Species that have a correct name (botany) or valid name (zoology), meaning that their names and at least a brief description have been published in a reliable academic publication, are presumed notable and due for inclusion in Wikipedia, so long as they are not synonyms. However, they do not automatically warrant a standalone article; this guideline defines when sufficient information is available for such an article to be warranted.
Genus articles should not consist of a simple list of species contained within the genus, and should instead provide a basic overview of each species. This overview can, depending on the number of species in the genus, take the form of a list or a table.
List articles edit
List articles should generally be used for smaller genera; genera with more than ten species are generally better suited for a table article, and those with more than twenty species almost always are.
They are more flexible in the content that should be included than the table article, and a species should generally be split off once the coverage of it reaches ten lines of prose, or sooner should such a split be required for readability. The exception is for monotypic genera, which should almost never be split although occasional exceptions may occur.
For example:
Table articles edit
Table articles should be used for larger genera, and when available should contain the following information:
- A depiction of the species
- Species name and taxonomic authority
- Subspecies
- Synonyms
- Conservation status
- Range
When information beyond this is available, this information should generally not be included in the table but should instead be split into a species-specific article.
For the largest genera, where a single table will be of an impractical size, multiple tables should be constructed, either splitting the genus alphabetically or into minor ranks.
Taxonbars edit
For species without a standalone article a taxonbar, or a similar method of including the same information, should always be included in the genera article. For species with a standalone article, a taxonbar should always be included in the standalone article and one may be included in the genera article if the structure of the article warrants it.
Redirects edit
Redirects to the parent taxon should be created for species without a standalone article, when the parent taxon contains information beyond the species name and taxonomic authority. When only this information is available redirects should not be created. These redirects should generally be categorized as they would if they were a standalone article.
Redirects for subspecies and synonyms may be created, when a standalone species article exists or when the parent taxon contains information beyond the species name and taxonomic authority. When a species article exists, these should be pointed at the species article, otherwise they should be pointed at the relevant row or section of the genus article. These redirects should generally not be categorized.