1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals

Information Sources and Quality

Conservation Information

In the threatened species lists, the superscript number following the category abbreviation keys to the list of sources (Annex 1); note that this indicates the person or group responsible for the category and criteria designated, not usually the source of any other data represented in that entry. When the assessment is attributed to more than one person, names are in alphabetical order.

Where an active SSC Specialist Group exists for a taxon, that group has in general undertaken the status assessment and provided the resulting category and specification of criteria. In some cases these assessments have been the product of group discussion, but often they represent the judgement of individual Specialist Group members. Gaps in Specialist Group coverage of vertebrates have been filled by SSC staff (Jonathan Baillie: most mammals, Mariano Gimenez Dixon: North American “lower” vertebrates) and WCMC Species Unit staff (several groups, including Eurasian fishes). North American assessments were based in most cases on data provided by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The assessment of Australian amphibians was based on data provided by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA). The final assessments of these species to be made by ANCA may differ from those provided here.

The information from TNC was provided as printouts from their databases. TNC has its own Biodiversity Element Ranking System (see Master 1991) which is based on very similar information requirements to those used in assigning the new IUCN Red List categories. As a result, it was possible to apply the IUCN categories, using species-related data supplied by TNC.

All categorizations of bird taxa have been provided by BirdLife International, and reflect the contents of Birds to Watch 2 (Collar et al. 1994). This is the world list of threatened birds, and includes lists of Data Deficient and other species not in the threatened category group. BirdLife International originally employed an earlier version of the revised category system than that finally approved by IUCN Council. Subsequently, “conservation dependent” has been subsumed in the Lower Risk category, and there is an additional qualifier for the A (Declining Populations) criterion; these changes have been made in this present list. A small number of Specialist Groups covering birds have later made further assessments of species using the final version of the new category system, but it was decided in the interests of standardization to maintain the BirdLife International assessments. Some of the later assessments are incorporated in recently published Action Plans.

While nominally all mammal species (i.e. those listed in Wilson and Reeder, 1993, but not all of those subsequently described) have now been assessed, the assessment process has been based on relatively poor or sparse information in the case of many rodents, insectivores, and microbats. The need for better data is most pressing among these groups that are generally small or very small in body size, but very rich in species.

Future editions of the Red List will aim, higher-taxon group by higher-taxon group, to produce complete assessments of all reptiles, amphibians and fishes.

Nomenclature

We have followed standard world checklists whenever possible in order to promote nomenclatural stability. In a very few instances a Specialist Group has used alternative systematic opinion.

The following paragraphs note the main taxonomic sources used. We have adopted the names of phyla used by Margulis and Schwartz (1988), but list them in reverse sequence; classes are listed in alphabetical sequence within phyla (phylum names do not appear in the lists). The world list of amphibians edited by Frost (1985) and revised by Duellman (1993) lists orders, families, genera, and species in nested alphabetical sequence. There is much to commend this practice, particularly where no one system is familiar to all users, and we have treated reptiles and invertebrates in this way.

Mammals

The names and sequence of orders and families, and the species content of families follows Wilson and Reeder (1993). Genera and species are alphabetical within families. Species nomenclature generally also follows this source, except when a Specialist Group has expressed a very strong preference for another system, or has used nomenclature different from Wilson and Reeder and we have been unable to resolve consequent ambiguities about the population content of species and their distribution. Principal departures from Wilson and Reeder, relatively few in number, are found in the primates and bovids.

Birds

Nomenclature for genera and species generally follows Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993). Solely to maintain uniformity with Birds to Watch 2, we use the names and sequence of orders and families, and the species content of families of Morony, Bock, and Farrand (1975).

Reptiles

Turtles and tortoises generally follow Iverson (1992); crocodilians follow King and Burke (1989); tuatara systematics are after Daugherty et al. (1990). Names in common use, including by Specialist Groups or in national sources, have been employed for other groups of reptiles: there is as yet no standard world species checklist for lizards or snakes.

Amphibians

Nomenclature and sequence consistently follow Frost (1985) as updated by Duellman (1993).

Fishes

The names and sequence of orders and families, and the species content of families follows Eschmeyer (1990). Genera and species are alphabetical within families. Names in common use, including by Specialist Groups or in national sources, have been employed at the species level: there is as yet no published standard world species checklist for fishes. We have changed some family names given in contributions from the SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group in order to conform with the taxonomy of Eschmeyer.

Invertebrates

Parker (1982) has generally been followed for nomenclature at class, order, and family level and above. There is a lack of widely accepted class-level checklists for invertebrates and in the absence of such sources no attempt has been made to standardize names submitted for inclusion.

Undescribed Species

We have followed a policy developed by SSC regarding listing of undescribed species. These can be accepted only under the following conditions:

• There is general agreement that the undescribed taxon is in fact a species.

• Clear distribution information can be provided.

• Listing the undescribed species will potentially aid in its conservation.

• Specimen reference numbers are provided by which the species can be traced without confusion.

• The museum or other institution holding the collection and the individual responsible for the proposal can be identified.

• Whenever possible a common name can be added.

Undescribed species are represented in the lists by the generic name and the abbreviation “sp.” Details of specimen numbers and institution are available on request from WCMC.

© 1996 IUCN. Reprinted from the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.