Hello Keith
I have added the common names for these 2 Bombus species to the Gateway database so the web service now returns the common names for these 2 Bombus species but not Bombus hypnorum as it does not have a common name in the NHM species dictionary.
Nick: Now for an explanation of the anomaly -
The Gateway and NBN web services use the same species tables derived from the NHM species dictionary. The scientific names for the Bombus species are taken from the "Checklist of British Hymenoptera Auculeata". However this list does not contain common names for the species and so the common names are taken from another list the Recorder 3.3 (1998) list.
In the NHM species dictionary Nameserver table each taxon is flagged as either "well formed" or "ill formed" ie correctly spelt or not etc. Bombus terrestris and Bombus lucorum do not have well formed common names in the Recorder 3.3 list both being ill formed as the T after the hyphen is upper case and not lower case ie it should be Buff-tailed Bumble Bee and not Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee
In the Gateway common names are treated in 2 ways
1 All (both well formed and ill formed names) are treated as a synonymous names of the preferred scientific name. This is why you can search on the ill formed Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee on the Gateway and get a distribution map of Bombus (Bombus) terrestris
2. All preferred scientific names are associated with one "preferred common name". (its these "preferred" common names that appear on the Gateway when using common and not scientific names and are given through the web services). These common names however need to be well formed which is the reason why the 2 Bombus species were not returning common names in the web service as they don't have a well formed common name in the NHM species dictionary.
So the long and short of it is Recorder 3.3 list needs to be updated in the NHM species dictionary to include well formed common names for Bombus (Bombus) terrestris and Bombus (Bombus) lucorum (ie change the upcase T to a lower case t) or alternatively the "Checklist of British Hymenoptera Aculeata" need to be updated to include the currently preferred common names. Common name for Bombus (Pyrobombus) hypnorum also needs to be added making sure it is a well formed name!
However in the meantime I have changed it in the Gateway species table. This is not ideal as when I next update the species dictionary these changes will be lost, so I will need to remember to redo it again!
Hope this helps
Best wishes
Graham French
NBN Technical Liaison Officer