Cothurnia limnoriae - NSCEP | US EPA - US Environmental ...

that were classified with an unknown population status were included in the counts of
NIS in regions or ecoregions.
Stocked: Species maintained through active human intervention, usually for aquaculture.
Stocked species known only to exist in aquaculture facilities were given a population
status of not established and were not included in the counts of NIS. Stocked species that
had been reported from the wild were assigned a population status of established, not
established, or unknown, as appropriate. In many cases it was unclear whether a stocked
species occurred in the wild, especially in Asia. If there was a potential that the species
could occur in the wild, the stocked species was assigned an unknown population status
and included in the counts of NIS. Inclusion of these stocked species in the counts of NIS
could potentially overestimate the actual number of NIS in the region.
Taxonomy and “Also Known As” Alternative Names
The taxonomy of each of the species in the Atlas was recorded on the species profiles.
Taxonomy above the level of genus was based on the World Register of Marine Species
(WoRMS; http://www.marinespecies.org/index.php), an international database with the objective
of providing the authoritative list of names of all marine species globally. In most cases,
WoRMS was also used for species designations, though for some taxa regional authoritative
references were used (e.g., Coan et al., 2000 for bivalves in the NEP).
In addition to the higher level taxonomy, up to five “Also Known As” or alternative names were
recorded in the Atlas. These are other scientific names by which the selected species may also be
known. The primary purpose in listing these alternative species names is to assist invasion
biologists in tracking the global distribution and invasion history of a species. They are not
meant for formal taxonomic evaluations, and the users should consult the taxonomic literature
for complete synonym lists and authorities. The seven types of alternative names recognized in
the Atlas are:
Synonym: A scientific name that was previously applied to a taxon but is no longer
accepted. As used in the Atlas and the PICES database, the objective was to limit
synonyms to those with a one-to-one relationship with the currently accepted scientific
name.
Ambiguous synonym: A possible synonym of the species, such as when it is not certain
exactly what species is being referred to (i.e., Polydora nr. cornuta). Ambiguous
synonyms are also associated with species complexes; the cases in which a species name
is now believed to consist of more than one valid species but which are not, as yet,
individually named. Because of the taxonomic uncertainties, all synonyms of species
complexes are referred to as ambiguous, with the exception of names explicitly
identifying the taxon as a complex (e.g., complex, hyperspecies, etc.). We classify proparte
synonyms as “partial synonyms” rather than as ambiguous.
Partial Synonym: Partial synonyms are species names that are synonyms of two or more
valid species. Thus, there is not a one-to-one relationship between a partial synonym and
a valid species name. This can happen when an older species is split into two or more
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