Name Parser
This online tool allows to divide scientific names into their components and to check them against the taxonomic backbone used by GBIF. It can be used to automate some processes while digitizing or curating lists of scientific names.
Endpoint
http://api.gbif.org/v1/parser/name
Example
JSON Response
Example of a parsed name json object:
{
"original": "Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F.Blake cv. 'Turesson'",
"type": "cultivar",
"authorsParsed": true,
"genus": "Symphoricarpos",
"infraGeneric": null,
"specific": "albus",
"rank": "cv.",
"infraSpecific": null,
"authorship": "S.F.Blake",
"year": null,
"bracketAuthorship": "L.",
"bracketYear": null,
"nothoRank": null,
"cultivar": "Turesson",
"sensu": null,
"nomStatus": null,
"remarks": null,
"standard": "Symphoricarpos albus cv. (L.) S.F.Blake 'Turesson'",
"canonical": "Symphoricarpos albus cv. 'Turesson'"
}
Response fields
original
The original name as it was submitted.
type
One of the following:
SCIENTIFIC
A scientific Latin name that might contain authorship but is not any of the other name types below (virus, hybrid, cultivar, etc).
VIRUS
A virus name.
HYBRID
A hybrid formula (not a hybrid name).
INFORMAL
A scientific name with some informal addition like "cf." or indetermined like Abies spec.
CULTIVAR
A cultivated plant name.
CANDIDATUS
A component of the taxonomic name for a bacterium that cannot be maintained in a Bacteriology Culture Collection.
DOUBTFUL
Doubtful whether this is a scientific name at all.
PLACEHOLDER
A placeholder name like "incertae sedis" or "unknown genus".
NO_NAME
Surely not a scientific name of any kind.
authorsParsed
A boolean flag to indicate whether the full parser was applied and author names have been parsed. For some names only the canonical name parts can be parsed and this flag will be false.
genus
The genus of the name.
infraGeneric
Any infrageneric part above species level of the name, mostly the subgenus or section.
specific
The specific epithet.
rank
The rank marker used in an infraspecific name.
infraSpecific
The infraspecific epithet of the lowest ranked name part, e.g variety or subspecies.
authorship
The authorship with no brackets. Usually the combination authorship.
year
The year without bracket. Usually the year of publication of the combination.
bracketAuthorship
The authorship in brackets. Usually the authorship of the original name, e.g the basionym.
bracketYear
The year in brackets. Usually the year of publication of the original name, e.g the basionym.
nothoRank
A property indicating a named hybrid and giving the name part that the hybrid marker applies to. One of the following: Generic Infrageneric Specific Infraspecific
cultivar
The cultivar name cited in single quotes, e.g Turesson as in Symphoricarpos albus 'Turesson'
sensu
The dwc:taxonAccordingTo part of a taxon concept. E.g. sec. Berendsohn 2001 or sensu latu.
nomStatus
A nomenclatural status remark such as nom.illeg., usually starting with nom. or nomen.
remarks
Other, mostly identification related remarks such as cf.
standard
The standard representation of the name. Tries to be compliant with the best practices of the nomenclatural codes and reduces names consisting of more than one infraspecific epithet to the lowest ranked one.
canonical
The canonical form of the name. This form has no authorship or more than 3 name parts.