Speciessuch

Speciessuch is a neologism used in some scholarly discussions to denote the systematic process of locating, identifying, and documenting species within biodiversity research. The term does not have a single, universally accepted definition and is not widely standardized; in usage it may refer to an overarching framework that emphasizes deliberate, iterative search efforts that precede formal species descriptions or comprehensive inventories.

Origin and scope: The coinage combines 'species' with a form of 'search' to highlight active exploration of biological diversity, including both described species and candidates for description. In practice, it can refer to components of biodiversity assessment such as field surveys, taxonomic verification, specimen curation, and data synthesis across collections and databases.

Methods: Speciessuch draws on traditional taxonomy (morphological analysis, type specimen work), modern molecular approaches (DNA barcoding, metabarcoding), environmental DNA, imaging techniques, and computational tools for species delimitation, identification, and mapping. Data are integrated into public repositories and reference catalogs, enabling cross-study comparisons and meta-analyses.

Output and applications: The results include species inventories, occurrence records, distribution maps, and biodiversity baselines that inform conservation planning, environmental impact assessments, and ecological research. It also supports taxonomic revisions and the description of new species when evidence supports recognition as distinct.

Challenges: The concept must contend with the taxonomic impediment, cryptic or convergent species, inconsistent terminology, sampling bias, and varying data quality. Interoperability between databases and standardization of metadata remain ongoing concerns for reproducibility.

Related topics include biodiversity informatics, taxonomy, and species discovery.