Limitations of the Dictionary

The Dictionary of UK is very much a work in progress. While many groups of organisms, such as higher plants and vertebrates, are well covered, others are not yet adequately represented.

In addition, some checklists require updating to take into account nomenclatural changes and sightings of new species, as well as including whether a species is native or introduced.

We are rapidly working towards making the Dictionary a definitive list of the UK fauna and flora and we would like to thank you for your patience in the meantime.

Points of care

The following care points will help you to make best use of the Dictionary of UK species:

• The Dictionary covers species recorded in the United Kingdom plus the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Some lists covering Northern Ireland also include the Irish Republic. The limit for marine organisms is taken as being the edge of the continental shelf.
• The Dictionary covers animals that are to be found in the wild. This definition includes occasional sightings, and cultivated plants. It excludes animals in captivity and domesticated animals (including aquaculture and animals kept as pets).
• The absence of a taxon from the Dictionary of UK species does not necessarily imply that it is not found in the British Isles as not all groups are yet fully covered.
• Important legislative lists of protected species have been entered in their entirety and, consequently, some include non-UK species (such as gorillas and penguins). The occurrence of a species within the dictionary cannot be taken as an indication that it actually occurs in the UK. Information on species status (eg native, introduced, non-UK) will be added in the future.
• Lists provided by contributors are provided 'as is'. As a consequence of this, the results of a search for a particular taxon may present the same scientific name more than once including spelling errors or abbreviations. The Dictionary includes a 'Nameserver' facility that links all such variants to a single 'preferred' name and thus makes the search results easier to interpret.
• The hierarchical classification is provided as a navigational tool and does not constitute an authoritative guide to current classification, or imply phylogenetic relations.
• The facility to download a complete checklist is dependant on our having permission from the list providers to allow this.
• The Natural History Museum does not warrant the accuracy of the data and have no responsibility for determining the fitness of the data for their intended use by the user. The Museum therefore can take no responsibility for any loss or damage as a result of their use either directly or indirectly.