What Is the Species File Group and What Does the Phasmida Species File Cover?
The Species File Group builds taxonomic databases, and the Phasmida Species File (phasmida.speciesfile.org) is its database for the world's stick and leaf insects. It is a taxonomic, nomenclatural, and bibliographic resource covering all extant and fossil phasmids, and it is the place to check valid names, synonyms, literature, specimen records, images, sounds, and distributions for this group. Use it when you need an authoritative name for a phasmid, want to trace a synonym, or need distribution and bibliographic data to cite.
What the database contains
According to the site, the Phasmida Species File group works to build a comprehensive source of knowledge about the world's phasmids. Information found there includes:
- Valid names and their synonyms
- Bibliographic data
- Specimen data
- Images
- Sounds
- Distributions
Coverage spans both extant and fossil taxa, so the file is not limited to living species.
How to look things up
The site is built around taxon pages, and you can enter at whatever level you already know.
- By family or genus: start at a higher rank if you only know the group, for example Order = Phasmida, Family = Phylliidae, or Genus = Anchiale.
- By name: search a family, genus, or species directly. The site's own examples are Phasmatidae, Phasma, and Phasma gigas.
- By example species: the homepage highlights Diapherodes gigantea, Pterinoxylus crassus, Pulchriphyllium giganteum, Agathemera maculafulgens, and Dryococelus australis, which you can use as entry points to see how a taxon page is structured.
A practical workflow: search the name you have, confirm whether it is the valid name or a synonym, then follow the bibliographic and distribution data from the taxon page.
Who it is for
The site states it seeks to include and serve an expanding group of stakeholders: taxonomists, ecologists, policy makers, and educators. In practice that means the same record can support a nomenclature check, an ecological or distribution query, a policy reference, or teaching material.
Project background, gaps, and contributing
The About page contains an overview and history of the project, its data and gaps, and information about the team and how you can contribute. There are also contact and help routes if you need assistance. If you plan to rely on the file for research, checking the stated data gaps first is worthwhile.
Recent announcements
- 2023-08-15: Paul D Brock, T H Büscher, and E Baker welcomed users to the new Phasmida Species File website, inviting feedback on the new features and on how the information is used.
- November 2022: Brock & Büscher published Stick and leaf-insects of the world, Phasmids (NAP Editions), which includes a world checklist of species.
- 31 Dec 2022: Phasmid Studies Vol 21 was published, with papers uploaded.