International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD): Research-Grade Dataset Curation and Growth Assessment

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  International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD): Research-Grade Dataset Curation and Growth Assessment June 5, 2026 The International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD) continues to develop as a curated repository of research-grade tarantula observations derived from iNaturalist. Rather than generating new occurrence records, the project systematically organizes and refines existing iNaturalist observations into a focused dataset intended to facilitate biodiversity research, ecological analysis, and long-term monitoring of theraphosid spiders. Purpose of the ITOD Project All observations included within ITOD originate from the broader iNaturalist platform. The primary goal of the project is not to create an independent occurrence database, but rather to identify, organize, and curate observations that meet research-quality standards while maintaining a consistent focus on members of the family Theraphosidae. By consolidating these observations into a dedicated project, ITOD ...

Progress or burden? Formal description of every apparently new species available in collections is neither necessary nor useful

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Progress or burden? Formal description of every apparently new species available in collections is neither necessary nor useful

Abstract

A new species of the Sub-Saharan spider genus Quamtana Huber, 2003 is described that has been collected in garden centers in Poland and the UK. Its closest known relative is probably Q. lotzi Huber, 2003, known from Free State Province in South Africa. Working on the premise that placing species in time and space is the fundamental task of taxonomy, and acknowledging that we cannot provide biologically meaningful spatial information for this species, we prefer open nomenclature to make this species known to science without formally describing it, using the unique provisional name Quamtana sp. ZFMK Ar 24490 aff. lotzi. We argue that the judicious use of open nomenclature can serve to improve the quality of species lists, reducing the noise in large-scale analyses of biodiversity data. We expand this argument to ‘fragmentary’ species descriptions in general, such as single-sex descriptions in large genera with many male-only and female-only descriptions. Not every taxonomic act allowed by the Code is necessarily beneficial. Under certain conditions, the informal description of a putatively new species may serve science better than a formal description based on inadequate material or data.

Huber BA, Szymański H, Bennett-West A (2024) Progress or burden? Formal description of every apparently new species available in collections is neither necessary nor useful. ZooKeys 1214: 77-90. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1214.130592