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CatalogueOfLife

The most complete authoritative list of the world's species, maintained by hundreds of global taxonomists
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Actions12

  • Decision Actions
  • Estimate Actions
  • Name Actions
  • Name Usage Actions
  • Name Usage Search Actions
  • Name Usage Suggest Actions
  • Reference Actions
  • Source Metadata Actions
  • Synonym Actions
  • Taxon Actions
  • Tree Actions
  • Vernacular Actions

Overview

This node integrates with the Catalogue of Life API, which is a comprehensive and authoritative global species database maintained by taxonomists. It allows users to retrieve detailed taxonomic data about species names, synonyms, taxa, and related metadata.

The Name - Get operation specifically fetches information about a particular name, taxon, or synonym from the Catalogue of Life dataset. This can be useful for researchers, biodiversity informatics professionals, or anyone needing reliable taxonomic data for species identification, classification, or ecological studies.

Practical examples:

  • Retrieve detailed information about a species name by its unique ID.
  • Fetch paginated lists of names for further processing or analysis.
  • Use offset and limit parameters to control the volume and paging of results.

Properties

Name Meaning
Additional Fields A collection of optional parameters to refine the query:
- ID The unique identifier for the name, taxon, or synonym to retrieve.
- Offset The paging offset for results (integer, default 0).
- Limit Maximum number of results to return (integer, minimum 1, default 50).

Output

The node outputs an array of JSON objects representing the retrieved name(s) from the Catalogue of Life API. Each object contains detailed taxonomic information corresponding to the requested name, taxon, or synonym.

The exact structure depends on the API response but typically includes fields such as scientific name, rank, status, and identifiers.

No binary data output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

  • External API: The node makes HTTP GET requests to the Catalogue of Life API endpoint at https://api.checklistbank.org/dataset/3LR.
  • No authentication credentials are required for this operation.
  • Requires internet access from the n8n environment to reach the external API.

Troubleshooting

  • Empty or no results: Ensure that the provided ID is correct and exists in the Catalogue of Life dataset. If using offset and limit, verify they are within valid ranges.
  • API request failures: Network issues or API downtime may cause errors. Check connectivity and retry later.
  • Invalid parameter values: Providing non-numeric values for offset or limit, or invalid IDs, may result in errors or empty responses.
  • Rate limiting: Although not explicitly stated, excessive requests might be throttled by the API; consider adding delays if needed.

Links and References

Discussion