World Database of Nematodes

In 2024, the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and Edaphobase initiated a collaboration aimed at strengthening the exchange of taxonomic information related to soil biodiversity. Read more about the collaboration here.

A key milestone in this partnership has now been achieved: Edaphobase has fully implemented the World Database of Nematodes (Nemys) as its exclusive taxonomic backbone for Nematoda. Nemys, a globally recognized register hosted within WoRMS, now provides the phylogenetic framework that Edaphobase relies on for all nematode-related taxonomy.

To ensure the taxonomy remains current, the Nemys taxonomic tree will be automatically synchronized with Edaphobase on a monthly basis. When new Nematoda species need to be added, the Nemys editorial team will be notified to review and incorporate the necessary updates.

This integration represents a significant step toward harmonizing taxonomic standards and enhancing data quality across biodiversity databases.


This collaboration contributes to the development of the LifeWatch Species Information Backbone (LW-SpIBB), which also aims to bring together taxonomic and species-related data, thereby filling the gaps in our knowledge and reducing duplication of efforts. The WoRMS Data Management Team (DMT) at VLIZ is supported by LifeWatch Belgium, part of the E-Science European LifeWatch Infrastructure for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research. LifeWatch ERIC is a distributed virtual laboratory, used for different aspects of biodiversity research. The LW-SpIBB aims to bring together taxonomic and species-related data to fill the gaps in our knowledge.

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