How we know what we know

Statements and sources

Everything on a species page is built from small statements. Each one has a subject, a kind (fact, observation, history, model assumption, warning, method, definition or tip), the words, an evidence level and one or more sources. A source always comes with a locator, such as a section heading or a page, so you can find the place that supports the statement.

A statement with no source does not get published. A statement that needs a source we do not have is rewritten as an open question. What the evidence levels mean.

Culture, taxon and specimen

Three different things get called a species in the hobby. We keep them apart.

• A culture is a living colony with a label, usually from a seller. Its label is a claim, not a finding.
• A taxon is a named group as a classification defines it. It has a rank, an authority and a status.
• A specimen is a preserved animal that someone qualified has examined. Only a specimen can settle what a culture is.

A culture page links to the taxon it is thought to be and says how sure that link is, in words you can compare across pages. The words are verified, strongly supported, probable, tentative and unresolved.

Words that mean less than they sound like

• cf. before a name means compare with that species. It does not confirm the name.
• aff. means related to, and close to a named species without being it.
• A colour form is not a taxon. A name that sellers use for a colour or a pattern does not become a species.
• A trade misidentification is not a synonym. If a seller has used a wrong name for years, the wrong name is a trade name and nothing more.
• A name such as var. nov. that appears in a label is not a published name.

Names

Scientific names follow one named classification at a time, and each page says which. Where two works disagree, the page shows both and says which one it follows. Scientific names are never translated, in any language.

Trade names get their own pages. A trade name page lists the species it may be, ranked as likely, possible or unlikely, with the reason for each. It also says how to tell the candidates apart and what to ask a seller. Look up a trade name.

Models and estimates

Anything that comes from a calculation is labelled as an estimate. A fit score for an enclosure compares what a species tolerates with what an enclosure usually provides. Missing data is never scored as poor, and the assumptions are shown beside the result. Ranges are shown as ranges. A single line would claim a precision that no source has.

The identification key

The key is a small piece of arithmetic. It holds the same table of features that the species pages show. You say what you can see, and for every species it works out how well that fits.

A report from a person is noisy, so every feature carries a reliability. A feature that people read the same way each time counts for more. A feature that people often misread counts for less. These reliabilities are editorial estimates. Nobody has measured them with readers yet, and the key says so.

A blank in the table is never a mismatch. Where nobody has recorded a feature for a species, the key uses the spread seen across the species that are recorded. A species is not rewarded or punished for what nobody has looked at.

The key also keeps a share for animals the wiki has no page for. That is why it sometimes says the animal is probably not covered.

The next question is the one expected to narrow the list the most, out of the questions your equipment can answer. With a hand loupe you are not asked about features that need a microscope. When your equipment cannot take you further, the key says so and names the next step. Identify a springtail.

Search

Search runs in your browser against an index that is built with the site. There is no AI in it. It matches your words against names, trade names, common misspellings, translations and a list of the questions people really ask. It ranks a page by how much of what you typed that page covers.

A seller name is shown as a seller name. If you search for a trade name, the result says the animal was sold as that name. It does not say the animal is that species. Look up a trade name.

When a search finds nothing, the site notes the words so the editors can add what is missing. What the site records.

Reading levels

Most statements read the same at every level. Some have a shorter beginner version and a fuller specialist version. The Beginner, Keeper and Specialist switch in the menu only changes how much detail you see. The facts and the sources do not change.

Updates and corrections

Nothing on the site changes by itself. Outside databases are checked on a schedule, and any difference goes into a review queue for a person to read. A page changes after a person approves the change, and the change is recorded. See what changed.

If you think a statement is wrong, or you know a source we missed, send a correction. A report works best when it names the statement and gives a source.

Limits

• Most species have little published husbandry data. Pages say so rather than fill the gap.
• Seller care sheets are useful and unreviewed. We use them as hobby evidence and label them that way.
• Springtail taxonomy changes. A name that is accepted today may be split or merged next year.
• The table of features has gaps. Where it does, the key is less sure and shows that.