Help:Species page headings

This page provides an example of a large number of headings that might prove useful for a species page. Most species have a much smaller set of things known about them so few pages will be this expansive in having so many categories of information. A number of the topics/headings given below are already included on the page, including having information that is pulled from other sources.

The first text found on a species page will be the taxobox. This was generated when the species page was made and there is no reason to change any information in these fields. The taxobox text will look like this in the edit window:

This first block of text that can be placed on the page, after the taxabox and before any headings, should be thought of as the introductory biology paragraph. We like to think of this as an interesting biological teaser for the species. You might ask "What is interesting or notable about this ant?" If there is nothing particularly exciting or notable, simply include a paragraph about their basic biology here. Also, if there is only a small amount of biological information known this is the place to put this information.

Identification
Text that explains how to tell this species from other species (this is not the formal taxonomic description). It can be good to include other distinguishing features beyond comparative morphology between species: e.g., there are two worker castes that include soldiers and minor workers, this species only nests in the ground, etc.

This text should not shy away from stating stating identification conundrums - a species may be difficult to key out and a simple blurb of descriptive text may not be enough to explain how to distinguish one species from others. In such cases, use whatever features can be used to narrow things down to the smallest possible group of species and then provide those species names, e.g., the ant is part of a species complex that includes spxxx, spyyy, spzzz.

Range
Antwiki suggests the use of place names as applied by the UN Statistics Division. Bioregions or ecoregions will also be used here despite the fact such regional classification systems can have different boundaries and slightly different sets of names.

- autogenerated - distribution map(s) - -

- autogenerated- KLM file, CSV file download link - -

Habitat
Text can be given here as to where the ant is found - broad or specific details.

- autogenerated - Environments - block of specimen level collection (label) data - -

- autogenerated - Situations - block of specimen level label data - -

Abundance
Is this species: common, locally abundant, rarely collected, only known from types?

Biology
Write a block of text under this single heading or you can parse out more detailed information into logical categories using sub headings. Listed below are suggested sub headings that can be used for organizing different kinds of information.

Regional Notes
Place any regional notes you would like to include for this species under this heading. It is also a good idea to provide a heading that matches the name of the regional project.

EX - Australia
Typically found nesting in open areas with their ground nest entrances covered by a stone.

EX - Montana
Found in the lower elevations of the mountainous west and in riparian areas in the middle of the state.

EX - Blue Hills Nature Reserve
Found in the forest and old field areas of the reserve. The few nests that have been found were all small in size (<100 workers).

Foraging/Diet
diet - predator, ominivore / scavenger, cleptoparasite, exudates, fungivore foraging strategy - solitary, group retrieval, etc. behavioral dominance at food

Colony Attributes
Size at maturity, caste distribution, queen number, colony lifespan, etc.

Nesting Biology
Nest structure, nest location(s), nest number (poly or monodomous), permanent or can move, etc.

Reproduction
Queen mating frequency, queen number in nest, colony founding methods, mating location, dispersal, sex ratio. etc.

Behavior
Territorial, work budget, unusual behaviors of note, etc.

Humans
Invasive species, damage buildings, pest species

Chemistry
Pheromones, glandular products, colony cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, etc.

Genetics
Barcoded?, genetic relatedness estimates, gene identification, etc.

Conservation Status
Rare and potentially threatened?

Morphology
Unusual of noteworthy traits and characteristics.

Original Combination
List the original name and the reference, remove this instructional text and the example, and leave the single sentence note that follows in place:

EXAMPLE: Aphaenogaster (Nystalomyrma) barbigula Wheeler 1916:221

Unless otherwise noted the taxonomic information that follows is from the same publication as the original combination.

Worker
Description for worker.

Measurements: Presumed to be in mm unless otherwise noted. Provide the sample size or specimen used, e.g., "n = 8" or "holotype." Cite a reference as the source if these are from a different source than the original combination reference. The full citation should then be included in the references section. For example:

Measurements:(n = 8) CI 84-92; EI 22-27; EL 0.23-0.27; HL 1.12-1.26; HW 0.97-1.16; ML 1.58-1.84; MTL 0.96-1.08; SI 104-115; SL 1.11-1.25.

or

Measurements (LaPolla et al 2008): (n = 8) CI 84-92; EI 22-27; EL 0.23-0.27; HL 1.12-1.26; HW 0.97-1.16; ML 1.58-1.84; MTL 0.96-1.08; SI 104-115; SL 1.11-1.25.

Queen
Description of queen and any measurements for queens under this heading. If the description and/or measurements come from a different source, this should be noted by indication the author and year of publication. The full citation should then be included in the references section.

Male
Same as stated for queen.

Type Material
Example:


 * Holotype, 3km NE Mt. Webb, 15°03S 145°09E, Queensland (ANIC (Canberra): worker (32-031017)).
 * Paratype, 3km NE Mt. Webb, 15°03S 145°09E, Queensland (ANIC (Canberra): 27 workers (32-001260)).
 * Paratype, 3km NE Mt. Webb, 15°03S 145°09E, Queensland (MCZ (Cambridge): 3 workers).
 * Paratype, 3km NE Mt. Webb, 15°03S 145°09E, Queensland (QM (Brisbane): 3 workers).

or

Holotype and three paratypes, LACM.

or


 * Holotype LACM
 * Paratypes LACM, MCZ, ANIC

Etymology
Why was this species given this name and what does this name represent. First give the basis of the name (Morphology, Geographic, Behavioral, Commemorative, etc.) followed by the actual basis for its derivation. If the later is from a publication indicate this by quotations and if this quoted verbatim definition is not from the original description, cite its source.

Example: Morphology. "Gr., epedanos, weak or feeble, so-called because of the thin, collapsible integument."