1 Reply by hannah

  • hannah
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  • Registered: 22-07-2008
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Re: Lack of Blanketweed in the species dictionary

I have recently come across several records for blanketweed. I was wondering has anyone had any similar problems with entering blanketweed into the database and thinks they could help me solve my problem? I would be very grateful to any help anyone could give me.

I now have records for blanketweed in the Cheshire area that I cannot do anything with, as it is not in the species dictionary.

In my opinion I think this is one species that needs adding to the dictionary, otherwise there will never be any records of this algae and I will end up with lots of files of algae records and nothing to do with them.

Thanks

Hannah

Hannah
RECORD IT Assistant

hannah's Website

2 Reply by CharlesHussey

  • CharlesHussey
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  • From: The Natural History Museum
  • Registered: 11-05-2007
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Re: Lack of Blanketweed in the species dictionary

Dear Hannah,

I take it that the problem is that you have no accurate scientific determination for these records and that you would like a 'catch-all' term to cover filamentous green algae? Since the 'Coded List of Freshwater Algae of the British Isles' is included in the Dictionary (and Recorder), all the scientific names should already be available. My understanding is that the term 'Blanketweed' is applied to a number of different genera of algae.

Best wishes,

Charles Hussey

NBN Species Dictionary Project Manager (Retired!) smile

3 Reply by stevemcbill

  • stevemcbill
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  • From: Runcorn, Cheshire
  • Registered: 21-11-2006
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Re: Lack of Blanketweed in the species dictionary

Hannah

'Blanketweed/Blanket-Weed' is unfortunately not a specific species but is a 'catch-all' term covering a number of different species of filamentous algae.

Sadly very few people in the Cheshire/North West area seem interested or are experienced enough to tackle this broad grouping. Probably the only person we have (in freshwater species terms) is Roy Merritt from Lancashire. Roy's contact details are in the office somewhere (probably on the computer you use as that used to be mine before I left rECOrd.

As you know from some of the e-mail discussion which has recently been on-going in the County we have a number of people keen on promoting recording at Genus and at Family level, and also at the level of Vernacular Groupings of species (e.g. Fish, Amphibian, Caseless Caddis, Cased Caddis, etc., etc.). At some point in the not too distant future we shall have to take these ideas to the NBN (and beyond?) as to implement such within Recorder will mean that the NBN Species dictionary(ies) will need to be expanded to provide such entries as it will be necessary to maintain standardisation of records across the various LRCs and other users of Recorder.

Perhaps Charles Hussey or others from the NBN and other LRCs would like to chime in here with comments, thoughts, suggestions and ideas !?

Cheers

Steve  :)

Steve J. McWilliam
www.rECOrd-LRC.co.uk
www.stevemcwilliam.co.uk/guitar/

stevemcbill's Website

4 Reply by hannah

  • hannah
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  • Registered: 22-07-2008
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Re: Lack of Blanketweed in the species dictionary

Thank you for your responses. As a novice I was not aware that blanketweed was a "catch all" term, thanks for clearing that up for me.

I now have records for blanket weed and nothing to do with them. But hopefully in the future we will have resolved this issue and LRC's will accept records at genus and family level.

Thanks

Hannah

Hannah
RECORD IT Assistant

hannah's Website

5 Reply by Darwyn Sumner (LERC) (edited by Darwyn Sumner (LERC) 23-07-2008 16:02:04)

  • Darwyn Sumner (LERC)
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  • Registered: 07-06-2006
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Re: Lack of Blanketweed in the species dictionary

I'll confess total ignorance on algae but the usual trick, surely, is to reverse up the taxonomic "tree" until you've safely covered all the possible taxa.
Thus for my group I can record to the level of Order as Indet. Fly (Diptera)
I see you are dealing with 17 Phyla - if you cannot home in on one of these can they not be all grouped together under a higher grouping so that at least some form of records could be made and they could be returned to when better determinations were made.
P.S. before anyone suggests it - no I don't have Indet. Flys in my databases, once they've been swatted they are unidentifiable :)