class=Actinopterygii getting removed from the iNaturalist Research Grade data

verbatim.txt and occurrences.txt respectively:

As you can see, the class "Actinopterygii" is getting removed by GBIF in the occurrences.txt file. Does GBIF not recognize this as a class?

It seems to have been removed from the catalogue of life on the 23rd of November, 2022: Actinopterygii, however, if I look it up there I see it as accepted: Actinopterygii | COL

Interesting, hopefully someone with more knowledge about the backbone can contribute.

It’s also accepted on WORMS: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Actinopterygii

@coreyfarwell1912350

The higher ranks for species are inferred from the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. This is a checklist that organise all the names on GBIF that builds mainly on the Catalogue of Life (you can read this blogpost for more information: Six questions answered about the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy - GBIF Data Blog).

The Catalogue of Life briefly moved Actinopterygii to the rank gigaclass (see this issue). Since the GBIF backbone taxonomy doesn’t support intermediate ranks, Actinopterygii disappeared (there is a very long thread on the topic here).

However, Actinopterygii is now a class again in the Catalogue of Life as pointed by @pieter, so the next update of the GBIF Backbone should include is as well.

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Thank you for the info @mgrosjean!