Interpretation of /species/{usageKey}/synonyms when synonym names resolve to different accepted taxa

API developers
1

I’m trying to understand the intended semantics of the /species/{usageKey}/synonyms endpoint.

For example, in the GBIF Backbone I found these three records:

2873991  Aristolochia clematitis   ACCEPTED
2874019  Aristolochia rotunda      ACCEPTED
7914281  Aristolochia rotunda      SYNONYM

Calling:

GET /v1/species/2873991/synonyms

I see 7914281 (Aristolochia rotunda) as a synonym of Aristolochia clematitis.

However, if I try to resolve the name Aristolochia rotunda using:

GET /v2/species/match?genericName=Aristolochia%20rotunda&strict=true

I get the accepted taxon 2874019, which is a completely different species.

This is confusing from a client application’s point of view.

My expectation was that the names returned by /synonyms would represent alternative names for the accepted taxon. In this example, however, the returned synonym name resolves to another accepted species.

Could you explain how the /synonyms endpoint should be interpreted in cases like this?

Is 7914281 intended to represent a historical checklist usage rather than a taxonomic synonym of Aristolochia clematitis? Or should client applications interpret these records in a different way?

Thank you.

2

Hi @ zhabla,

The names on /synonyms are indeed alternative names for the accepted taxon, for example the API call https://api.checklistbank.org/dataset/315557/taxon/GPQJ/synonyms gives you the list of Synonyms and combinations for that taxon on CoL: https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/315557/taxon/GPQJ

Aristolochia rotunda no longer appears as a synonym of Aristolochia clematitis in CoL XR.

We recommend you start using V2 of the API with the CoL identifiers, they are more up to date with taxonomy, and the GBIF backbone taxonomy is outdated.

In the old GBIF backbone taxonomy, there were two taxa Aristolochia rotunda L. (https://old.gbif.org/species/2874019) that is an accepted species. And Aristolochia rotunda Georgi (https://old.gbif.org/species/7914281) that is a synonym of Aristolochia clematitis. Your API matching call without using an authorship gave you the accepted name 2874019.

A call with the new API CoL https://api.gbif.org/v2/species/match?scientificName=Aristolochia%20rotunda&checklistKey=7ddf754f-d193-4cc9-b351-99906754a03b will give you the key GQ8K and the information for the accepted one. Even when there is another Aristolochia rotunda available that is a synonym:

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