These metrics describe the current release of the Catalogue of Life. They are computed at release time from the full assembled checklist and refreshed automatically as new releases are issued.

Headline numbers

Composition of Eukaryota

A pie of the major groups within Eukaryota. Click a slice to drill down into that taxon, or use the switch to toggle between one and two rings.

Usages by status

How the … usages in the catalogue break down between accepted, provisionally accepted, synonyms and the rest.

Names by nomenclatural code

Every scientific name in the catalogue is governed by one of the international codes of nomenclature.

Accepted taxa by rank

The twenty-five most populous ranks among accepted taxa, split between taxa that come from the base release and those merged into the eXtended Release.

Vernacular names by language

The twenty languages with the most vernacular names in the catalogue. Total languages covered: ….

Extended release additions

For names that originate in the base release, the eXtended Release supplements them with secondary information drawn from additional sources. The breakdown below shows how many base-release names received each kind of added information.

Changes over time

How the number of accepted families, genera and species — and the total of all names including synonyms — has changed across past COL releases. Figures from 2020 onward come from each ChecklistBank release; earlier points are the historical annual checklists back to 2005, recomputed from the original release databases. Use the switch to compare the Base and eXtended Release timelines, which sit at very different scales (note the logarithmic axis).