The ZSM has made available nearly 100.000 Barcode of Life Database records for the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The specimen data were generated as part of the Lepidoptera Barcode of Life Project and two large scale DNA barcoding projects at the ZSM, viz. Barcoding Fauna Bavarica and German Barcode of Life. The projects are still ongoing and the German initiatives are supported by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, respectively. The Barcoding Fauna Bavarica project has just been extended for another five years until 2018.

Map showing georeferenced data of 99,749 Barcode of Life project specimen records published through GBIF. Provided by Zoologische Staatssammlung München/Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns – International Barcode of Life (iBOL).

The dataset represents a major contribution of high quality records to the GBIF network. The data have been validated and all records are associated with voucher specimens that were reliably identified by specialists and deposited in the ZSM collections. The specimen data can be accessed through the GBIF portal, associated DNA sequences (DNA barcodes) will be made publicly available through the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) in conjunction with data release publications, several of which are currently underway.

Stefan Schmidt