A digital catalogue of primary type specimens in German ornithological collections - a three year project running within GBIF - Germany - Vertebrata

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international initiative that aims to enable the worldwide exchange of biodiversity-related data through the internet. Within a three year project funded as a German contribution to GBIF the information about primary types of birds (and other vertebrates) in German collections will be made available through the internet (http://www.gbif.de). This information includes the original description, status (syntypes, holotypes, etc.), current taxonomic classification, collecting data, mode of preparation, current location as well as digital images of type specimens. So far, 900 of the expected 4000 primary type taxa of birds have been investigated and digitised. It is expected that by the end of the project 50 to 75% of all primary types in German collections will be digitised. This information will be linked with other type catalogues and biodiversity databases through the GBIF network to build a “virtual museum”.