1 Reply by Syrphus

  • Syrphus
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  • From: Strathpeffer, Highland
  • Registered: 16-12-2008
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Re: Date inconsistency, NBNG and R6, and possible name confusion

I was chasing up a record of Carabus (Autocarabus) cancellatus today, and downloaded the data for the only dot in the HBRG dataset, that in NC14.  The record was downloaded as (copy & paste)

Scourie    NC147435    4/7/2008    Day     N     Ian Evans    Ian Evans    Drowned in discarded cup of water.    1 Adult Female (Exact)    Field Observation

I then went to look for the record in the Observations hierarchy in R6 under that date, and could not find it.  Running a report wizard for the species returned it in 3/7/2008.

The R6 dataset was uploaded to the Gateway this spring in the standard R6 XML file, and nothing in this record was altered since, so it is odd that the date should be out by one day.  I have run R6 upgrades as they came in, but nothing else.  Checking a few other records did not show this discrepancy.

If you look at the record you will see that it is not cancellatus at all, but granulatus, that error having been introduced in the import to R6.  I will not ascribe blame there, but something seems worth checking in the dictionary as the NBNG link for C. granulatus on  http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/140040 goes to the cancellatus map (an old incorrect synonym problem is probably at the root of that, and seeing it sent me off on this data-chase!).  I have let the iSpot team know as well.

Murdo

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2 Reply by Syrphus

  • Syrphus
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Re: Date inconsistency, NBNG and R6, and possible name confusion

A bit more info on this.  I have found the original file (.txt, not .xml as I said before), and the date was exported from R6 incorrectly.  I.e. the record in the .txt file was given as 4 July while being held in the database as 3 July.

In the light of this, the post is perhaps better in R6 Bugs Forum.

M.

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3 Reply by Graham French

  • Graham French
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Re: Date inconsistency, NBNG and R6, and possible name confusion

Hello Murdo

Looking at the NBN species dictionary my guess is the record has been associated with Carabus granulatus sensu Stephens, 1827 non Linnaeus, 1758 and not Carabus granulatus Linnaeus, 1758. The former taxon is a synonym of Carabus (Autocarabus) cancellatus, hence why it appears as C. cancellatus. The taxonversionkey it should be associated with is NBNSYS0000007134.

The addition of an extra day by Recorder 6 NBN Exchange Format Addin is a known bug which I have raised with JNCC to fix. It affects records in leap years (March onwards). I think the problem arises in the function the addin uses to convert numerical dates to dd/mm/yyyy format (nbn_exchange_date_to_string function)

Best wishes

Graham
NBN Technical Liaison Officer

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4 Reply by Syrphus

  • Syrphus
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Re: Date inconsistency, NBNG and R6, and possible name confusion

Thanks Graham.  That explains the date problem and (probably) the wrong assignment in my database, but why should the link on the iSpot post, assigned to C. granulatus, go to the cancellatus map?  iSpot uses (as I understand it) the NBN/R6 dictionary.  The name 'Carabus granulatus' (iSpot does not show authorities) is obviously interpreted there as the cancellatus synonym.  Maybe they are running an old version of the dictionary, but it suggests something is not right.

M.

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