speciesfrom

Speciesfrom is a term used in biodiversity informatics to denote the source species from which a particular data record originated or was derived. It is not part of formal taxonomic nomenclature, but rather a provenance or origin field used within data schemas to clarify cross-species data flow, including observations, measurements, or genetic information.

In data modeling, speciesfrom serves to document the lineage of a trait or observation when it involves multiple species. For example, a morphometric measurement recorded for a specimen of species A may carry a speciesfrom value indicating that the measurement technique or validation source was derived from an assessment in species B. In hybridization or comparative studies, speciesfrom can also indicate the parental species responsible for the trait being reported. The field helps researchers track how data were generated and how comparable they are across different species.

Standardization of the term is not universal. Different databases may use related fields such as sourceSpecies, derivedFrom, parentalSpecies, or provenance to capture similar information. As a result, careful documentation and consistent usage within a project are important to avoid ambiguity. In practice, speciesfrom is most useful in multidisciplinary datasets where cross-species comparisons are common and data provenance is essential for interpretation.

See also: taxonomy, biodiversity informatics, data provenance.