Resolving discrepancies using iNaturalist's "Framework Relationships"

A new feature has been added to iNaturalist that replaces "complete" taxonomies with Taxonomic Frameworks. (You can read more about them here.) This is a very helpful tool for taxon curators because it allows them to follow flags and immediately locate taxonomic discrepancies between iNaturalist and our authorities. Using this new tool, @loarie was able to identify a number of issues between the cephalopod taxonomy on iNaturalist and WoRMS / MolluscaBase. He resolved most of them himself, but for the outstanding issues remaining, I have addressed them and have outlined the changes below:

• Swap Argonauta nodosa (iNat) with Argonauta nodosus (WoRMS) [ref]
• Swap Graneledone verrucosa media (iNat) with Graneledone verrucosa (WoRMS) [ref]
• Parateuthis tunicata (iNat/WoRMS) is an accepted species on WoRMS and should be left alone; its parent genus Parateuthis (iNat) is nomen dubium on WoRMS [ref]
• Swap Idioteuthis magnoteuthis (iNat) with genus Magnoteuthis (WoRMS) [ref]
• Swap Eogonatus tinro (iNat) with Gonatopsis okutanii (WoRMS); while the parent genus Eogonatus is active on WoRMS, it has no active children and has consequently been swapped with Gonatopsis on iNaturalist [ref]
• Swap Histioteuthis corona inermis (iNat) with Histioteuthis inermis (WoRMS) [ref]
• Swap Cirroctopus antarctica (iNat) with Cirroctopus antarcticus (WoRMS) [ref]
• Pterygioteuthis giardi giardia (iNat) is not on WoRMS; it is an EOL import; on WoRMS, the parent species Pterygioteuthis giardia has no attributed subspecies on WoRMS; tentatively swapping it into its parent
• Swap Rondeletiola capensis (iNat) with Inioteuthis capensis (WoRMS) [ref]
• Swap Idioteuthis idioteuthis (iNat) with Idioteuthis (WoRMS) [ref]
• Swap Graneledone verrucosa verrucosa (iNat) with Graneledone verrucosa [ref]
• Genus Polypus (WoRMS) has no valid children; it should not be integrated into iNaturalist [ref]
• Section(?) glaukopis-group has no descendants and is unreviewed on WoRMS; it likely represents either Mastigoteuthis glaukopis as a species complex or a subtribe-esch group; it should not be integrated into iNaturalist [ref]

Despite being a complete taxon, there were a few issues with iNaturalist's cephalopod taxonomy. This is in part due to the fact that cephalopod taxonomy is frequently in flux (and thus changes frequently) and that WoRMS adopts new taxonomic schemes uncritically. One of the consequences of the lattermost point is that a singular species is recognized under two separate, valid names on WoRMS, but that is a mater to address in a later journal post. I think further review is necessary to mitigate these developments, but the issues explicitly outlined on the Framework Relationships have been resolved. I think the tool has a lot of potential, and I look forward to using it more in the future.

Posted on November 20, 2018 02:36 AM by bobby23