Provisional (sp. nov.) names with a described name in another source
Source: IUCN Red List 2026-1 (CSV export) + Catalogue of Life COL26.7 XR (2026-07-17) + IUCN Red List API synonyms + Wikidata + English Wikipedia · 4 rows
The table below lists taxa assessed under a provisional name (Genus sp. nov. 'epithet', for example Notogomphus sp. nov. 'gorilla') for which the Catalogue of Life, Wikidata, or English Wikipedia now records a described name that IUCN's own synonym list does not. Assessing a species before it is formally described is deliberate and valid, and the provisional name is expected in that case. Each row is a case where a described name may since have been published for the same species.
Every assessed taxon whose name contains sp. nov. or ssp. nov. is collected (168 in 2026-1). Where the quoted tag is one plain lower-case word, joining it to the genus gives a candidate binomial: Notogomphus sp. nov. 'gorilla' gives Notogomphus gorilla. A tag that is a locality, a collector code, or a description ('Bavispe Trout', 'HC - blind', 'B = Bester 11112') gives no candidate. Each candidate is matched against CoL as an exact name, so a described name published under a different genus, or with a different ending, is reachable only through the other two sources. Separately, Wikidata and English Wikipedia are checked by IUCN taxon id for any non-provisional name they record for the taxon.
Two exclusions keep the list conservative. Where IUCN's own synonym list for the taxon (published through the Red List API; the CSV export carries no synonyms) already holds a described name, the described name is already on record and the row is dropped (7 taxa this release). A synonym that is itself provisional does not count, so those taxa stay listed. Where the tag carries cf. or aff., as in Barbus sp. nov. 'cf. gurneyi', the assessor compared the species with gurneyi and left its identity open, so the row is dropped (3 taxa). The remaining 154 taxa have no described name in any source checked. The table under this description gives the breakdown.
A match is a lead. The same binomial can belong to a different species from the one assessed, and only a reader of the published description can confirm that the two names refer to the same taxon. The catalogues checked change between releases, so this page is rebuilt with each one, and a taxon absent now may appear later.
Why it matters
Once a species is described, its provisional name and its binomial are two different strings, and no field on either side points to the other. A search for the described name does not find the assessment, a reader of the assessment has no route to the description, and any database that matches the Red List by name files the taxon as unmatched. Where both years are given, the IUCN year and CoL year columns show the gap between the assessment and the description.
Suggestion
Check each row against the publication in the CoL authority column, where given. Where the described species is the one that was assessed, recording the described name on the assessment, as a synonym now or as the accepted name at the next reassessment, would let the two records join. Where CoL treats the described name as a synonym, the accepted name given in the Detail column is the one to compare. Where it is a different species, no change is needed.
By outcome of the check
Every assessed name containing sp. nov. or ssp. nov. in 2026-1, each taxon counted once.
| Outcome | Taxa |
|---|---|
| Listed: a described name was found | 4 |
| Dropped: IUCN's synonym list already has a described name | 7 |
| Dropped: tag qualified with cf. or aff. | 3 |
| Not listed: no described name found | 59 |
| Not listed: no name to look up in the tag | 95 |
Groups: Plants (2), Insects (1), Fungi (1)
Preview
| IUCN name | Rank | IUCN status | IUCN year | Described name | CoL authority | CoL year | CoL status | CoL entry | Wikidata | Wikipedia | Group | Taxon id | Red List | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notogomphus sp. nov. 'gorilla' | species | DD | 2010 | Notogomphus gorilla | Dijkstra, 2015 | 2015 | accepted | view | Insects: Dragonflies and damselflies | 184257 | view | Notogomphus gorilla Dijkstra, 2015 is an accepted name in the Catalogue of Life, published in 2015, 5 years after the 2010 assessment. | ||
| Heptapleurum sp. nov. 'nanocephalum' | species | VU | 2003 | Heptapleurum nanocephalum | de Kok | accepted | view | Q5464397 | Heptapleurum nanocephalum | Plants: Dicotyledons | 36304 | view | Heptapleurum nanocephalum de Kok is an accepted name in the Catalogue of Life. CoL records no publication year for it, so whether it predates the 2003 assessment is unknown. Wikidata and English Wikipedia also give Heptapleurum nanocephalum as this taxon's name. IUCN lists Schefflera sp. nov. 'nanocephala' as a synonym of this taxon; that name is also provisional, so it does not count as a described name. | |
| Thiollierea sp. nov. 'papineaui' | species | EN | 2020 | Thiollierea papineaui | Barrabè & Fleurot | accepted | view | Plants: Dicotyledons | 158160614 | view | Thiollierea papineaui Barrabè & Fleurot is an accepted name in the Catalogue of Life. CoL records no publication year for it, so whether it predates the 2020 assessment is unknown. | |||
| Trichaptum sp. nov. 'fissile' | species | VU | 2020 | Trichaptum fissile | Kossmann & Drechsler-Santos | accepted | view | Q107054791 | Fungi: Mushrooms | 187106755 | view | Trichaptum fissile Kossmann & Drechsler-Santos is an accepted name in the Catalogue of Life. CoL records no publication year for it, so whether it predates the 2020 assessment is unknown. |
View the full list → Download CSV (4 rows)
Each row has a stable id, kept across releases, for citing a row or tracking it in the next release.
The sharpest case this release is Notogomphus sp. nov. 'gorilla', assessed as Data Deficient in 2010: Notogomphus gorilla Dijkstra, 2015 is an accepted name in the Catalogue of Life. Heptapleurum sp. nov. 'nanocephalum' (Vulnerable, 2003) has a described name in all three sources: Wikidata and English Wikipedia both record it as Heptapleurum nanocephalum.