World Register of Marine Species

The World Register of Marine Species helps determine which scientific name a marine organism currently carries and how older names relate to it. Taxonomic specialists, rather than general database staff, edit their groups within the Aphia system. Entries can include accepted and unaccepted names, higher classification, literature, distributions, traits and stable identifiers. With more than 250,000 accepted living marine species recorded in 2026, WoRMS and its thematic subregisters provide a strong starting point for corals, molluscs, crustaceans and other reef inhabitants. Matching tools and web services also support larger collection lists.

WoRMS is a nomenclatural and biodiversity infrastructure, not a reef-care guide. An accepted name says nothing by itself about lighting, feeding, aggression, collection ethics or suitability for a home aquarium. Some records are more complete than others, taxonomy continues to change, and redistribution rules differ between text, images and full datasets. Use it to normalize names and trace sources before searching care literature. Keep the online identifier with a livestock record rather than copying a taxonomy once and assuming it will never change.