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Welcome to Wikispecies The free species directory that anyone can edit. It covers Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Bacteria, Archaea, Protista and all other forms of life. So far we have 364,196 articles Wikispecies is free, because life is in the public domain!

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Iconaster longimanus	Boletus luridus	Human herpesvirus 4	Laurencia sp.	Stercorarius skua

Explore Wikispecies HELP Section -- Detailed information on creating pages. Taxonomy -- Information on the Linnaean classification of species. Village Pump -- Discuss the project. Done and To Do -- See references to very detailed areas and defined future targets Wikispecies FAQ -- Check replies to common concerns. Image Guidelines -- Our recommendation on where to upload illustrations Wikispecies PR -- Help us by spreading the word of Wikispecies Collaboration with ZooKeys A collaboration between Wikispecies and ZooKeys has been announced. PhytoKeys also joined the collaboration in November 2010. Images of species from ZooKeys and PhytoKeys will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and used in Wikispecies. Distinguished Author José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage   (1823-1907). A Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. His work at the Museum consisted in acquiring, describing and coordinating collections, many of which arrived from the Portuguese colonies in Africa, such as Angola, Mozambique, etc. He published more than 200 taxonomic papers on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs for Portugal. The zoology collection at the Lisbon Museum is called the Bocage Museum in his honor. He was responsible for identifying many new species, which he named according to the naturalist who found them.

Species of the week Australian green tree frog Litoria caerulea Litoria caerulea Some facts on this frog: Length: 7 to 11.5 cm. Color: Depends on the temperature and color of the environment, ranging from brown to green. Distribution: Native to northern and eastern regions of Australia and to southern New Guinea. Introduced to the United States and to New Zealand. Diet: Mainly insects such as moths, locusts, and roaches. Lifespan: About 16 years. First described: By the English surgeon and botanical collector John White in 1790. How about replacing your dog for Litoria caerulea? This frog's docile nature, cartoon-like appearance and long life expectancy make it an attractive choice for exotic-pet owners. The male calls can be heard year round from high tree canopy. When threatened, the Australian green tree frogs emit an ear-piercing distress call. During the dry season they cover themselves in a cocoon of sloughed epidermis and mucus and burrow to keep moist. When the rainy summer season comes they feast for a few days before starting to breed. The breeding often takes place in very moist places, such as drainage systems, water tanks, or grassy semi-permanent water systems. The female ejects her eggs with such a force that they pass through the male's deposited sperm cloud, stopping up to half a meter away. A clutch contains from 150 to 300 eggs. Once fertilized, the eggs sink to the bottom substrate and about 28 to 36 hours later hatching begins. Metamorphosis occurs in two to three weeks given good conditions. Litoria caerulea shares the Litoria genus with dozens of other frog species endemic to Australasia. One of the common names of the species, "White's tree frog", is in honor of John White's first description in 1790. It was the first Australian frog to be scientifically classified.

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