Wikipedia:WikiProject Gastropods/Automatic taxobox

Given the complicated nature of the new {{Automatic taxobox}}, this (incomplete) list is aimed at assisting Gastropod project editors in utilizing the new template for all possible cases encountered in the article space. The automatic taxobox uses back-end templates (e.g. {{Taxonomy/Gastropoda}}) that all use the form Template:Taxonomy/taxon. The back-end templates are connected in a hierarchy so that future changes to classifications will be easy to manipulate by editing a few templates rather than hundreds or thousands of individual taxoboxes.

General advice edit

Most instances of the automatic taxobox will be straightforward. To convert to an automatic taxobox, change the title of the template from {{Taxobox to {{Automatic taxobox (with the lowercase "t" in taxobox) if the taxon is genus or higher and {{Speciesbox if the taxon is a species. Every parameter found in the old taxobox is available in the automatic taxobox. Remove all classification from regnum (or domain) down to the article's taxon and let the automatic taxobox know which taxon the template is supposed to be about by writing, e.g. |taxon = Lobatus gallus. This is not strictly necessary when taxa are titled at their taxon name, but if the page were ever to be moved, the automatic taxobox would look broken without the taxon = parameter. Additionally remove the name parameter and replace the authority parameters to |authority =. The |binomial_authority= will need to be replaced with |authority= on species articles, and |genus_authority= will need to be replaced to |authority= on genus articles. The {{Italic title}} can be removed from the page since the automatic taxobox takes care of the formatting.

For example: Lobatus gallus. New automatic taxobox on right, template setup on left:

WikiProject Gastropods/Automatic taxobox
 
A shell of the rooster conch, Lobatus gallus.
Scientific classification  
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Strombidae
Genus: Lobatus
Species:
L. gallus
Binomial name
Lobatus gallus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
  • Strombus gallus Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym)
  • Aliger gallus (Linnaeus, 1758)
{{Speciesbox
| image = Strombus_gallus2.jpg
| image_caption =  A [[gastropod shell|shell]] of the rooster conch, ''Lobatus gallus''.
| taxon = Lobatus gallus
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
| synonyms_ref =  
| synonyms = 
* ''Strombus gallus'' Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym)
* ''Aliger gallus'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
}}

Sometimes when you add a Speciesbox, the back-end template for the genus will need to be generated. The Speciesbox will have a message that reads, "Unrecognized taxon (fix):" The fix link will lead you to a pre-filled back-end template with instructions on how to complete it (link); Or you can generate the template manually by going to Template:Taxonomy/Example taxon. In this example, you would head to the yet-to-be-created Template:Taxonomy/Lobatus.

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}|{{{1}}}
|rank=genus
|link=Lobatus
|parent=Strombidae
|extinct=
|refs=<!--Shown on this page only; don't include <ref> tags -->
}}

Here you identify the following:

  • rank of the taxon (species, in this case; don't forget to latinize the ranks, e.g. sectio)
  • link to be displayed on daughter taxa (if any), especially useful for species that would need to be abbreviated like the above or to link directly to articles at a common name (e.g. |link=Common oak|Q. robur) or titles that are disambiguated (e.g. |link=Bithynia (gastropod)|Bithynia)
  • parent: the direct, immediate parent taxon of the article's taxon. In this case, it's the family, Strombidae. The title of the parent link is identifying the parent Template:Taxonomy/ template it should link to and so the name should be exactly what comes after Template:Taxonomy/. In this case, the name is the same for the parent article and the parent template: Strombidae and Template:Taxonomy/Strombidae.

Specific examples edit

A normal genus article edit

See Lobatus.

Lobatus
 
Apertural and abapertural views of three distinct shells of Lobatus gallus
Scientific classification  
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Strombidae
Genus: Lobatus
Swainson, 1837
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Strombus gallus 15a.jpg
| image_caption =  Apertural and abapertural views of three distinct shells of ''[[Lobatus gallus]]''
| taxon = Lobatus
| authority = Swainson, 1837
}}

Here we use |authority = for the genus authority. The template knows the rank of the template since this information is supplied at Template:Taxonomy/Lobatus and places the authority in the proper place.

Monotypic genus edit

See Melarhaphe neritoides.

WikiProject Gastropods/Automatic taxobox
Scientific classification  
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Littorinidae
Genus: Melarhaphe
Menke, 1828
Species:
M. neritoides
Binomial name
Melarhaphe neritoides
(Linnaeus, 1758)
{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Melarhaphe neritoides
| image = 
| image_caption = 
| parent_authority = Menke, 1828 
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
}}

Template:Speciesbox is a variant of Template:Automatic taxobox designed for pages on species and monotypic genera. Note how it automatically generates a binomial name, and a listing "M. neritoides" in the taxonomic list.

It is important to note that at Template:Taxonomy/Melarhaphe, that |link=Melarhaphe neritoides|Melarhaphe be used. This makes the term bold in the taxobox. If we had used |link=Melarhaphe, relying on the redirect, the term would have just been blue-linked. This is problematic when pages are moved. It is also not okay per WP:OVERLINK to have a link redirect to the same page.

Note: The automatic taxobox to the right does not correctly display the bold genus name because the title of this project-space is not "Melarhaphe neritoides", but the article Melarhaphe neritoides does.

Monotypic family edit

See Testacella.

Testacella
 
Shelled Slug, Testacella haliotidea
Scientific classification  
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Informal group: Sigmurethra
Family: Testacellidae
J. E. Gray, 1840
Genus: Testacella
Draparnaud, 1801
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Testacella haliotidea.jpg
| image_caption = [[Shelled Slug]], ''Testacella haliotidea''
| taxon = Testacella
| parent_authority = [[John Edward Gray|J. E. Gray]], 1840
| authority = [[Draparnaud]], 1801
}}

In this case, we use |parent_authority = to identify the authority for the family. It is important to note that at Template:Taxonomy/Testacellidae, that |link=Testacella|Testacellidae be used. This makes the term bold in the taxobox. If we had used |link=Testacellidae, relying on the redirect, the term would have just been blue-linked. This is problematic when pages are moved. It is also not okay per WP:OVERLINK to have a link redirect to the same page.

Note: The automatic taxobox to the right does not correctly display the bold family name because the title of this project-space is not "Testacella", but the article Testacella does.

Disambiguated article edit

See Bithynia (gastropod).

Bithynia
 
Bithynia tentaculata
Scientific classification  
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Bithyniidae
Genus: Bithynia
Leach, 1818
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Bithynia tentaculata.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Bithynia tentaculata]]''
| taxon = Bithynia
| authority = [[Leach]], 1818
}}

And then create Template:Taxonomy/Bithynia with the |link=Bithynia (gastropod)|Bithynia. If another animal taxon has also been named Bithynia, then Template:Taxonomy/Bithynia (gastropod) must be created.

Other notes edit

  • Use the |always_display=true on the Taxonomy template pages to force the display of ranks such as super families. Some ranks are configured to not display by default. See Template:Taxonomy/Rissooidea.

Comments from WP:Paleontology member edit

The use of automatic taxoboxes is by no means a universally accepted practice. In fact WP:Paleontology is the only project that has adopted use of them for all new articles created. Currently the explanatory documentation needs to be reworked to make it more intuitive for users. However, I think use at both the WP:Gastropods and WP:Bivalves could be beneficial as the higher taxonomies of both are, for the most part, in flux at this point. Creation of the taxonomy templates is not very difficult, and conversion of a taxobox to an automatic taxobox is also not complex. A lot of the work involved actually comes from the initial creation of the first few taxon template groups, after those are done, other lower level templates link in fairly quickly. I will be the first to admit that I don't know nearly every in-and-out of the automatic taxoboxes or the speciesboxes, but the users who maintain/work on them are willing to help with problems. I think a lot of what is needed to clarify the documentation is more new eyes there working with us to clarify and streamline it. This page Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Automatic taxobox has a good overview of how to create and covert taxoboxes.--Kevmin § 22:53, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Additional examples edit