Anolis species in HerpNet wordcloud, name size is plotted to be proportional to the number of records on HerpNet for that species

Because I’m a big fan of obtaining data from public databases I’m writing another post on availability of anole data from huge bioinformatic databases.  This time, I’ll discuss the NSF-funded database of amphibian and reptile museum records known as HerpNet.  I found an astonishing 142,225 unique Anolis specimen records on HerpNet, including 602 unique binomials.  The over-abundance of names relative to recognized species is due largely to lots of misspellings (I found five different spellings for vermiculatus and four for valencienni).  An interesting side note on how errors in electronic databases can propagate themselves: One individual of Anolis sagifer appears in the MCZ (catalog #45484).  You can see the original catalog entry here.  This entry was mis-transcribed, likely when the database was digitized.  That in term led to it’s presence on the MVZ website and HerpNet, and also spawned search pages on GBIF and ITIS.

Many of the five most common species on HerpNet are also among the most common on GenBank; A. sagrei (13040), distichus (8944), carolinensis (8270), cristatellus (7126), cybotes (7106).  A. krugi (number 2 in terms of sequences on Genbank) falls to #22 on the HerpNet list.  Lots of interesting questions could be addressed using these HerpNet records.  For example, we could use these records to thoroughly investigate how new anole names have accumulated and been used over time.  Has species discovery/description been leveling off?  HerpNet records could also be used to consider how the anole research community’s interests have changed over time and how specific policies have impacted anole collecting?  How, for example, has the US embargo of Cuba impacted collection of Cuban specimens?

The more interesting applications of the HerpNet database will come from a careful consideration of the data associated with individual specimen records.  A number of efforts, for example, are already underway to use the thousands of georeferenced locality records for anoles included in the HerpNet database to address questions about geographic range and community evolution.

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