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Biologists have completed an effort, partially funded by GBIF, to compile an online world checklist of bees. They have identified nearly 19,500 bee species worldwide, about 2,000 more than previously estimated.
This checklist is now incorporated into the Integrated Taxonomic Information System catalogue of species names, and therefore into GBIF's Electronic Catalogue of Names of Organisms. It is also part of the Discover Life Apoidea Species Guide.
Pollinator crises such as the one known as "colony collapse disorder", an unexplained phenomenon that is wiping out colonies of traditionally managed species like honey bees throughout the United States, have highlighted the need for more information about bee species and their interactions with the plants they pollinate. A current, complete, and authoritative taxonomic checklist is key to linking disparate information about species.
The bee checklist includes currently accepted scientific names, synonyms, and common names. The scientific (taxonomic) name acts as the common denominator to connect the information. Taxonomic classifications, however, are not fixed in place. Over time, biologists reclassify species as a result of new discoveries or new research and this results in new names. "The bee checklist acts as a taxonomic 'Rosetta Stone' that will enhance communication, information exchange and data repatriation about bees," said Michael Ruggiero, senior scientist for the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), which coordinated the project. The checklist will serve as a cross-reference that will link together the information filed under different names.
Compiling the checklist has taken more than five years and the efforts of leading bee taxonomists on six continents. Major supporters of the project were the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the USA-based National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), a broad, collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation's biological resources.
Important scientific contributors to the World Bee Checklist project include: John Ascher, American Museum of Natural History, United States; Connal Eardley, Plant Protection Research Institute, South Africa; Terry Griswold, US Department of Agriculture, United States; Gabriel Melo, Federal University of Parana, Brazil; David Nicolson, US Geological Survey, United States; David Remsen, GBIF, Denmark; Andrew Polaszek, Natural History Museum, United Kingdom; Osamu Tadauchi, University of Kyushu, Japan; Ken Walker, Museum Victoria, Australia; Natapot Warrit, Smithsonian Institution, United States; and Paul Williams, Natural History Museum, United Kingdom.
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