PBI: All Catfish Species (SILURIFORMES) -- Phase 1 of an Inventory of the Otophysi

佛罗里达自然历史博物馆的拉里·佩奇博士、费城自然科学院的约翰·伦德伯格博士和马克·萨巴杰博士、加州科学院的卡尔·费拉里斯博士、奥本大学的乔恩·阿姆布鲁斯特博士和康奈尔大学的约翰·弗里尔博士获得了一笔赠款，用于清点和描述鲶鱼的全球多样性。 鲶鱼是一种非常多样的，具有生态意义和商业重要性的鱼类。 目前，该群体包含2，734种公认的物种，或每四种淡水鱼中的一种。 然而，鲶鱼在世界上最不发达的地区种类最多，鲶鱼的实际数量可能在3，600到4，500之间。 一个由来自31个国家的201名参与者组成的团队，其中包括57名学生，他们将在五年内发现和描述所有未描述的鲶鱼物种。 所有鲶鱼物种库的产品将包括一个完整的分类学，包括物种的识别指南和区域清单，更高层次关系的研究和改进的预测分类，从收集不足的地区收集的大量鱼类样本添加到机构收藏，以及一个网站（http：//clade.acnatsci.org/allcatfish），用于向科学家，教育工作者，政策制定者和公众传播信息。该项目还将导致许多下一代鱼类系统学家的教育和专业培训。 在世界许多地方，淡水生态系统退化严重，水生物种是最濒危的物种之一。 同时，鲶鱼具有巨大的经济价值，在世界各地被捕捞用于人类消费，娱乐和宠物贸易。 2000年，全世界淡水和海洋鲶鱼的捕获量超过50万公吨。 养护生物学家和渔业管理人员依靠准确的识别和分布信息来确定保护区的优先次序和制定明智的管理政策。 了解所有物种和更高层次的关系，在一个组作为鲶鱼的多样性和广泛性，将提供前所未有的机会，水生生态系统的管理和保护，并在进化，生态学和保护生物学的研究。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Larry Page, Florida Museum of Natural History, Drs. John Lundberg and Mark Sabaj, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Dr. Carl Ferraris, California Academy of Sciences, Dr. Jon Armbruster, Auburn University, and Dr. John Friel, Cornell University, to inventory and describe the global diversity of catfishes. Catfishes are an extremely diverse, ecologically significant, and commercially important group of fishes. The group presently contains 2,734 recognized species, or one of every four species of freshwater fish. However, catfishes are most diverse in the least-explored parts of the world, and the actual number of catfish species is probably between 3,600 and 4,500. A team of 201 participants from 31 countries, including 57 students, has been assembled to discover and describe all undescribed species of catfishes within a five-year period. Products of the ALL CATFISH SPECIES INVENTORY will include a completed taxonomy with identification guides and regional checklists of species, studies of higher-level relationships and an improved predictive classification, large samples of fishes from poorly collected regions added to institutional collections, and a website (http://clade.acnatsci.org/allcatfish) for the dissemination of information to scientists, educators, policy makers, and the general public. The project also will result in the education and professional training of many of the next generation of fish systematists. Degradation of freshwater ecosystems is severe in many parts of the world, and aquatic species are among the most endangered. At the same time, catfishes have huge economic value and are fished around the world for human consumption, recreation, and the pet trade. Worldwide capture of freshwater and marine catfishes in 2000 exceeded 500,000 metric tons. Conservation biologists and fisheries managers depend on accurate identifications and distributional information for prioritizing areas for protection and for making informed management policies. Knowing all species and higher-level relationships in a group as diverse and widespread as catfishes will offer unprecedented opportunities for aquatic ecosystem management and protection, and research in evolution, ecology and conservation biology.