IUCN Red List info in the Cat-eLog?

[Silurus]

The IUCN has plans to assess the conservation status of all of the world's freshwater fishes. Most of South and Southeast Asian freshwater fishes have been assessed, and the Sunda freshwater fish species assessments are beginning to go up online.

Here is an example: Encheloclarias curtisoma

Is there any way of incorporating information there into the Cat-eLog?

[Jools]

I've checked and they have a species lookup function in the API thus, technically, we can do this. Not certain on what data to display, but can work that out later. However, as per their T&Cs:


4. No Reposting and/or Redistribution
All forms of reposting, and any sub-licensing, reselling, or other forms of redistribution of IUCN Red List Data in their original format, either whole or in part, alone or combined with other data, including within Derivative Works, are strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of IUCN. You may not repost, or redistribute to any third party, IUCN Red List Data in whole, or in part, by any means, including (but not limited to) electronic formats such as internet postings, web downloads, through web services including utilization of The IUCN Red List APIs, through interactive web maps that grant users download access, KML files or through file transfer protocols, electronic mailing, faxing, archiving in a public data, redistributing via a computer network, digital storage, memory stick or other electronic media or device, except as may otherwise be expressly permitted by IUCN in writing through a formal Waiver. See section 15 for Definitions of Terms).

If you wish to provide a service through which IUCN Red List Data are otherwise made available for reposting or otherwise made available for redistribution, please contact IUCN directly using the contact details below in section 16.

Section 16:

16. Contact Information
If you have any questions about any of these terms or how they may apply to your intended use of The IUCN Red List and the IUCN Red List Data, please contact the IUCN Global Species Programme Red List Unit at:

IUCN Global Species Programme – Red List Unit
David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street
Cambridge CB2 3QZ, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1223 331199
E-mail: redlist@iucn.org

I'm happy to write to them to ask, is it OK if I copy you to add weight to the request?

Ta,

Jools

[bekateen]

Can you at least do this without special permissions, or is even links included in the legalese mumbo jumbo? Displaying actual status would be superior of course. But at least this would give a direct link.

Cheers, Eric

[Silurus]

I'm happy to write to them to ask, is it OK if I copy you to add weight to the request?

Go ahead. I'm glad to give my support.

[Jools]

So, I need an API token to start using the service to understand what it can do.

Submission:

Name: Julian Dignall

Organisation: AquaticRepublicNetwork.com

Email: jools@planetcatfish.com

Reason for API Use: For presentation of some data on AquaticRepublic.com and PlanetCatfish.com. These websites are aimed at advanced aquarists with a focus on captive reproduction and the avoidance of over-exploitation of the natural world through free provision of information. I've not fully research what your API can do, but the general intent is to provide an overview, per species, of the state of populations in the wild. This would likely be in the "Further Information" block on each species page. An example species page is https://www.planetcatfish.com/mystus_armatus . Many thanks, Jools

Commercial use: false



"Your request for a token has been submitted for review, for the provided information below, and you should receive a response shortly."

Jools

[Jools]

I did not get a reply. Trying again.

Jools

[Jools]

"Your token creation request has been received, and you should hear soon from us. If you experience any problems, please contact us on the Red List API website
IUCN Red List API: http://apiv3.iucnredlist.org"

Not sure I got this last time. Will keep an eye out.

Jools

[Jools]

As you may have surmised, no reply (again). I've written two more emails to contact addresses found on the site and have applied for the API token to allow programmatic access to the data for a third time.

Fingers crossed.

Jools

[Jools]

I've had a reply from them and have got the API working. For the record, the first species PlanetCatfish.com looked up on the IUCN database using the API's species method was

Hemibagrus wyckii

. The response was:

Code: Select all

{"name":"Hemibagrus wyckii","result":[{"taxonid":181293,"scientific_name":"Hemibagrus wyckii","kingdom":"ANIMALIA","phylum":"CHORDATA","class":"ACTINOPTERYGII","order":"SILURIFORMES","family":"BAGRIDAE","genus":"Hemibagrus","main_common_name":"Blacktail Catfish","authority":"(Bleeker, 1858)","published_year":2020,"assessment_date":"2019-05-02","category":"LC","criteria":null,"population_trend":"Stable","marine_system":false,"freshwater_system":true,"terrestrial_system":false,"assessor":"Vidthayanon, C. & Ng, H.H.","reviewer":"Lyons, T.J.","aoo_km2":null,"eoo_km2":null,"elevation_upper":500,"elevation_lower":5,"depth_upper":null,"depth_lower":null,"errata_flag":null,"errata_reason":null,"amended_flag":null,"amended_reason":null}]}

The darn thing is working!

Jools

PS Now I need to build something to periodically check the conservation status of every species in the database and update if required. And, finally, present the information on each species page. Once this is done, the IUCN search on the cat-elog page which has been there for just over a decade will work. Once that works, I can then change the function that handles virtual arrays and once that's done I can get variants using virtual arrays and that will allow the editing of variant data to work properly. This means I can finally get the data on

Dekeyseria picta

as I wish it and THEN introduce variants into "My Cats" and "My BLogs". #COVID-19silverlinings - *** whew **.

Thanks @Silurus for suggesting this,it will, eventually, add value to the site.

[bekateen]

Congratulations! Big plans -good luck!

Thanks, and cheers, Eric

[MarcW]

Sounds cool, good luck getting it all figured out!

[Jools]

Thanks, it's getting there, will post a more detailed update when I am happy with it (it's buggy and ugly ATM).

https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/iu ... ategory=NT


Jools

[Jools]

The data is not complete yet, but the IUCN page coding is complete now shows accurate data from the first 900 species processed.

https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/iu ... ategory=VU


Jools

[Silurus]

Too bad we can’t incorporate the distribution maps from the Red List database.

[Jools]

Too bad we can’t incorporate the distribution maps from the Red List database.

I think we can, but no point if I can't get all species linked to the database - for now, the link on each species page does take you to that data - check out

Encheloclarias curtisoma

. Not all the range data is a good as yours...

Jools

[Jools]

Actually I was wrong, per species, the IUCN API only provides (what we use on bold):

Species
⇢ Species count
⇢ Citation by species name
⇢ Citation by species ID
⇢ Individual species category
⇢ Individual species by name
⇢ Individual species by ID
⇢ Narrative text by species name
⇢ Narrative text by species ID
⇢ Synonyms by name
⇢ Common names by name
⇢ Country occurrence by species name
⇢ Country occurrence by species ID
⇢ Historical assessments by species name
⇢ Historical assessments by species ID
Threats
⇢ Threats by species name
⇢ Threats by species ID
Habitats
⇢ Habitats by species name
⇢ Habitats by species ID
Conservation Measures
⇢ Measures by species name
⇢ Measures by species ID
Plant growth forms
⇢ Plant growth forms by species name
⇢ Plant growth forms by species ID
Comprehensive groups
⇢ List comprehensive groups
⇢ Species by comprehensive group
Linking to the Red List website
⇢Website link
⇢Website redirect
⇢Website redirect based on ID

Shame, as it wouldn't be too hard to map it.

Jools

[Jools]

Well, the map/spatial data is available as an old-school download. 1.5GB and I've got to register and request it.

I have registered (again) and requested it - I hope to be worthy. Will let you all know how I get on.

Jools

[bekateen]

Panaqolus albivermis

and

Otocinclus cocama

are both endangered? Dang, that'll put a twinge of guilt on me every time I see a tank full of them at a LFS. More people need to get good at breeding them. @jac, we need you!

And as a side note, on Facebook today, someone else reported here spawning P. albivermis today, and they showed video of the dad in cave with eggs. I wish him luck. His is the fourth or fifth report I've seen of a successful spawn.
Regards, Eric

[Bas Pels]

Quite a few species of aquariumfish are endangered without anybody knowing it. I think adding the information in the Cat elog must be a lot of work, and I red it was a pain getting permission, but it does have quite some added value.

[Jools]

I think it does, at least in terms of catfishes, that there are just so many species we know little about in terms of range and their vulnerabilities.

Jools
PS A friend of mine (who had had an aquarium shop or two in Scotland) bred P. albivermis in 2006. It was an accident, he didn't even know plecos spawned in caves.

[panaque]

It is worth noting that until recently very few freshwater species had been assessed. There has been a drive in recent years to address this (and other biases). I've been involved in some of this for the Sundaic freshwater fish (together with Silurus and many others) where about 1/3 species ended up in 'threatened' categories (vulnerable or worse) and another 1/3 in 'data deficient' (not enough known to assess them) - it's a fair assumption that the latter group will contain a high percentage of threatened species too. My understanding is that the numbers are no better in other parts of the world. Freshwater ecosystems are under a lot of pressure everywhere.

[Bas Pels]

Fresh water ecosystems are small, and very nearby live people, who really need the water.

So, yes, one would expect almost all sweet water species to be worth assessing.

If they are not vulnerable due to their small area there is human interference. And most often both.

[Jools]

Just to close this off, the link with the Red List API was up and running some time ago with data being pulled from their database periodically.

Jools