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June 27, 2024 / by Olaf Bánki

Annual Release 2024

Permanent identifier: https://doi.org/10.48580/dg9ld

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 COL Checklist 2024 online!

The COL Checklist contains about 2,17 million accepted species. About 2,03 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. Although the COL aspires to cover all described extant species, there are still deficiencies for particular taxonomic groups.

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

What’s new in the 2024 edition?

new global checklists:

  • Geometridae (Lepidoptera) replaced family Geometridae from GLI (with 3 updates)
  • Hepialidae (Lepidoptera) replaced family Hepialidae from GLI (with 2 updates)
  • ITIS new global checklists for mite infraorder Labidostommatina & superfamilies Anystoidea, Caeculoidea, Paratydeoidea, Raphignathoidea, decapod infraorders Axiidea & Gebiidea, arachnid superfamily Eupodoidea, clam shrimp order Diplostraca (except cladoceran families from FADA Cladocera), and beetle families Haliplidae & Noteridae.
  • Pinopsida from WFO Plant List replaced Conifer Database
  • RWS: Rotifer World Catalogue replaced FADA Rotifera
  • World Plants have replaced Annonaceae, Droseraceae & Brassicaceae families previously taken from the AnnonBase, from the Droseraceae Database & from the Update on the Brassicaceae Species Checklist (2021-08-31)

111 checklists have been updated in a year cycle:

  • 3i Auchenorrhyncha (12 updates)
  • Alucitoidea (3 updates)
  • Bryonames (3 updates)
  • CunaxidBase
  • Entiminae (12 updates)
  • Eumycetozoa.com
  • Gelechiidae (9 updates)
  • GLI (Lepidoptera, 12 updates)
  • Global Gracillariidae
  • ICTV
  • ITIS (8 updates)
  • LWS fleas
  • Pterophoroidea (4 updates)
  • ReptileDB
  • RJB Geranium
  • Scarabs (11 updates)
  • Sesiidae (4 updates)
  • SF Aphid (3 updates)
  • SF Chrysididae (4 updates)
  • SF Coleorrhyncha
  • SF Coreoidea (4 updates)
  • SF Dermaptera (6 updates)
  • SF Embioptera (6 updates)
  • SF Grylloblattodea
  • SF Isoptera (12 updates)
  • SF Lygaeoidea (3 updates)
  • SF Mantodea (4 updates)
  • SF Mantophasmatodea
  • SF Orthoptera (8 updates)
  • SF Phasmida (4 updates)
  • SF Plecoptera (6 updates)
  • SF Psocodea (6 updates)
  • SF Zoraptera
  • Species Fungorum Plus
  • Systema Dipteroru (3 updates)
  • The Scorpion Files
  • TITAN (3 updates)
  • UCD
  • WCO (12 updates)
  • WCVP
  • WCVP-Fabaceae
  • WOL (12 updates)
  • World Ferns (7 updates)
  • World Plants (7 updates)
  • WoRMS, 65 checklists (12 updates)
  • WSC
  • WWW