While uploading 300+ records to iRecord using a spreadsheet I hit the problem of entering Gammarus pulex. I note that the NBN Atlas has pages on G. pulex and G. fossarum but with 135 records for the former and only 1 record for the latter. However, entering G. pulex as an aggregate pulex/fossarum there are 7,754 records.
OK, so maybe I should enter this as G. pulex/fossarum agg., but then should it be G. pulex agg. fossarum? The NBN atlas presents the name in both ways depending on whether you are exploring at the generic level or the specific level.
In order to be able to correctly name this freshwater shrimp the required specific name for entering into iRecords needs to be listed somewhere accessible on the website. Otherwise efforts to upload spreadsheet data will become annoying. This applies to any aggregate or subspecies entries. Also name changes occur not infrequently. Should there not be information to handle this? I do not want to be cross-referencing with the NBN Atlas to check my species names when I am about to upload data. I keep my own database records as up-to-date as possible during my own recording.
I hope you will be able to help me with my above query and possibly take my idea under your wings if you have not already done so.
Paul Hancock
Have also had problems importing records of aggregates and sens. lat./sens. str. species names via the import routine. Anyone got any ideas on how best to handle these for import as they usually get rejected and I have to enter manually? Was going to try importing vioa Taxon Version Keys but the system wouldn't let me upload anything at all later this morning...
Mark