species distribution data

OMEGA contains metadata for component regional databases of non-marine ostracod ecology and distribution. It includes full taxonomic names and geographical coordinates for each record treating these as both data and metadata, as well as metadata relating to geographical, environmental and climatic attributes.

Biota

Ostracoda; non-marine; zoobenthos; North America; Europe

Excel

all Windows systems

English

internal

no

Freshwater Biodiversity Data Portal

update planned

multiple

The dataset needs to be requested from dataset creator with specific conditions of use.

The NODE (Nonmarine Ostracod Distribution in Europe) database is a contributor to OMEGA. Contact David J. Horne regarding both NODE and OMEGA.

The dataset needs to be requested from dataset creator with specific conditions of use.

NANODe (North American Non-marine Ostracode Database) is a contributor to OMEGA. Contact Alison J. Smith regarding NANODe; maps and other data can be viewed online at: http://www.personal.kent.edu/~alisonjs/nanode/

The dataset needs to be requested from dataset creator with specific conditions of use.

DOAD (Delorme Ostracode Autecological Database), originally collected and compiled by Denis Delorme, is a contributor to OMEGA. Contact Jean-Marc Gagnon regarding DOAD.

Ostracod Metadatabase of Environmental and Geographical Attributes. Freshwater Metadata Journal 0: 0-0

OMEGA was first established in 2011 by David J. Horne, B. Brandon Curry, L. Denis Delorme, Koen Martens, Alison J. Smith and Robin J. Smith, all of whom remain associated with the project although David J. Horne is here listed as the "owner" and contact person (Horne et al., 2011a). The OMEGA dataset available through the BioFresh Portal is restricted to occurrence data; a full version of OMEGA including searchable metadata about the contributing databases can be obtained from David J. Horne. There are 3 contributing databases so far:

NODE (Nonmarine Ostracod Distribution in Europe), owner David J.Horne, Queen Mary University of London, UK;

NANODe (North American Non-marine Ostracode Database), owner Alison J. Smith, Kent State University, Ohio, USA;

DOAD (Delorme Ostracode Autecological Database), owner the Canadian Museum of Nature, Gatineau, Canada.

Approximately 2000 species and 200 genera of living non-marine Ostracoda are known world-wide (Martens et al., 2008; Smith et al., 2015). Compiling metadata from different regional databases requires not only the checking and validation of the geographical coordinates of localities, but also taxonomic harmonisation because (a) different scientific names may have been used for the same species in different databases, and (b) some species may have been misidentified in some databases (Horne et al., 2011b). The OMEGA dataset currently uploaded is a partial one comprising only records for which geographical coordinates have been validated; updates will follow after further validation work. A summary of taxonomic harmonisation issues and progress can be obtained on request from David J. Horne.

Data users are advised to contact D.J. Horne prior to using the data.
Those wishing to access and use a wider range of data from contributing databases must contact the appropriate database owners.

References
Horne, D.J., Curry, B.B., Delorme, L.D., Martens, K., Smith, A.J. & Smith, R.J. 2011a. OMEGA: the Ostracod Metadatabase of Environmental and Geographical Attributes. Joannea Geologie und Paläontologie, 11, 80-84.
Horne, D. J., Jocque, M., Brendonck, L. & Martens, K. 2011b. On Potamocypris compressa (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from temporary rock pools in Utah, USA, with notes on the taxonomic harmonisation of North American and European ostracod faunas. Zootaxa, 2793, 35-46.
Martens, K., Schön, I., Meisch, C. & Horne, D. J. 2008. Global diversity of ostracods (Ostracoda, Crustacea) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595, 185-193.
Smith, A.J., Horne, D.J., Martens, K. & Schön, I. 2015. Class Ostracoda. In: Thorp, J. & Rogers, D.C. (Eds), Ecology and General Biology, 757-780. Thorp and Covich’s Freshwater Invertebrates, Fourth Edition, Volume I, Academic Press.

Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Somaliland

North America: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Clipperton Island, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Navassa Island, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, United States Virgin Islands

South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cyprus, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian territories, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Abkhazia, Taiwan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Cyprus, South Ossetia

Europe: Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Kosovo, Pridnestrovie (Transnistria)

Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Group A: tropical/megathermal climates

Group B: dry (arid and semiarid) climates

Group C: temperate/mesothermal climates

Group D: continental/microthermal climate

Albertine Highlands, Amatolo - Winterberg Highlands, Ashanti, Bangweulu - Mweru, Bight Drainages, Cape Fold, Coastal East Africa, Comoros - Mayotte, Cuanza, Cuvette Centrale, Drakensberg - Maloti Highlands, Dry Sahel, Eastern Zimbabwe Highlands, Eburneo, Ethiopian Highlands, Etosha, Fouta - Djalon, Horn of Africa, Inner Niger Delta, Kafue, Kalahari, Karoo, Karstveld Sink Holes, Kasai, Lake Chad, Lake Malawi, Lake Rukwa, Lake Tana, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, Lake Victoria Basin, Lower Congo, Lower Congo Rapids, Lower Niger - Benue, Lower Nile, Lower Zambezi, Madagascar Eastern Highlands, Madagascar Eastern Lowlands, Mai Ndombe, Malagarasi - Moyowosi, Malebo Pool, Mascarenes, Mediterranean Northwest Africa, Middle Zambezi - Luangwa, Mount Nimba, Mulanje, Namib, Niger Delta, Nile Delta, Northern Eastern Rift, Northern Gulf of Guinea Drainages, Northern Upper Guinea, Northwestern Madagascar, Ogooue - Nyanga - Kouilou - Niari, Okavango, Pangani, S. Tome & Principe - Annobon, Sahara, Sangha, Senegal - Gambia, Seychelles, Shebelle - Juba, Southern Eastern Rift, Southern Gulf of Guinea Drainages - Bioko, Southern Kalahari, Southern Madagascar, Southern Temperate Highveld, Southern Upper Guinea, Sudanic Congo - Oubangi, Tana, Athi & Coastal Drainages, Tumba, Uele, Upper Congo, Upper Congo Rapids, Upper Lualaba, Upper Niger, Upper Nile, Upper Zambezi Floodplains, Volta, Western Equatorial Crater Lakes, Western Madagascar, Western Orange, Western Red Sea Drainages, Zambezian Headwaters, Zambezian Highveld, Zambezian Lowveld

Alaska & Canada Pacific Coastal, Alaskan Coastal, Ameca - Manantlan, Apalachicola, Appalachian Piedmont, Bahama Archipelago, Bermuda, Bonneville, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Canadian Atlantic Islands, Central Arctic Coastal, Central Prairie, Chagres, Chesapeake Bay, Chiapas - Fonseca, Chiriqui, Coatzacoalcos, Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Colorado, Columbia Glaciated, Columbia Unglaciated, Cuatro Cienegas, Cuba - Cayman Islands, Cumberland, Death Valley, East Texas Gulf, Eastern Hudson Bay - Ungava, English - Winnipeg Lakes, Estero Real - Tempisque, Florida Peninsula, Gila, Grijalva - Usumacinta, Gulf of St.Lawrence Coastal Drainages, Guzman - Samalayuca, Hispaniola, Isthmus Caribbean, Jamaica, Lahontan, Laurentian Great Lakes, Lerma - Chapala, Llanos El Salado, Lower Mackenzie, Lower Mississippi, Lower Rio Grande - Bravo, Mayran - Viesca, Middle Missouri, Middle Saskatchewan, Mobile Bay, Mosquitia, Northeast US & Southeast Canada Atlantic Drainages, Oregon & Northern California Coastal, Oregon Lakes, Ouachita Highlands, Ozark Highlands, Panuco, Papaloapan, Pecos, Puerto Rico - Virgin Islands, Quintana Roo - Motagua, Rio Balsas, Rio Conchos, Rio Salado, Rio San Juan (Mexico), Rio Santiago, Rio Tuira, Sabine - Galveston, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Juan (Nicaragua/Costa Rica), Santa Maria, Scotia - Fundy, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, Southern California Coastal - Baja California, Southern Hudson Bay, St.Lawrence, Teays - Old Ohio, Tennessee, Upper Mackenzie, Upper Mississippi, Upper Missouri, Upper Rio Grande - Bravo, Upper Saskatchewan, Upper Snake, Upper Usumacinta, Upper Yukon, US Southern Plains, Vegas - Virgin, West Florida Gulf, West Texas Gulf, Western Hudson Bay, Windward & Leeward Islands, Yucatan

Amazonas Estuary & Coastal Drainages, Amazonas Guiana Shield, Amazonas High Andes, Amazonas Lowlands, Atacama, Bonaerensean Drainages, Central Andean Pacific Slopes, Chaco, Cuyan - Desaguadero, Essequibo, Fluminense, Galapagos Islands, Guapore - Itenez, Guianas, Iguassu, Juan Fernandez Island, Laguna dos Patos, Lower Parana, Lower Uruguay, Madeira Brazilian Shield, Magdalena - Sinu, Mamore - Madre de Dios Piedmont, Mar Chiquita - Salinas Grandes, Maracaibo, North Andean Pacific Slopes - Rio Atrato, Northeastern Caatinga & Coastal Drainages, Northeastern Mata Atlantica, Orinoco Delta & Coastal Drainages, Orinoco Guiana Shield, Orinoco High Andes, Orinoco Llanos, Orinoco Piedmont, Paraguay, Paraiba do Sul, Parnaiba, Patagonia, Ribeira de Iguape, Rio Negro, S. Francisco, South America Caribbean Drainages - Trinidad, South Andean Pacific Slopes, Southeastern Mata Atlantica, Tapajos - Juruena, Titicaca, Tocantins - Araguaia, Tramandai - Mampituba, Ucayali - Urubamba Piedmont, Upper Parana, Upper Uruguay, Valdivian Lakes, Western Amazon Piedmont, Xingu

Aceh, Anadyr, Andaman Islands, Aral Sea Drainages, Argun, Balkash - Alakul, Baluchistan, Biwa Ko, Borneo Highlands, Central & Eastern Java, Chao Phraya, Chin Hills - Arakan Coast, Chuya, Coastal Amur, Coastal Fujian - Zeijang, Dzungaria, East Chukotka, Eastern Borneo, Eastern Gulf of Thailand Drainages, Eastern Taiwan, Eastern Yellow Sea Drainages, Er Hai, Ganges Delta & Plain, Ganges Himalayan Foothills, Hainan, Hamgyong - Sanmaek, Helmand - Sistan, Honshu - Shikoku - Kyushu, Huang He Great Bend, Indian Ocean Slope of Sumatra & Java, Indus Himalayan Foothills, Inle Lake, Inner Mongolia Endorheic Basins, Irgyz -Turgai, Kamchatka & Northern Kurils, Kapuas, Khorat Plateau (Mekong), Kolyma, Koryakia, Kratie - Stung Treng (Mekong), Lake Baikal, Lake Issyk Kul - Upper Chu, Lake Lanao, Lake Poso, Lena, Lesser Sunda Islands, Liao He, Lower & Middle Indus, Lower & Middle Salween, Lower & Middle Syr Darya, Lower Amur, Lower Huang He, Lower Lancang (Mekong), Lower Yangtze, Mae Khlong, Malay Peninsula Eastern Slope, Malili Lakes, Malukku, Mekong Delta, Middle Amu Darya, Middle Amur, Middle Brahmaputra, Middle Yangtze, Mindanao, Namuda - Tapi, Nicobar Islands, Northeastern Borneo, Northern Annam, Northern Central Asian Highlands, Northern Central Sumatra - Western Malaysia, Northern Deccan Plateau, Northern Philippine Islands, Northwestern Borneo, Ob, Okhotsk Coast, Palawan - Busuanga - Mindoro, Qaidan, Sakhalin, Hokkaido, & Sikhote - Alin Coast, Shilka (Amur), Sitang - Irawaddy, Song Hong, Songhua Jiang, Southeastern Borneo, Southeastern Ghats, Southeastern Korean Peninsula, Southern Annam, Southern Central Sumatra, Southern Deccan Plateau, Southern Sumatra - Western Java, Sri Lanka Dry Zone, Sri Lanka Wet Zone, Sulawesi, Taimyr, Tarim, Tibetan Plateau Endorheic Drainages, Upper Amu Darya, Upper Brahmaputra, Upper Huang He, Upper Huang He Corridor, Upper Indus, Upper Irtysh, Upper Lancang (Mekong), Upper Salween, Upper Yangtze, Western Ghats, Western Mongolia, Western Taiwan, Xi Yiang, Yaghistan, Yenisei, Yunnan Lakes

Aegean Drainages, Arabian Interior, Atlantic Northwest Africa, Barents Sea Drainages, Cantabric Coast - Languedoc, Caspian Highlands, Caspian Marine, Central & Western Europe, Central Anatolia, Coastal Levant, Crimea Peninsula, Dalmatia, Dnieper - South Bug, Dniester - Lower Danube, Don, Eastern Iberia, Esfahan, Gulf of Venice Drainages, Iceland - Jan Mayen, Ionian Drainages, Italian Peninsula & Islands, Jordan River, Kavir & Lut Deserts, Kuban, Kura - South Caspian Drainages, Lake Onega - Lake Ladoga, Lake Van, Lower Tigris & Euphrates, Namak, Northern Anatolia, Northern Baltic Drainages, Northern British Isles, Northern Hormuz Drainages, Norwegian Sea Drainages, Oman Mountains, Orontes, Orumiyeh, Sinai, Southeastern Adriatic Drainages, Southern Anatolia, Southern Baltic Lowlands, Southern Iberia, Southwestern Arabian Coast, Thrace, Turan Plain, Upper Danube, Upper Tigris & Euphrates, Vardar, Volga - Ural, Volga Delta - Northern Caspian Drainages, Western Anatolia, Western Caspian Drainages, Western Iberia, Western Transcaucasia

Eastern Coastal Australia, Southwestern Australia

Iberic-Macaronesian Region (ER1), Pyrenees (ER2), Italy, Corsica and Malta (ER3), Alps (ER4), Dinaric Western Balkan (ER5), Hellenic Western Balkan (ER6), Eastern Balkan (ER7), Western Highlands (ER8), Central Highlands (ER9), The Carpathians (ER10), Hungarian Lowlands (ER11), Pontic Province (ER12), Western Plains (ER13), Central Plains (ER14), Baltic Province (ER15), Eastern Plains (ER16), Ireland and Northern Ireland (ER17), Great Britain (ER18), Iceland (ER19), Borealic Uplands (ER20), Tundra (ER21), Fenno-Scandian Shield (ER22), Taiga (ER23), The Caucasus (ER24), Caspic Depression (ER25), North Africa (ERX), Middle East (ERY)

rivers, lakes/ponds, wetlands, groundwater, general freshwater, coastal areas

2000

 

species distribution

yes

Coordinates of all included records have been checked with the aid of Google Earth, followed by correction and/or validation wherever possible. The results of the checking procedure are recorded in OMEGA by designating each record according to one of three criteria:

Green: accurate
Amber: acceptable as accurate within limitations of available data
Red: uncertain and needs further checking

A report on the procedure, including discussions of limitations and spatial resolution issues, will be made available as a pdf.

Taxonomic harmonisation between the three component databases has been carried out and a report, including indications where further revision may be necessary, is available as a pdf.

The full OMEGA database includes searchable fields giving indications of the validation status of the taxonomic names used and of the coordinates of records, as well as whether various types of environmental data are available in the database of origin. A copy of the full OMEGA dataset can be supplied, on request, by the provider (D.J.Horne).Likewise, GIS layers (shape files) of distribution data can easily be provided on request, as can kmz files for use in Google Earth.