Higher-rank names treated as synonyms in the Catalogue of Life
Source: IUCN Red List 2026-1 vs Catalogue of Life COL26.7 XR (2026-07-17) · 717 rows
The table below lists higher-rank names (genus, family, order, or class) used in the IUCN classification that the Catalogue of Life records only as a synonym, never as an accepted name. The CoL accepted name column shows the name CoL uses instead, and the IUCN taxa column counts the assessed taxa placed under the name.
Why it matters
A genus or family name that CoL treats entirely as a synonym is often an older spelling or a superseded name, and it affects every assessed taxon placed under it.
Suggestion
Check the accepted CoL name. Where it is a corrected spelling or an accepted replacement, one change to the higher-rank name updates the whole group at once.
The Catalogue of Life crosscheck
Every assessed name is checked against the Catalogue of Life; each difference found is listed on exactly one of the pages below. Pages are ordered by how likely a row is to need a change.
| Page | Action | Names | Since 2025-2 | What it lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Names with a close Catalogue of Life match | Fix by hand | 799 | Not in CoL under this name; a near spelling is, in the same genus or with the same epithet. | |
| Names not in the Catalogue of Life, but an IUCN synonym is | Fix by hand | 134 | Not in CoL under this name; one of the taxon's IUCN synonyms is there as a synonym. | |
| Species and subspecies treated as synonyms in the Catalogue of Life | Decide policy | 11,664 | CoL treats the name as a synonym of an accepted name that IUCN does not list. | |
| Higher-rank names treated as synonyms in the Catalogue of Life this page | Fix by hand | 717 | A genus, family, order, or class name that CoL records only as a synonym. | |
| Parent taxon spelled differently in the Catalogue of Life | Fix by hand | 94 | Same parent taxon in both, spelled slightly differently. | |
| Name pairs where IUCN and the Catalogue of Life differ on which name is accepted | No action | 2,742 | Both catalogues hold both names and disagree only on which is accepted. | |
| Higher-rank names placed under a different parent in the Catalogue of Life | No action | 1,663 | CoL places the name under a different order, class, or family. | |
| Appendix | ||||
| Names not in the Catalogue of Life, but a Wikidata or Wikipedia name is | Fix by hand | 23 | Not in CoL under this name or an IUCN synonym; Wikidata or Wikipedia give a name CoL has. | |
| Author names spelled differently | Fix by hand | 9,343 | Same name in both; the author is spelled slightly differently. | |
| Names not in the Catalogue of Life under any known name | No action | 722 | Not in CoL under this name, a near spelling, or any other name known for the taxon. | |
By rank
Every row is in the CSV download.
| Rank | Count |
|---|---|
| class | 1 |
| order | 9 |
| family | 50 |
| genus | 657 |
Preview
| IUCN name | Rank | CoL accepted name | CoL authority | CoL year | CoL entry | Group | IUCN taxa | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UDEONYCHOPHORA | class | Onychophora | Grube, 1850 | 1850 | view | Other invertebrates: Velvet worms | 11 | Catalogue of Life treats this class name as a synonym of Onychophora. |
| SCORPAENIFORMES | order | Scorpaenoidei | view | Fish: Ray-finned fishes | 725 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Scorpaenoidei. | ||
| BRASSICALES | order | Capparales | Juss. ex Bercht. & J.Presl | view | Plants: Dicotyledons | 693 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Capparales. | |
| STEPHANOBERYCIFORMES | order | Stephanoberycoidei | view | Fish: Ray-finned fishes | 94 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Stephanoberycoidei. | ||
| ALCYONACEA | order | Octocorallia | Haeckel, 1866 | 1866 | view | Corals | 48 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Octocorallia. |
| CETOMIMIFORMES | order | Cetomimidae | Goode & Bean, 1895 | 1895 | view | Fish: Ray-finned fishes | 35 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Cetomimidae. |
| GASTEROSTEIFORMES | order | Gasterosteoidei | view | Fish: Ray-finned fishes | 35 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Gasterosteoidei. | ||
| SACCOPHARYNGIFORMES | order | Anguilliformes | view | Fish: Ray-finned fishes | 33 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Anguilliformes. | ||
| LEPIDOSIRENIFORMES | order | Lepidosirenoidei | view | Fish: Lungfishes and coelacanths | 18 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Lepidosirenoidei. | ||
| PENNATULACEA | order | Pennatuloidea | Ehrenberg, 1834 | 1834 | view | Corals | 18 | Catalogue of Life treats this order name as a synonym of Pennatuloidea. |
| LEIOTRICHIDAE | family | Leiothrichidae | Swainson, 1832 | 1832 | view | Birds | 139 | Catalogue of Life treats this family name as a synonym of Leiothrichidae. |
| CICINDELIDAE | family | Carabidae | Latreille, 1802 | 1802 | view | Insects: Beetles | 129 | Catalogue of Life treats this family name as a synonym of Carabidae. |
| HELMINTHOGLYPTIDAE | family | Helminthoglyptinae | Pilsbry, 1939 | 1939 | view | Molluscs: Gastropods | 41 | Catalogue of Life treats this family name as a synonym of Helminthoglyptinae. |
| ZIPHIIDAE | family | Hyperoodontidae | Gray, 1846 | 1846 | view | Mammals | 31 | Catalogue of Life treats this family name as a synonym of Hyperoodontidae. |
| INDOTYPHLIDAE | family | Grandisoniidae | Lescure, Renous & Gasc, 1986 | 1986 | view | Amphibians: Caecilians | 24 | Catalogue of Life treats this family name as a synonym of Grandisoniidae. |
Showing the first 15 of 717 rows. View the full list → Download CSV (717 rows)
Each row has a stable id, kept across releases, for citing a row or tracking it in the next release.