Downloading Data

The ITIS download applications allows you to download taxonomic groups in two formats. The Taxonomic Workbench (TWB) format is a complete representation of the ITIS name and its associated elements. The Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) format is a representation of ITIS data in a biodiversity informatics standard useful for taxonomic data exchange. Alternatively, ITIS users can download the entire database in several database formats.

Download TWB - You can create a download file for a specific taxonomic group. The data model is the one used by theTaxonomic Workbench to read and edit data. It will contain all relevant tables and data in ITIS. The download application allows searching and narrowing of scope while selecting taxa, and allows the specification of upper and lower rank parameters. The Download TWB button on the report pages will default to include all names below the selected taxon as well as the direct hierarchy above it up to kingdom. The original desktop Taxonomic Workbench had a maximum number of name records that could be edited at one time: 32,727. The maximum number of records that can be downloaded in TWB format is similarly sized.

TheTWB file format provides a description of the native Taxonomic Workbench file format.

Download DwC-A - You can create a DwC-A file for download from any name page in ITIS. The ITIS implementation of DwC-A does not include all ITIS data, and only has specific DwC-A fields. The Download DwC-A button on the report pages will default to include all names below the selected taxon as well as the direct hierarchy above it up to kingdom.

TheDwC-A file format provides a description of how DwC-A files are derived from ITIS data.

Download complete dataset - The full ITIS database may be downloaded in several database formats.See the instructions for more information.

Search and Report

ITIS search and reporting tools allow you to find names in ITIS and display the results quickly.

Search andAdvanced Search and Report - results in a report of name matches chosen from the ITIS database.

An example name is the species nameFicus a , which searches for all Names containingFicus a in ITIS. You can specify the kingdom in your searches. If you just want to look for names beginning withFicus americ in in the Kingdom Plantae, you will be taken to the single name report page for Ficus americana Aubl.TSN 502615.

As name spellings can vary, consider using partial names rather than the complete name to avoid excluding taxa names.

Hierarchical Report - view a listing of a single kingdom's scientific names in hierarchical order. This report includes point-and-click retrieval of information associated with each scientific name in the output.

Taxamatch - If you have many names you want to search for you can use Taxamatch to send a formatted file via a web application. Taxamatch returns a report of matches and nonmatches that can be downloaded or formatted into SGML output which can be imported into metadata software.