An identifiable taxonomic position that can be aligned to other such positions through TCS concept mapping relations.

A TaxonConcept MUST have taxonName and accordingTo properties.

A taxonomic position is an opinion about the definition of a taxonomic group. A Taxon Concept is identifiable, because it combines a label – taxonName in TCS – with a source – accordingTo. Both the taxonName and accordingTo properties are REQUIRED on a tcs:TaxonConcept. When mentioning a taxon concept, the label and the source are combined, separated by 'sec.' (from, 'secundus', meaning 'according to') or 'sensu' (meaning the same). The term dcterms:title has been borrowed from Dublin Core to provide this taxon concept label. Because of the context provided by the source, taxon concepts are in principle also alignable to other Taxon Concepts using TCS concept mapping statements. The concept mapping properties in TCS are isCongruentWith, includes, isIncludedIn, partiallyOverlaps, isDisjointFrom and intersects. These properties can be used directly on a TaxonConcept object or as the value of the tcs:mappingRelation property in a tcs:TaxonConceptMapping object.

The TCS Taxon Concept is applied more broadly than the term is used in science (e.g. Franz & Peet 2009 [franz_perspectives_2009]). On the one hand, things that are not generally considered to be biological taxa, e.g. hybrids and cultivars, can be casted as TCS Taxon Concepts. Also Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) [sokal_principles_1963] can be exchanged as Taxon Concepts, if there is a reason to do so, e.g. if one wants to align them with other Taxon Concepts later. On the other hand, entries from treatments that are considered to cite concepts from other treatments can be formulated as Taxon Concepts. Every taxon concept from a treatment that is likely to be referenced as the source of taxonomic context, for example a field guide for a determination of a specimen or a national census for an ecological study, can – and it would be very nice if they would – be stated as a Taxon Concept, so they can be aligned with other Taxon Concepts that may provide more or different taxonomic context.

By contrast, entries in the nomenclature section of treatments ('TaxonomicNameUsage's sensu Senderov et al. 2018 [senderov_openbiodiv-o_2018]) and in lists of nomenclatural types are not Taxon Concepts.

• TaxonConcept-example-1
• TaxonConcept-example-2
• TaxonConcept-example-3
• TaxonConcept-example-4
• TaxonConcept-example-5
• TaxonConcept-example-6
• TaxonConcept-example-7

Reference to the treatment or other source in which a Taxon Concept is established or used.

accordingTo is an IRI term and is REQUIRED on a Taxon Concept. A Taxon Concept can have only one accordingTo.

Every Taxon Concept is in some sort of treatment and this treatment provides important context without which we do not know what a taxon name really means and therefore the accordingTo property is REQUIRED for a TCS Taxon Concept. In TCS 2, accordingTo has to be a reference to some sort of resource rather than just a person's name. However, TCS is lenient about the nature of this resource and, apart from references to bibliographic resources, references to personal communications and determinations are also acceptable, if there is value in supplying taxon concepts from such communications as Taxon Concepts.

The value of accordingTo has to be an object or IRI. This object can contain as little as a bibliographic reference but it is more useful to provide it in a format that can be understood by reference managers such as Zotero or Mendeley.

• TaxonConcept-accordingTo-example-1
• TaxonConcept-accordingTo-example-2
• TaxonConcept-accordingTo-example-3

The accepted name for the taxonomic group.

taxonName is an IRI term and is REQUIRED on a TCS Taxon Concept. A Taxon Concept MUST NOT have more than one taxonName.

The taxonName can be anything from a well-formed scientific name to an informal name, vernacular name, indigenous knowledge label, or even a label containing numbers and/or special symbols, such as are often used for OTUs.

The object of taxonName is an object or IRI, so that it can be reused in other Taxon Concepts. TCS has got the Taxon Name class, which can be used for any type of name, but people are free to use alternatives, e.g. skosxl:Label, if they want to restrict the use of the Taxon Name class to scientific names only.

Name considered to apply to the same taxon as the accepted name.

synonym is a Taxon Name; a Taxon Concept can have multiple synonyms.

A synonym is an alternative label for a taxon, so synonym, like taxonName, is a relation between a TaxonConcept and a TaxonName, not a relationship between different taxonomic entities.

The terms 'heterotypic synonym' and 'homotypic synonym' from the nomenclatural codes ('subjective synonym' and 'objective synonym', respectively, in the Zoological Code) are, in the context of Taxon Concepts and Taxon Names, best understood as synonyms (relations between Taxon Concepts and Taxon Names) and combinations (relations between Taxon Names), respectively. In TCS, combinations are dealt with using properties of the TaxonName class, e.g., basionym and replacedName (note that 'combination' is used here in a broader sense than what the term actually means). This has the advantage that people do not need to separate heterotypic and homotypic synonyms, or generally deal with nomenclature, which adds a degree of complexity that not all systems need or want. Avoiding terms that are strictly defined in the nomenclatural codes also has the advantage that the term can, in principle, be applied to things that cannot be heterotypic or homotypic synonyms, e.g., to names that are not validly published under the relevant code, and avoids inappropriate use of the terms defined in the nomenclatural codes.

• TaxonConcept-synonym-example-1
• TaxonConcept-synonym-example-2
• TaxonConcept-synonym-example-3

Name for a taxon in a language used for general purposes.

vernacularName is an IRI term; a Taxon Concept can have more than one vernacularName.

The vernacularName property can be used when a vernacular name is used alongside a scientific name, which is the taxonName. If a vernacular name is the only name, the taxonName property SHOULD be used. The object of the vernacularName property can be a Taxon Name, but another label object, such as the GBIF Vernacular Name, might be preferrable, especially if there can be multiple vernacular names for a concept.

• TaxonConcept-vernacularName-example-1
• TaxonConcept-vernacularName-example-2
• TaxonConcept-vernacularName-example-3
• TaxonConcept-vernacularName-example-4

The rank at which a taxon is classified.

taxonRank is an IRI property; a Taxon Concept or Taxon Name MUST NOT have more than one taxonRank.

This term is the IRI equivalent of the Darwin Core taxonRank. This property takes an object or IRI and it is RECOMMENDED to use a value from an existing controlled vocabulary. While there is no TDWG vocabulary yet, the GBIF Taxonomic Rank Vocabulary (https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/rank_2015-04-24.xml) is RECOMMENDED.

A taxon name takes its rank from the taxon it is applied to, so this property can also be used on a (stand-alone) TaxonName object.

The immediately next higher taxon in a hierarchical classification.

parentTaxonConcept is another Taxon Concept; a Taxon Concept can have only one parentTaxonConcept.

This is the parent as indicated in the accordingTo reference, rather than a third-party classification. The accordingTo of the parent will generally, but not necessarily, be the same as that of the child.

• TaxonConcept-parent-example-1

A direct subordinate in a hierarchical classification.

childTaxonConcept is another Taxon Concept; a Taxon Concept can have more than one childTaxonConcept.

This is a child as indicated in the accordingTo reference, rather than a third-party classification. The accordingTo of the child will generally, but not necessarily, be the same as that of the parent.

• TaxonConcept-child-example-1

The subject and object taxon concepts have a congruent taxonomic meaning, i.e. there is no conflict between the concepts

isCongruentWith can be used as a property on a Taxon Concept object, or as the value of the mappingRelation property on a Taxon Concept Mapping object. In both cases both the subject and object are Taxon Concepts.

The isCongruentWith relation is symmetrical, so if A isCongruentWith B then B isCongruentWith A, as well as transitive, so if A isCongruentWith B and B isCongruentWith C it follows that A isCongruentWith C. This relation can also be written as the formula A ≅ B or A == B.

• TaxonConcept-isCongruentWith-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-isCongruentWith-example-2
• TaxonConcept-isCongruentWith-example-3
• TaxonConceptMapping-isCongruentWith-example-1

The subject taxon concept has a more inclusive taxonomic meaning than the object taxon concept

includes can be used as a property on a Taxon Concept object, or as the value of the mappingRelation property on a Taxon Concept Mapping object. In both cases both the subject and object are Taxon Concepts.

The includes relation is not symmetric, its inverse relation being isIncludedIn, so if A includes B then B isIncludedIn A. The includes relation is transitive, so if A includes B and B includes C it follows that A includes C. This relation can also be written as the formula A > B.

• TaxonConcept-includes-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-includes-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-includes-example-1

The subject taxon concept has a less inclusive taxonomic meaning than the object taxon concept

isIncludedIn can be used as a property on a Taxon Concept object, or as the value of the mappingRelation property on a Taxon Concept Mapping object. In both cases both the subject and object are Taxon Concepts.

The isIncludedIn relation is not symmetric, its inverse relation being includes, so if A isIncludedIn B then B includes A. The isIncludedIn relation is transitive, so if A isIncludedIn B and B isIncludedIn C it follows that A isIncludedIn C. This relation can also be written as the formula A < B.

• TaxonConcept-isIncludedIn-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-isIncludedIn-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-isIncludedIn-example-1

The subject and object taxon concepts have partially overlapping taxonomic meanings, i.e. they have some members in common, but each concept in addition has members that are not included in the other concept

partiallyOverlaps can be used as a property on a Taxon Concept object, or as the value of the mappingRelation property on a Taxon Concept Mapping object. In both cases both the subject and object are Taxon Concepts.

The partiallyOverlaps relation is symmetrical, so if A partiallyOverlaps B then B partiallyOverlaps A, but not transitive, so, if A partiallyOverlaps B and B partiallyOverlaps C, it does not follow that A partiallyOverlaps C. This relation can also be written as the formula A >< B.

• TaxonConcept-partiallyOverlaps-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-partiallyOverlaps-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-partiallyOverlaps-example-1

The subject and object taxon concepts have non-overlapping taxonomic meanings, i.e. they do not have any members in common

isDisjointFrom can be used as a property on a Taxon Concept object, or as the value of the mappingRelation property on a Taxon Concept Mapping object. In both cases both the subject and object are Taxon Concepts.

The isDisjointFrom relation is symmetrical, so if A isDisjointFrom B then B isDisjointFrom A, but not transitive, so, if A isDisjointFrom B and B isDisjointFrom C, it does not follow that A isDisjointFrom C. This relation can also be written as the formula A | B.

• TaxonConcept-isDisjointFrom-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-isDisjointFrom-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-isDisjointFrom-example-1

The taxonomic meanings of the subject and object taxon concepts intersect, i.e. they have at least one member in common.

intersects can be used as a property on a Taxon Concept object, or as the value of the mappingRelation property on a Taxon Concept Mapping object. In both cases both the subject and object are Taxon Concepts.

intersects is the opposite of isDisjointFrom and the union of isCongruentWith, includes, isIncludedIn and partiallyOverlaps, meaning it can be any of these relations. This relation can be used when the more precise nature of the relationship is not known. Quasi-nomenclatural statements like 'pro parte synonym', 'partial synonym' and 'misapplication', are Taxon Concept Mappings, no matter how imperfect, and, in TCS, are best dealt with using the intersects relation. In fact, all 'traditional synonymy' relationships, cf. Berendsohn & al. (2000 [berendsohn_berlin_2003]), can be accommodated using intersects. Also, citations of references in treatments are, in the context of TCS, best accommodated using the intersects relation.

• TaxonConcept-intersects-example-1
• TaxonConcept-intersects-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-intersects-example-1
• TaxonConcept-intersects-example-3

The taxonomic rank of the most specific name in the dwc:scientificName as it appears in the original record.

This term may be used for taxonomic rank designations that are not in the controlled vocabulary that is used. Implementations can decide for themselves if it makes more sense to use this term on a Taxon Concept object or a Taxon Name object, or both.

A name given to the resource.

In TCS dcterms:title is used for the taxonomic concept label [senderov_openbiodiv-o_2018], which consists of the Taxon Name and a reference to the publication where the concept is circumscribed, separated by 'sec.', which stands for 'secundus' ('according to'). It is used to indicate one specific meaning of a name – a Taxon Concept – rather than the cumulative nomenclatural and taxonomic legacy associated with the name.

• Dicranoloma assimile sec. Klazenga 1999
• Euphrasia gibbsiae sec. Barker 1982
• Megalorhipida leucodactylus sec. Gielis & Hobern 2020-07-16
• Circus cyaneus sec. Clements 2021
• Circus cyaneus sec. Howard & Moore 2013
• Circus [cyaneus or hudsonius] sec. AviBase #82745BAA

Alignment or mapping of two Taxon Concepts in different taxonomies or different versions of a taxonomy

When using this class the subjectTaxonConcept, mappingRelation and objectTaxonConcept are REQUIRED

The Taxon Concept Mapping class allows for adding extra data to a taxon concept mapping statement. As it allows for adding an 'according to' to a concept mapping it can be used for third-party mappings. While structurally very similar to the Darwin Core Resource Relationship class, it is different in that instances of the Taxon Concept Mapping class are meaningful as standalone objects.

• TaxonConceptMapping-isCongruentWith-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-isCongruentWith-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-includes-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-includes-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-isIncludedIn-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-isIncludedIn-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-partiallyOverlaps-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-partiallyOverlaps-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-isDisjointFrom-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-isDisjointFrom-example-2
• TaxonConceptMapping-intersects-example-1
• TaxonConceptMapping-intersects-example-2

Reference to the source of the taxon concept mapping.

mappingAccordingTo is an IRI term; a Taxon Concept Mapping can have only one mappingAccordingTo.

The kind of mapping relation between the two concepts

This property is REQUIRED; one MUST use one of the mapping properties isCongruentWith, includes, isIncludedIn, partiallyOverlaps, isDisjointFrom or intersects.

Taxon Concept that is the subject in the mapping statement.

subjectTaxonConcept is a TCS Taxon Concept; a Taxon Concept Mapping statement can have only one subjectTaxonConcept.

This is the Taxon Concept at the left-hand side of the statement.

Taxon Concept that is the object in the mapping statement.

objectTaxonConcept is a TCS Taxon Concept; a Taxon Concept Mapping statement can have only one objectTaxonConcept.

This is the Taxon Concept at the right-hand side of the statement.

A name or label applied to a taxon or taxonomic group.

A TCS Taxon Name MUST have a nameString.

The word 'name' here is taken in its dictionary meaning and not in the sense of a particular nomenclatural code. This means that the Taxon Name class can, in principle, be used for any type of name, not just names that are validly published under the relevant nomenclatural code.

• TaxonName-example-1
• TaxonName-example-2
• TaxonName-example-3
• TaxonName-example-4

The complete name string without any authority or year components.

nameString is a literal. The nameString property is REQUIRED on a TCS Taxon Name and a Taxon Name can have only one nameString.

The nameString property differs from the scientificName property in Darwin Core in that all kinds of names are allowed. Also, in the case of scientific names, contrary to the dwc:scientificName, nameString does not include the authorship. In botanical names, it does include the rank prefixes for infrageneric and infraspecific epithets as they are considered part of the name.

Reference to the publication in which the name was first published.

In botany, this would be the protologue. This is the IRI counterpart of the Darwin Core namePublishedIn, which TCS borrows.

Specifies any minor reference parts, e.g. page number.

microreference is a string literal; a Taxon Name can have only one microreference and only when namePublishedIn is used as well.

In taxonomic works it is convention to cite the exact location in a work where a new name is published. The microreference property lets one do that on the Taxon Name object, so that the namePublishedIn reference can be reused.

Nomenclatural code that applies to the group of organisms the taxonomic name is for.

nomenclaturalCode takes an IRI or object; a Taxon Name can have only one nomenclaturalCode.

This is the IRI equivalent of the Darwin Core nomenclaturalCode. In the absence of a TDWG vocabulary, it is RECOMMENDED to use a value from the GBIF Nomenclatural Codes Vocabulary (https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/nomenclatural_code.xml).

Status related to the original publication of the name and its conformance to the relevant rules of nomenclature.

nomenclaturalStatus takes an IRI or object; a Taxon Name can have only one nomenclaturalStatus.

This is the IRI equivalent of the Darwin Core nomenclaturalStatus. In the absence of a TDWG vocabulary, it is RECOMMENDED to use a value from the GBIF Nomenclatural Status Vocabulary (https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/nomenclatural_status_2019-02-08.xml).

Designation of a nomenclatural type for a name

The typification property takes a TCS Nomenclatural Type or list of Nomenclatural Types.

tcs:typification is the inverse of tcs:typifiedName.

• TaxonName-typification-example-1
• TaxonName-typification-example-2

Designation of a nomenclatural type for a name

The typificationLiteral property takes a literal value.

The typificationLiteral property can be used for citation of a type (or types) as written in the publication in which the typified name was published.

Epithet- or name-bringing synonym.

A basionym is another Taxon Name; a Taxon Name can have only one basionym.

The term basionym is in the draft BioCode ([greuter_draft_2011]), so can be used for all organisms. The basionym property is only used for new combinations ('comb. nov.'). If the new name is a replacement name ('nom. nov.') the replacedName property SHOULD be used instead. It SHOULD be noted that a basionym is always a different name or combination: a name cannot be its own basionym.

• TaxonName-basionym-example-1
• TaxonName-basionym-example-2

The legitimate or illegitimate, previously published name on which a replacement name (nomen novum) is based.

replacedName is another Taxon Name; a Taxon Name can have only one replacedName.

'replaced name' is used in the draft BioCode ([greuter_draft_2011]). In the Botanical Code the term 'replaced synonym' is used for the same thing. A 'replacement name' is a name that is published as a substitute for an earlier published name that is either illegitimate or for which a new combination cannot be created in the place a taxon is transferred to because of an older blocking name.

• TaxonName-replacedName-example-1
• TaxonName-replacedName-example-2
• TaxonName-replacedName-example-3
• TaxonName-replacedName-example-4

Earlier name on which this name is based

basedOn is another Taxon Name; a Taxon Name can have only one basedOn. The term SHOULD only be used in situations where the semantically more meaningful basionym and replacedName cannot be used.

The basedOn property can be used to associate a name to a homotypic group of names in situations where the basionym and replacedName properties cannot be used. Therefore the property can be useful for (1) linking an autonym to a species name, (2) linking a valid name to an earlier invalid name and (3) linking an invalid name to a later valid name.

An older legitimate name with the same spelling but a different nomenclatural type

laterHomonymOf is another Taxon Name object

If there are more than two homonyms, the oldest name SHOULD be given here. In zoology, this is the senior homonym.

Name(s) against which this name is conserved.

The conservedAgainst property takes another Taxon Name; a Taxon Name can be conserved against more than one other Taxon Names.

A scientific name below the rank of family is not conserved against all other names, but only against one or more names that in turn are rejected against the conserved name. A name can be conserved against more than one other name, so this property is repeatable.

• TaxonName-conservedAgainst-example-1

Author of the combination

combinationAuthor is an IRI property. It can be a person or a list of persons.

'combination' is taken here to be one of a group of different names with the same nomenclatural type. combinationAuthor is the author (or authors) that is not in parentheses in the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship.

• TaxonName-combinationAuthor-example-1
• TaxonName-combinationAuthor-example-2

Author of the combination

combinationAuthorLiteral is a Literal property.

'combination' is taken here to be one of a group of different names with the same nomenclatural type. combinationAuthorLiteral is the author (or authors) that is not in parentheses in the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship.

Author of the basionym of the described name

basionymAuthor is an IRI property. It can be a person or a list of persons.

basionymAuthor (or its literal counterpart) is the author (or authors) in parentheses in the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship.

• TaxonName-basionymAuthor-example-1
• TaxonName-basionymAuthor-example-2

Author of the basionym of the described name

basionymAuthorLiteral is a Literal property.

basionymAuthorLiteral is the author (or authors) in parentheses in the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship.

Ascribed author of the described name

combinationAscribedAuthor is an IRI property. It can be a person or a list of persons.

An 'ascribed author' is a person (or group of people) who a name is ascribed to in a publication, but who is not the author of the name according to the rules of the nomenclatural codes, because they did not contribute to the validating description of the name. In the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship these authors are indicated with 'ex', the ascribed author coming before the 'ex' and the author the name is attributed to after. Note that the 'ex' (or 'Ex') construction that is sometimes used with zoological names has got nothing to do with attribution or ascription, but is used to denote a concept, much like we do here with 'sec.' or 'sensu' in taxon concept labels.

• TaxonName-combinationAscribedAuthor-example-1

Ascribed author of the described name

combinationAscribedAuthorLiteral is a Literal property.

An 'ascribed author' is a person (or group of people) who a name is ascribed to in a publication, but who is not the author of the name according to the rules of the nomenclatural codes, because they did not contribute to the validating description of the name. In the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship these authors are indicated with 'ex', the ascribed author coming before the 'ex' and the author the name is attributed to after. Note that the 'ex' (or 'Ex') construction that is sometimes used with zoological names has got nothing to do with attribution or ascription, but is used to denote a concept, much like we do here with 'sec.' or 'sensu' in taxon concept labels.

Ascribed author of the basionym of the name

basionymAscribedAuthor is an IRI property. It can be a person or a list of persons.

An 'ascribed author' is a person (or group of people) who a name is ascribed to in a publication, but who is not the author of the name according to the rules of the nomenclatural codes, because they did not contribute to the validating description of the name. In the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship these authors are indicated with 'ex', the ascribed author coming before the 'ex' and the author the name is attributed to after. Note that the 'ex' (or 'Ex') construction that is sometimes used with zoological names has got nothing to do with attribution or ascription, but is used to denote a concept, much like we do here with 'sec.' or 'sensu' in taxon concept labels.

• TaxonName-basionymAscribedAuthor-example-1

Ascribed author of the basionym of the name

basionymAscribedAuthorLiteral is a Literal property.

An 'ascribed author' is a person (or group of people) who a name is ascribed to in a publication, but who is not the author of the name according to the rules of the nomenclatural codes, because they did not contribute to the validating description of the name. In the dwc:scientificNameAuthorship these authors are indicated with 'ex', the ascribed author coming before the 'ex' and the author the name is attributed to after. Note that the 'ex' (or 'Ex') construction that is sometimes used with zoological names has got nothing to do with attribution or ascription, but is used to denote a concept, much like we do here with 'sec.' or 'sensu' in taxon concept labels.

The authorship information for the scientificName formatted according to the conventions of the applicable nomenclaturalCode.

scientificNameAuthorship can be used if the nameString is a scientific name.

A reference for the publication in which the dwc:scientificName was originally established under the rules of the associated dwc:nomenclaturalCode.

This is the string literal equivalent of the TCS namePublishedIn. It can be used if one wants to give the protologue as a string, as in many botanical publications.

The four-digit year in which the scientificName was published.

This is the publication year for the present name combination, not the basionym should this be a new combination.

The genus part of the scientificName without authorship.

This property SHOULD only be used for names below the rank of genus.

The infrageneric part of combinations at ranks above species but below genus.

Names at ranks between species and genus, e.g. subgenera and sections, are composed of two parts; the genus and the infrageneric epithet. This property SHOULD therefore always be accompanied by the genericName property. If the infragenericEpithet property is present, the specificEpithet and infraspecificEpithet properties SHOULD not be present.

The name of the first or species epithet of the scientificName.

Names at ranks of species and below are composed of two or three parts: the generic name, the specific epithet and possibly an infraspecific epithet. This property SHOULD therefore always be accompanied by the genus property. If the specificEpithet property is present the infragenericEpithet property SHOULD not be present.

The name of the lowest or terminal infraspecific epithet of the scientificName, excluding any rank designation.

Names at ranks below species are composed of three parts; the genus name, the specific epithet and an infraspecific epithet. This property SHOULD therefore always be accompanied by the genus and specificEpithet properties. If the infraspecificEpithet property is present the infragenericEpithet property SHOULD not be present.

Part of the name of a cultivar, cultivar group or grex that follows the scientific name.

The cultivar epithet follows a well-formed botanical name. Only include the string of the epithet. i.e. omit the single quotes around cultivar names, the word 'Group' that denotes cultivar group, the + sign used in chimeras and the 'gx' suffix in greges.

Element to which a scientific name is permanently attached.

A Nomenclatural Type requires a typifiedName, typeOfType and either a typeName or typeSpecimen.

A nomenclatural type fixes the usage of a name to the taxonomic group that contains the type. One or more Nomenclatural Types make up the typification of a Taxon Name. In Darwin Core, a Nomenclatural Type object can be used as object with dwciri:typeStatus.

• NomenclaturalType-example-1

The scientific name for which the specimen or other name is the type.

typifiedName is a Taxon Name and is REQUIRED; a Nomenclatural Type can typify only one Taxon Name.

The typifiedName property links the Nomenclatural Type back to the Taxon Name. Also, when coming from the Preserved Specimen, the typified name is the most important piece of information, because there is no point in knowing what kind of type a specimen is without knowing for what name it is the type. Therefore, typifiedName is a REQUIRED property.

The kind of type this specimen is, e.g. holotype, isotype etc.

typeOfType is an IRI term and SHOULD take its value from a controlled vocabulary. A Nomenclatural Type can have only one typeOfType

This is an IRI property. In the absence of a TDWG controlled vocabulary, it is RECOMMENDED to use a value from the GBIF Nomenclatural Type Status Vocabulary (https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/type_status_2021-01-18.xml).

The name that is the type.

typeName is a Taxon Name. A nomenclatural type can have only one typeName.

Taxon names at ranks above species level can be typified by the name of a lower taxon. Ultimately, by following the chain of type names, all names resolve to a type species and thus a type specimen.

The specimen that is the type.

typeSpecimen takes an IRI – or object – that refers to a specimen. A Nomenclatural Type MUST NOT have more than one typeSpecimen.

Names at ranks of species and below are typified by a specimen. This property is mutually exclusive with typeName. This is an IRI property. One could use the Darwin Core Preserved Specimen or Material Citation. While a Taxon Name can have more than one type specimens, each of these type specimens requires its own Nomenclatural Type record, so a Nomenclatural Type can have only one typeSpecimen.

Publication where the type was nominated

typePublishedIn is an IRI term. A Nomenclatural Type can have at most one typePublishedIn.

typePublishedIn is relevant for lectotypes, neotypes, epitypes and conserved types. For other kinds of type the publication where the type is designated is the publication the name was published in.