- Description
-
- ECatSym is the first catalog of sawflies (Insecta, Hymenoptera) which provides the data online.
It is freely accessible through the present database, thus enabling everybody to trace taxonomic
information without impediment.
The ECatSym database comprises tools to search for valid names, synonyms, misspellings, and
common names. The user is led to the valid name for a requested taxon and receives a complete
list of scientific and vernacular name combinations associated with this taxon, information on
its distribution and its status as a fossil or extant taxon, and - as far as available - specimen and
label images. Availability and nomenclatural status are given for each name combination. The
data are associated with literature references as far as available. Finally, the user can order PDF
copies of the literature as an external loan service from the library of the Deutsches
Entomologisches Institut.
The high quality of information contained in the ECatSym database is reflected by the amount
of data included (see Statistics site) and by the fact that among more than 13,000 original name
combinations less than 4% have not yet been checked against their original description.
- Citing this website
-
- Frequent updates make slight alterations in the citation of the website necessary, according to
which version is being referred to. See top of result pages for a recommended method of citation.
- Funding
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- The catalog project has received funding from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
(GBIF
and from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)> within the
framework of the German Entomology Node of GBIF.
The GBIF seed money award (2004-2005) was invaluable in allowing work on the catalog to
proceed and in clarifying taxonomic problems by us and our collaborators. The data included in
the following publications were derived from the ECatSym database, e.g. as faunistic data, as
references and as data on the use of names. Some of these publications represent the results of
long-term projects (Smith 2006, Taeger & Blank 2004), but all contain, at least in part, a
significant contribution from ECatSym.
- Liston, A. D.; Taeger, A. & Blank, S. M. 2006: Comments on European Sawflies
(Hymenoptera: Symphyta). Pp. 245-263. In: Blank, S. M.; Schmidt, S. & Taeger, A.
(eds): Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects. Goecke & Evers, Keltern
- Saini, M. S.; Blank, S. M. & Smith, D. R. 2006: Checklist of the Sawflies
(Hymenoptera: Symphyta) of India. Pp. 575-612. In: Blank, S. M.; Schmidt, S. &
Taeger, A. (eds): Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects. Goecke & Evers,
Keltern
- Smith, D. R. 2006: Checklist of the Pergidae (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) of the Western
Hemisphere, with a New Genus and Two New Species. Pp. 613-626. In: Blank, S. M.;
Schmidt, S. & Taeger, A. (eds): Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects.
Goecke & Evers, Keltern
- Taeger, A. & Blank, S. M. 2004: Fauna Europaea - Hymenoptera, Suborder Symphyta.
- http://www.faunaeur.org
- Taeger, A. & Blank, S. M. 2006: Bibliographic Notes. Pp. 319-330. In: Blank, S. M.;
Schmidt, S. & Taeger, A. (eds): Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects.
Goecke & Evers, Keltern
- Taeger, A.; Blank, S. M. & Liston, A. D. 2006: European Sawflies (Hymenoptera:
Symphyta) - A Species Checklist for the Countries. Pp. 399-504. In: Blank, S. M.;
Schmidt, S. & Taeger, A. (eds): Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects.
Goecke & Evers, Keltern
- Wei, M.; Nie, H. & Taeger, A. 2006: Sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) of China -
Checklist and Review of Research. Pp. 505-574. In: Blank, S. M.; Schmidt, S. & Taeger,
A. (eds): Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects. Goecke & Evers, Keltern
At this point we wish to express our sincere thanks to Andrew D. Liston (Mncheberg), who has
conducted a good deal of the data capture and control during the GBIF project period, and to our
project partners, Akihiko Shinohara (Tokyo), David R. Smith (Washington) and Meicai Wei
(Changsha) for the provision and control of data and for supplying missing literature.
The funding provided by the BMBF for the project "GISHym: Globales Informationssystem
Hymenoptera" (2003-2006) was used to catalog primary type specimens housed in German
natural history collections. About 6,000 images of type specimens and their labels have been
included in ECatSym version 3. Both projects have cooperated closely in digitalizing sawfly
literature and capturing published data in databases.
- Latest news
-
- Program version 3 (released on June 23, 2008) allows a daily update of the online content.
Newly described taxa can thus now be displayed on the day after the information has arrived at
the Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (DEI), allowing a much more rapid transfer of
information to users than was possible in earlier versions. In order to enhance the database
content and to speed up the data capture, we would greatly appreciate receiving reprints or PDFs
of all publications on sawflies. Please contact the authors Andreas Taeger and
Stephan Blank.
The following additional features have been implemented in ECatSym version 3:
- The statistics are now more detailed and automatically updated.
- We have started to build up taxon websites which are displayed as the result page of a
name search. As formerly, this site includes valid and invalid names related to a taxon,
presents the family-group classification and links to references. Data on the common
names and distribution records on country level have been included. A particularly
interesting feature is the presentation of specimen and label images. For the moment,
most of the images are related to type material preserved in German natural history
collections. However, we are very keen to include as many additional images as possible
and would welcome your contributions.
- Common names can now be searched for in a separate menue and associated with
scientific names.
- The "Search distribution data" menue produces a display of species records and related
references for countries and, where available, also for provinces (states).
- Under "Literature search" a text search through ca 9,000 literature references related to
sawflies can be conducted.
- We currently hold ca 8,000 OCR processed PDFs of publications on sawflies, comprising
roughly 140,000 pages. Until the end of 2007 ECatSym facilitated ordering of such PDFs
by e-mail as a usually free service of the DEI library. As a consequence of current
European Community legislation, on January 1, 2008 a revised German copyright law
came into force which prevents such free electronic communication. As a result, we were
forced to found a closed user group for all those colleagues, who are working on sawflies
and who are interested in obtaining sawfly literature through EcatSym in the future.
Please find detailed explanations on the "Login" site.
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