DOI: 10.15468/auw1kd
title: The National Checklist of Taiwan (Catalogue of Life in Taiwan, TaiCOL)

description: The National Checklist of Taiwan is the authoritative checklist to Taiwanese species and biodiversity. In the current version, over 68,000 accepted names with over 43,000 synonyms, and Chinese vernaculars are included in the data package. In version 1.7 and before, there were only accepted names provided in the dataset, now the synonyms are also included begins from version 1.8. 

After version 1.13, the species checklist is produced from the updated TaiCOL system (after 2023-03-31). The new version of TaiCOL data is based on the old version, but the structure places a stronger emphasis on literature, thus providing the sources of literature for the usage of scientific names. Additionally, scientific names and authorship follow different format logic according to nomenclature regulations. Although not yet complete, a consistent format for scientific name authors will be provided in the future. The management of the new TaiCOL checklist is done through the TaiCOL Scientific Names Management Tool (abbreviated as TaiCOLNT, https://nametool.taicol.tw/), offering a more comprehensive space and structure for storing information related to scientific names, literature, and author names. It also provides storage for the usage of scientific names in relation to literature, offering a more complete record of taxonomic history and preserving a more diverse range of taxonomic perspectives. Besides using literature-based scientific name usage to generate the latest species checklist, the system also utilizes information on original combination (or basionym) to ensure no duplicate species appear in the species checklist.

Together with this checklist dataset publication, "COA Wildlife Conservation List", "Taiwanese IUCN species list" and "Endemic species in Taiwan" are checklist datasets derived for thematic and targeted use, also published and hosted by TaiBIF.

Since 2001, more than 800 experts have contributed to this dataset's curation, representing highly diverse Taiwanese biodiversity, given the island's unique geographical location and climate. Users can find the list of involved experts at http://bit.ly/taicol-experts. During 2004-2015, the National Checklist is compared with the global Catalogue of Life Annual Checklist where new names might be introduced, as a mechanism to ensure the capture of relevant species names about Taiwan.

The Catalogue of Life in Taiwan (TaiCOL, formerly TaiBNET, https://taicol.tw) project actively maintains the updates by tracking new publications and coordinating experts' contribution. The website is hosted by Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility, TaiBIF(https://portal.taibif.tw) as the national node of GBIF.

The TaiCOL project's initial scope was to include species names, authors and year, suggested Chinese vernaculars, endemicity, classification hierarchy, and the most authoritative original literature for all known species of animals (including insects), plants and fungi. Names of bacteria were first contributed in 2004 by Bioresource Collection and Research Center, Food Industry Research and Development Institute (BCRC). In 2008, Dr Cornelia Büchen-Osmond introduced virus names from ICTVdb, the database of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Throughout the National Digital Archive Programme and Taiwan E-Learning and Digital Archive Programme (2004-2012), the animal and plant thematic groups, led by Dr. Kwang-Tsao Shao and then Dr. Ching-I Peng, respectively, frequently contributed to the update. Names for Kingdom Plantae primarily followed the Flora of Taiwan 2nd Edition and adopted APG4 in late 2017 under Dr. Kuo-Fang Chung.

Users can retrieve a name list of organisms on the TaiCOL website provided search criteria such as keywords, species names, higher taxon, taxon properties and conservation status, etc. Some search brings up relevant images as well.

Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica, hosting the GBIF node, is responsible for maintaining and updating biodiversity-related information and data. Through the node, people can access the background of GBIF participation, related documents, news, upcoming conferences, name list of Taiwanese taxonomists, catalogue of life in Taiwan, specimen database, biodiversity organizations, team research projects, independent biological databases, natural heritage, and local publications, etc. These respond to the mission of Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD, and GBIF, to effectively promote the conservation of biodiversity through education and research.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The Department of Information Technology Services (former Computing Center) of Academia Sinica technically hosted the system during the early days of TaiCOL project.
Fields: taxonID (UUID), scientificNameID, scientificName, scientificNameAuthorship, originalNameUsageID, originalNameUsage, namePublishedIn, namePublishedInYear, taxonRank, vernacularName, nomenclaturalCode, taxonomicStatus, nameAccordingTo, acceptedNameUsageID, acceptedNameUsage, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, taxonConceptID (as taxon_id in TaiCOL)