Mammals Species of the World Usage Page

Mammal Species of the World

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

USING THE LIST

The Mammal Species of the World (MSW) is a database of mammalian taxonomy. It is hoped that this database on the World Wide Web can be used as a convenient on-line reference for identifying or verifying recognized scientific names and for taxonomic research. The names are organized in a hierarchy that includes Order, Family, Subfamily, Genus and Species. Records include the following fields:

Detailed information about the database fields can be found by selecting the [Help] button on the MSW taxonomic record display pages.

Notes About Specific Names:

Species recognized in this database are limited to existing or recently extinct species (possibly alive during the preceding 500 years); in instances where the persistence of a species is doubtful, the comment field so indicates. Scientific names applied to domesticated mammals, and to the natural ancestors of domesticated forms, are the earliest valid names as called for by the Code of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1985).

Navigation

 There are three ways to navigate through the MSW database:

[MSW Root] - You can begin at the root of the taxonomic hierarchy, i.e. at the Class Mammalia. From that record (as well as from any valid name record above the species level) you can select the [Offspring] button to retrieve a list of the names of the next lower taxonomic category included in that group. From the Mammalia record this will retrieve all the recognized orders of Mammalia. Names can be selected from that list to display the full taxonomic record. From any of the lower taxonomic name records, the [Parent] button can be selected to go back to the taxonomic record for the next higher taxon.

[Scientific Name?] - You can query the database for a Scientific Name by entering a requested name in the Scientific Name query form. By default, the search is not case-sensitive and will find any name which contains the requested name. If exactly one scientific name matches the requested name, then that taxonomic record is displayed; if more than one record matches the requested name, then a list of names is displayed and the desired one can be selected for full display. Again, whenever a full taxonomic record is displayed, the [Parent] and [Offspring] buttons can be used to move up or down the taxonomic hierarchy, and the [Query] button retrieves the Scientific Name query form to allow you to enter a new query.

[Common Name?] - You can query the database for a Common Name by entering a commonly used mammal name in the Common Name query form. By default, the search is not case-sensitive and will find any name which contains the requested name. A list of common and scientific names is displayed and the desired one can be selected to display the full taxonomic record. The list of matching common names also has a [Query] button to retrieve the Common Name query form and allow you to enter a new query. Note: The common name information is not complete, and some commonly used mammal names may return no records or an incomplete list of records.

On every query form, the [Help] button provides detailed information about constructing a query.

From any MSW query form or record display, the [Home] button can be selected to get back to the MSW Home Page and access the navigation buttons.

Synonyms

 The authors of this database have attempted to provide taxonomic lists consistent with recent literature, tempered by their own individual judgments. Considerable effort has been expended to compile a complete list of synonyms that have been used in the scientific literature for each taxon. These are usually either names of later origin than that used (junior synonyms) or names that are systematically invalid for various reasons. Also included here are subspecies names, including any that might be currently recognized. Not included are subsequent emendations, misspellings, incorrect allocations, or partial synonyms.

When searching the database by Scientific Name, matching synonyms will be retrieved along with any matching valid names. The taxonomic record for a synonym can be displayed, but the currently valid name will be noted on the display and the record for the valid name can be displayed by selecting its name. Theoretically, any scientific name used for a mammal should be found in this database, either as a currently recognized species or as a synonym.

When displaying the taxonomic record for a valid name, the [Synonyms] button can be used to query the database for any synonyms of that taxon.

Images

 Where available, related electronic images have been associated with taxonomic records. There are two kinds of images that have been collected:
  1. In some cases, the species distribution has been marked on a simple map image. In these cases the distribution map is displayed on the taxonomic record display page after the database fields.
  2. If a full record display page has an [Image] button, then we have attached one or more photographs of the species to the taxonomic record. Selecting this button brings up the image or (if more than one exist) a list of the images.
For examples of a distribution map and species photo images, see Leontopithecus rosalia. We will be adding more electronic images as we obtain them and identify which taxonomic record they are associated with.

Searching the USNM Collections

 The Index to the USNM Mammal Collection is a gopher database summarizing the cataloged holdings of USNM mammal specimens housed at the National Museum of Natural History. Data from 477,567 specimen records have been consolidated into 17,175 taxonomic-geographic records that provide a specimen count and preparation-sex matrix for each species-locality combination.

For each Family, Genus, or Species taxonomic record in the MSW, a link to the Index is provided to automatically search for that taxon. If any records are found, they will be listed in a Gopher Menu. You can view individual preparation-sex matrices and then return to the MSW using your web browser's [Back] button.

Bibliographic Treatment

 The Literature Cited section (a 750K html file) contains the works consulted in the compilation of this data. Works appearing after July 1, 1992, are not given. References cited as authorities for original descriptions are not included in the literature cited but are given for each currently recognized name in the Citation field in sufficient detail to allow the reader to locate them. For synonyms, author and date citations are not included in the literature cited as they are provided only as authorities for the names.

References cited in taxonomic record fields can be retrieved by selecting the hypertext link (for example: Linnaeus, 1758 ref) attached to the reference. Note: If you are using a version 2 Netscape browser, the literature citation will be displayed in a new "named" window. The intention is that you make this window relatively small (since the citations are typically 2-3 lines) and keep it visible below the main window. This will allow you to view selected citations along with the rest of the taxonomic record.

Checklist of Mammal Names

 The entire Mammalia name hierarchy has been extracted into a ASCII text file (256 KB) which can be retrieved and browsed or used as an authority list for verifying mammal names in collections management or scientific database applications.

Copyright Information

 The information in this database was taken from: 
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (eds).  1993.  Mammal Species of
   the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1206 pp.  (Available
   from Smithsonian Institution Press, 1-800-782-4612 or
   703-435-7809.)

The list was compiled under the auspices of the American Society of Mammalogists. Copyright 1993 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC USA. All rights are reserved. The data in this checklist of mammal species of the world are being presented for non-commercial, personal, and collections management use only. Copying or redistributing these data in any manner for personal or corporate gain is not permitted.

There are also Rules and Conditions for the Smithsonian image files that are included in this presentation.

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