Documenting Your Collections
Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

Les guides électroniques de la SMQ

Species (Taxonomy)

Field to be used with an authority listField used for natural science collectionsSociété des musées québécois Info-Muse database field

Definition:

  • This field contains the scientific name of the biological species or the English name of the mineral species to which the specimen has been assigned.

Observations:

  1. If the specimen contains more than one species, enter only the most significant or most abundant species in this field. Enter the other species in the Associated Species field. Use the following criteria to determine the order of importance:
    • the species is not represented elsewhere in the collection;
    • the species is rare or valuable, and
    • the specimen is a particularly good or the unique example of that species.
  2. For better search results in your database, avoid a large variety of terms; draw up an authority list and add names as necessary.
  3. For the biological sciences: this field is used in conjunction with the Genus field.

Entry rules:

  1. Enter the full name; do not use abbreviations.
    Example

      Disciplinemineralogy
    Species fluorite
  2. In accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature, the first letter of the taxon is lower case.
    Example

      Disciplineornithology
      GenusOrtygospiza
    Speciesgabonensis
  3. Do not enter the word "species" before the name of the species.
    Example

    Speciesvirosa
     and not 
     Species species virosa
  4. If the specimen is a hybrid (biology), enter "x", a space and its name.
    Example

     FamilySalicaceae
      GenusSalix
    Species x rubens
  5. If you are unsure whether your information is correct, include a space and a question mark after the name.
    Example

    Species racemosa ?
  6. If the genus of a biological specimen has been identified, but not its species, enter "sp" in the Species field.
    Example

     Family Violaceae
      Genus Viola
    Speciessp
  7. This field may not contain more than one entry.

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