Scientific references
uwlog.com is written by divers. It is not a scientific publication, it holds no scientific accreditation, and its entries are not peer reviewed. The best online sources of scientific data on marine species are the databases below, led by FishBase and the World Register of Marine Species.
How this site uses them
Names, sizes, depths and ranges in the species entries are checked against these sources. Where an entry and one of them disagree, the source should be taken as the better authority, and a note through the contact page will get the entry corrected.
The databases are maintained by taxonomists and research institutions and are free to use. Anyone who needs a name, a distribution or a conservation status for scientific work should go to them directly rather than to this site.
Names and classification
- World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS): the reference for whether a scientific name is currently accepted, with its author and year. The default authority for every name on this site.
- MolluscaBase: the mollusc section of WoRMS, used for sea slugs, octopus, squid, cuttlefish and shells.
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, California Academy of Sciences: the catalogue of fish names and their original descriptions.
Species data
- FishBase: size, depth, habitat, distribution and biology for more than 35,000 fishes. The best single online resource for fish.
- SeaLifeBase: the equivalent of FishBase for invertebrates, marine mammals, reptiles and other animals that are not fish.
- IUCN Red List: the conservation status of each assessed species.
Where species are recorded
- OBIS, the Ocean Biodiversity Information System: marine occurrence records from surveys and collections worldwide.
- GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility: occurrence records across all life, including museum specimens.
- Reef Life Survey: standardised reef fish and invertebrate surveys carried out by trained divers.
Regional guides
- Fishes of Australia, Museums Victoria: species accounts for Australian waters.
- Shorefishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific and Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: the Galapagos, Cocos, Revillagigedo, Florida, Bahamas and Cayman entries lean on these.
- Sea Slug Forum, Australian Museum: the archive of nudibranch and sea slug identifications compiled by Bill Rudman.