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June 27, 2023 / by Olaf Bánki

Annual Release 2023

Permanent identifier: https://doi.org/10.48580/dfsr

Catalogue of Life (COL) is an assembly of expert-based global species checklists with the aim to build a comprehensive catalogue of all known species of organisms on Earth. As a global consortium, we aim to address the needs of researchers, policy-makers, environmental managers and the wider public for a consistent and up-to-date listing of all the world’s known species. We are happy to announce that we have just published the Catalogue of Life 2023 online!

The Catalogue of Life 2023 is now issued with a CC-BY license! The Catalogue of Life 2023 contains over 2,1 million accepted species. About 1.98 million are living species, and the rest are extinct. A large community of taxonomists, over 500 experts globally, representing 164 data sources is underpinning this global species list. Annual releases have long term support and will not be removed, so they continue to be accessible via the API and website of ChecklistBank.

A detailed list of source changes can be found in ChecklistBank where you can also view changes between other releases.

The Catalogue of Life 2023 is dedicated to the memory of David Remsen.

What’s new in 2023 edition?

New global checklists:

  • Bryonames: Bryophyte Nomenclator as a successor to MOST & ELPT in the Catalogue of Life
  • ITIS: new global checklists for decapod suborder Dendrobranchiata and infraorders Anomura & Caridea; mite superfamilies Canestrinioidea, Hemisarcoptoidea, Histiostomatoidea, Schizoglyphoidea (order Sarcoptiformes), Adamystoidea & Pomerantzioidea (order Trombidiformes), Ascoidea and families Parholaspididae, Podocinidae (order Mesostigmata), plus families Ologamasidae & Rhodacaridae (Mesostigmata) as a replacement for two Mites GSDs from Brazil
  • LWS fleas: Robert E. Lewis World Species Flea (Siphonaptera) List replaced Parhost World Database of Fleas
  • Sesiidae (Lepidoptera)
  • Tortricid.net: World Catalogue of the Tortricidae
  • WOL: The World Odonata List replaced Global Species Database of Odonata

101 checklists have been updated in a year cycle:

  • 3i Auchenorrhyncha (8 updates)
  • 3i Curculio (2 updates)
  • Collembola.org
  • Eumycetozoa.com
  • Gelechiidae (5 updates)
  • Global Lepidoptera Index (GLI) (4 updates)
  • ITIS (10 updates)
  • Pterophoroidea (4 updates)
  • Scarabs (10 updates)
  • SF Aphid
  • SF Chrysididae
  • SF Cockroach
  • SF Coleorrhyncha
  • SF Coreoidea
  • SF Dermaptera
  • SF Embioptera
  • SF Grylloblattodea
  • SF Isoptera (6 updates)
  • SF Lygaeoidea
  • SF Mantodea
  • SF Mantophasmatodea
  • SF Orthoptera
  • SF Phasmida
  • SF Plecoptera
  • SF Plecoptera
  • SF Psocodea
  • SF Zoraptera
  • Species Fungorum Plus
  • StaphBase
  • Systema Dipterorum (2 updates)
  • The Scorpion Files
  • ThripsWiki
  • WCO (Opiliones) (6 updates)
  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (Flowering Plants)
  • World Ferns (4 updates)
  • World Plants (4 updates)
  • WoRMS, 65 checklists (10 updates)
  • World Wide Wattle (WWW) (2 updates)

Other changes:

  • SF Cockroach was removed from the Catalogue of Life in June 2023