So, You Discovered a New Species?

Against a backdrop of the biodiversity crisis that we are facing currently, the question of how many species inhabit our planet now and how many have been discovered so far needs to be addressed. Most conservative estimates give 10 million for the total number of species and 2 million for those discovered so far. That means nearly 80% of our planet’s biodiversity remains to be discovered and named. Traditional taxonomists rely largely on morphological features to identify and delineate species, but in recent years, molecular methods have gained enthusiastic acceptance by taxonomists worldwide. Molecular taxonomists use genetic divergences in a chosen segment of a mitochondrial DNA for species delineation and generate a molecular barcode unique to each species. The International Barcode Of Life (iBOL) data system (BOLD), holding >10 million barcodes, is an open-access repository serving taxonomists worldwide. Naming new species is a fascinating and exciting component of taxonomy. International nomenclatural guidelines not with standing, discoverers enjoy a certain degree of freedom in naming their discoveries.