field	term	definition
voucher_type	Museum Vouchered:<type series>	The specimen is deposited in a museum or other registered collection and is also designated as part of a nomenclatural type series. Replace <type series> with the appropriate type designation using the GBIF type status vocabulary:https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/type_status.xml
voucher_type	Vouchered:Registered Collection	The specimen is physically deposited and registered in an institutional collection, such as a museum or herbarium, where it is permanently curated and accessible for future reference.
voucher_type	To Be Vouchered:Holdup/Private	The specimen exists but has not yet been deposited in a registered collection. It is currently held privately or by the collector and is intended for future vouchering.
voucher_type	E-Vouchered:DNA/Tissue+Photo	The specimen is not held in a physical collection but is represented digitally through a combination of preserved DNA or tissue material and an accompanying photograph, serving as an electronic voucher.
voucher_type	DNA/Tissue Vouchered Only	Only DNA or tissue material from the specimen has been preserved and vouchered. No physical specimen or photographic record is available.
voucher_type	No Specimen	No physical specimen, tissue, or photographic record exists. The record is based solely on sequence data, with no associated voucher material available.
sex	M	The specimen has been identified as Male, possessing reproductive organs or characteristics that produce male gametes.
sex	F	The specimen has been identified as Female, possessing reproductive organs or characteristics that produce female gametes.
sex	H	The specimen is identified as Hermaphrodite, possessing both male and female reproductive organs or reproductive characteristics, either simultaneously or at different stages of its life cycle.
sex	U	The specimen's sex cannot be determined based on the available information or observable characteristics.
reproduction	S	Sexual - The organism reproduces through the fusion of male and female gametes, involving genetic contribution from two parent individuals.
reproduction	A	Asexual - The organism reproduces without the fusion of gametes, producing offspring genetically identical or nearly identical to the parent through processes such as budding, fission, or parthenogenesis.
reproduction	C	Cyclic Parthenogen - The organism alternates between sexual and asexual reproduction across generations, typically in response to environmental conditions such as seasonal changes. During asexual phases, offspring develop from unfertilized eggs, while sexual reproduction occurs periodically to introduce genetic variation.
life_stage	Adult	The specimen has reached full sexual maturity and represents the final stage of development. Alternatively, adults are capable of reproduction and exhibit the complete morphological characteristics of the species.
life_stage	Immature	The specimen has not yet reached sexual maturity. This term is used broadly to describe any pre-adult life stage where full morphological development is incomplete.
life_stage	Juvenile	The specimen is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour.
life_stage	Pupa	The specimen is in the pupal stage, an intermediate non-feeding and generally immobile phase between the larval and adult stages, occurring in insects that undergo complete metamorphosis.
sampling_protocol	Berlese funnel	Uses a Berlese funnel to extract small invertebrates from soil or leaf litter by driving them into a collection container with light and heat.
sampling_protocol	Bottle trap	Involves baiting a bottle with attractants and placing it in the environment to capture insects, targeting flying or ground-dwelling arthropods attracted to various baits like fruit or decomposing material.
sampling_protocol	Dip net	Uses a fine-mesh net to sample aquatic organisms by dipping it into water bodies, capturing small fish, invertebrates, and other organisms near the water surface or in vegetation.
sampling_protocol	Emergence trap	Covers a section of habitat to trap emerging insects as they develop from juvenile stages to adults.
sampling_protocol	Emergence trap + Berlese funnel	Combines emergence traps with Berlese funnels to capture both emerging insects and soil organisms, allowing for comprehensive sampling of surface and subterranean life stages.
sampling_protocol	Intercept trap	Captures flying insects by blocking their flight paths with a vertical barrier, directing them into a collection container.
sampling_protocol	Malaise trap	A tent-like structure that intercepts and captures flying insects by guiding them upward into a collection bottle, commonly used for flying insects like hymenopterans and dipterans.
sampling_protocol	Mercury vapour trap	Uses a mercury vapour light to attract nocturnal insects to a collection area or surface.
sampling_protocol	Mustard extraction	Uses a mustard solution to soil to irritate and extract earthworms and other soil invertebrates, driving them to the surface for collection.
sampling_protocol	Pan trap	A passive trap using colored pans filled with water or detergent to attract and capture flying insects. The color lures specific insect groups, especially bees and wasps.
sampling_protocol	Pitfall trap	Consists of a container buried in the ground, capturing ground-dwelling arthropods like beetles and spiders as they fall in.
sampling_protocol	Plankton tow	Involves towing a fine-mesh net through water to collect planktonic organisms, targeting phytoplankton, zooplankton, and small invertebrates.
sampling_protocol	Sweep net	Uses a net to sweep through vegetation to capture insects and spiders, sampling terrestrial arthropods in tall grasses, shrubs, and other vegetation.
sampling_protocol	UV bucket	Uses a UV light to attract night-flying insects to a collection bucket, targeting insects sensitive to UV light.
sampling_protocol	UV light sheet	A setup with a UV light and white sheet to attract and capture nocturnal insects.
sampling_protocol	UV light trap	Uses a UV light to draw insects into a collection device, effective for sampling flying insects such as moths and beetles.
sampling_protocol	Water bucket trap	A passive method where a bucket filled with water captures small animals that fall in, useful for capturing a variety of ground-dwelling organisms.
sampling_protocol	Beating net	Involves hitting vegetation with a stick to dislodge insects onto a net or cloth, effective for collecting arthropods hiding in branches, leaves, and bark.
sampling_protocol	Fogging	Disperses insecticide fog into the canopy to sample insects and arthropods that fall onto collection sheets, widely used to capture canopy insects.
sampling_protocol	Light trap	Uses light to attract nocturnal insects, appealing to certain insect groups.
sampling_protocol	Petite Ponar	A sampling device used to collect benthic sediments in aquatic environments, primarily for collecting benthic invertebrates and sediment samples.
sampling_protocol	Sifting	Involves sifting soil, leaf litter, or detritus to collect small arthropods and other invertebrates, often with a fine mesh or sieve.
sampling_protocol	Free hand collection	Opportunistic collecting of specimens by hand, with or without forceps or small containers, often for easily accessible organisms.
sampling_protocol	Schindler-Patalas sampler	A water sampling device used to collect samples from specific depths in lakes, valuable for studying aquatic biodiversity and collecting plankton.
sampling_protocol	SLAM trap (4-headed)	An interception trap with four collection heads, designed to capture flying insects from multiple directions.
sampling_protocol	SLAM trap (single-headed)	A simplified SLAM trap with one collection head, used to intercept flying insects by blocking their flight path.
sampling_protocol	AIS2	An Aquatic Invertebrate Sampler used in freshwater ecosystems to collect aquatic invertebrates.
sampling_protocol	Black light trap	Uses black light (UV) to attract and capture nocturnal insects, effective for moths and other UV-sensitive species.
sampling_protocol	CO2 trap	Uses carbon dioxide to attract mosquitoes and other insects drawn to CO2, often combined with a fan or light to increase capture rates.
sampling_protocol	Electroshock	Uses electric currents in aquatic habitats to temporarily stun fish and other aquatic organisms for collection.
sampling_protocol	Larval collection	Specifically targets larval stages of insects, often using methods like leaf sampling or soil extraction.
sampling_protocol	Sherman LF	A live trap designed for capturing small mammals, known for its humane trapping mechanism, allowing for live release.
sampling_protocol	Sherman XLK	An extended-size Sherman trap, used for capturing larger small mammals.
sampling_protocol	Mixed	Combination of collection methods where detailed metadata was not maintained or samples were pooled after collection.
sampling_protocol	Unavailable	Where the sampling protocol is lost or unavailable.
sampling_protocol	Bait trap	Utilizes bait to attract specific organisms, such as carnivorous or herbivorous insects, into a collection container.
sampling_protocol	Beating sheet	A cloth or sheet placed under vegetation, onto which insects are dislodged by beating branches, capturing canopy-dwelling arthropods.
sampling_protocol	Vacuum	Uses suction to collect small invertebrates from vegetation or soil, commonly used for agricultural pest studies and ecological surveys.
sampling_protocol	Vane trap	Intercepts flying insects with vertical panels that direct them into a collection chamber.
sampling_protocol	Pheromone trap	Uses species-specific pheromones to attract target insects, like moths or beetles, into a collection device, ideal for monitoring pest species.
sampling_protocol	Sticky trap	A passive sampling method that uses a sticky surface to capture insects as they land, effective for small, flying insects like aphids, whiteflies, and thrips.
sampling_protocol	Lindgren funnel	A multi-funnel trap designed to intercept and capture flying insects, especially bark beetles and other forest pests, guiding insects down through a series of funnels into a collection container.