProkaryotic Nomenclature Up-to-Date (PNU) - 10079 namesChecklist Dutch Species Register - Nederlands Soortenregister - 8814 namesICTV Master Species List (MSL) - 7852 namesCockroach Species File - 6020 namesGRIN Taxonomy - 5882 namesTaxon list of fungi and fungal-like organisms from Germany compiled by the DGfM - 4570 namesCatalogue of Afrotropical Bees - 3623 namesCatalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America - 3327 namesChecklist of Beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second Edition. - 3312 namesSystema Dipterorum - 2850 namesCatalogue of the Pterophoroidea of the World - 2807 namesThe Clements Checklist - 2675 namesTaxon list of Hymenoptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 2496 namesIOC World Bird List, v13.2 - 2366 namesOfficial Lists and Indexes of Names in Zoology - 2310 namesNational checklist of all species occurring in Denmark - 1922 namesMyriatrix - 1876 namesDatabase of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN) - 1822 namesTaxon list of vascular plants from Bavaria, Germany compiled in the context of the BFL project - 1771 namesOrthoptera Species File - 1742 namesA list of the terrestrial fungi, flora and fauna of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos - 1602 namesAphid Species File - 1565 namesWorld Spider Catalog - 1561 namesTaxon list of Jurassic Pisces of the Tethys Palaeo-Environment compiled at the SNSB-JME - 1270 namesBackbone Family Classification Patch - 1143 namesGBIF Algae Classification - 1100 namesInternational Cichorieae Network (ICN): Cichorieae Portal - 975 namesPsocodea Species File - 803 namesNew Zealand Marine Macroalgae Species Checklist - 787 namesAnnotated checklist of endemic species from the Western Balkans - 754 namesTaxon list of animals with German names (worldwide) compiled at the SMNS - 503 namesCatalogue of the Alucitoidea of the World - 472 namesLygaeoidea Species File - 462 namesCatálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia - 422 namesGBIF Backbone Patch - 317 namesPhasmida Species File - 259 namesCortinariaceae fetched from the Index Fungorum API - 234 namesCoreoidea Species File - 233 namesGTDB supplement - 139 namesMantodea Species File - 119 namesEndemic species in Taiwan - 93 namesTaxon list of Araneae from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 88 namesSpecies of Hominidae - 78 namesTaxon list of Sternorrhyncha from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 77 namesTaxon list of mosses from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 75 namesMammal Species of the World - 73 namesPlecoptera Species File - 71 namesSpecies Fungorum Plus - 64 namesCatalogue of the type specimens of Cosmopterigidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) from research collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences - 47 namesSpecies named after famous people - 41 namesDermaptera Species File - 36 namesTaxon list of Trichoptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 34 namesTrue Fruit Flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) of the Afrotropical Region - 33 namesRange and Regularities in the Distribution of Earthworms of the Earthworms of the USSR Fauna. Perel, 1979 - 32 namesTaxon list of Diplura from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 30 namesLista de referencia de especies de aves de Colombia - 2022 - 24 namesTaxon list of Auchenorrhyncha from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 20 namesCatalogue of the type specimens of Polycestinae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from research collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences - 19 namesTaxon list of Thysanoptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 19 namesLista de especies de vertebrados registrados en jurisdicción del Departamento del Huila - 18 namesTaxon list of Microcoryphia (Archaeognatha) from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 15 namesCatalogue of the type specimens of Bufonidae and Megophryidae (Amphibia: Anura) from research collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences - 12 namesGrylloblattodea Species File - 11 namesColeorrhyncha Species File - 9 namesTaxon list of liverworts from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 9 namesEmbioptera Species File - 7 namesTaxon list of Pisces and Cyclostoma from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 6 namesTaxon list of Pteridophyta from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 6 namesTaxon list of Siphonaptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 5 namesThe Earthworms of the Fauna of Russia. Perel, 1997 - 5 namesTaxon list of Zygentoma from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 4 namesAsiloid Flies: new taxa of Diptera: Apioceridae, Asilidae, and Mydidae - 3 namesTaxon list of Protura from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 3 namesTaxon list of hornworts from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 2 namesChrysididae Species File - 1 namesTaxon list of Dermaptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 1 namesTaxon list of Diplopoda from Germany in the context of the GBOL project - 1 namesTaxon list of Orthoptera (Grashoppers) from Germany compiled at the SNSB - 1 namesTaxon list of Pscoptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 1 namesTaxon list of Pseudoscorpiones from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 1 namesTaxon list of Raphidioptera from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project - 1 names