CDM Taxonomic Accepted Name Search API

This web service endpoint serves as a search engine for retrieving taxonomic information of the accepted name of the synonomy to which the queried scientific name belongs. In case of homonyms, this service will return a list. Misapplied names are not considered in this service.

The request parameters are :

  • 'query' [mandatory] : this could either be the base scientific name or the complete scientific name.
  • 'type' [optional, default value = name] : this parameter could have the values,
    • name : to be used in the case of scientific names without authorship strings other other markers (e.g. Abies alba).
    • title : to be used in the case of scientific names with authorship strings and other markers (e.g. Abies alba Mill.).

The response format can be set by appending the format extension to the service endpoint. Currently this web service supports JSON (fully implemented) and XML (partially implemented).

The response objects returned by this web service endpoint have the following structure:

  • request
    • query : scientific name provided as input.
  • response
    • acceptedName : accepted name of the synonomy to which the queried scientific name belongs.
    • authorship : authorship of the accepted name.
    • classification : classification of the requested taxon.
    • rank : taxonomic rank of the accepted name.

Features:

  • Possibility to perform multiple queries in one single web service call.
  • Standardised and structured error messages.

Example Requests :

Example Responses :

  • Base scientific name search : query=Tara spinosa [back] 
    [

    {
        "request": {
            "query": "Tara spinosa"
        },
        "response": [
            {
                "acceptedName": "Caesalpinia spinosa",
                "authorship": "(Molina) untze",
                "classification": {
                    "Kingdom": "Plantae",
                    "Phylum": "Magnoliophyta",
                    "Class": "Magnoliopsida",
                    "Order": "Fabales",
                    "Family": "Fabaceae",
                    "Genus": "Caesalpinia",
                    "Species": "Caesalpinia spinosa (Molina) untze"
                },
                "rank": "Species"
            }
        ]
    }

]