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NEMYS: A Digital Encyclopedia on Marine Nematodes<br />

Deprez, T. (1), U. Braeckman (1), T. Bezerra (1), G. Fonseca (2), J. Ingels (1), E. Hoste (1),<br />

S. De Rycke (1), B. Merckx (1), M. Raes (1), N. Smol (3), L. Steenhuyse (1), M. Steyaert (1),<br />

A. Vanreusel (1) & M. Vincx (1)<br />

(1) Marine Biology Section, Department of Biology, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium; (2) Alfred<br />

Wegener Institute - Deep Sea Research Group, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany; (3) Nematology Course,<br />

Department of Biology, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium,<br />

NeMys offers since a few years the possibility to setup online digital catalogues on different<br />

groups of fauna and flora. One of the more important datasets in the system is the global<br />

database on free-living marine nematodes. This dataset, which is accessible through<br />

http://nemys.ugent.be/nematoda , combines all kinds of information on this taxon. The<br />

nematode dataset was initiated by nematologists working at the Marine Biology Research<br />

group of the Ghent University. It was believed that the many years of expertise and the large<br />

literature collections had to be shared with a much broader audience by means of a digital<br />

archive. Data are available for more than 8500 taxa, mostly based on published literature<br />

sources; the species are illustrated with images of the original description. Moreover, about<br />

3500 references give information on the biology and another 5000 give a view on the<br />

biogeographical aspects. Morphological and morphometrical information is present for a high<br />

number of taxa and is reused in the online identification keys for selected genera.<br />

More general data such as the most commonly used methods are documented and a glossary<br />

explains the nematological terminology, providing tools for research, teaching, workshops,<br />

The database is linked to a wide variety of other internet resources and is shared with<br />

biodiversity portals.<br />

Currently about 400 users from all over the world are using the system. It is hoped that in the<br />

future the dataset will be broadened also to non-marine nematodes and that the system will be<br />

maintained by different specialists.<br />

5 th International Congress of Nematology, 2008 338

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