MIKROTAX API Client Side Demo

I have created a minimal API for the mikrotax website - the objective is that a request for data on a taxon name will return the key data on it, including data to make stable links and to enable use of image thumbnails from the site.

• The request needs to be sent in the form www.mikrotax.org/system/api?name=taxon&db=main
• Name - can be any taxon name in the mikrotax system. Replace spaces with %20
• Name - can also take a numeric ID e.g. 225
• db - this must be, either cat to retrieve the entry in the catalog of original descriptions, or main for entries in the main database of working taxonomy
• The routine will attempt to match alternate gender endings for species names (e.g minimus and minima, bolli and bollii) and for main database searches try to trace synonyms (e.g. a search for Prediscosphaera lata in the main database will return Prediscosphaera cretacea)
• It should be straightforward to use this api to provide links from the site. To make an html link to a page on mikrotax there are two options
  • using the id: https://www.mikrotax.org/system/index.php?id=104181
  • using name and module: https://www.mikrotax.org/system/index.php?taxon=Orbulina&module=pf_cenozoic
  Using the id is reccomended since the link will not be broken if the taxon name changes. Links usually appear with the module-set in the address (e.g. Nannotax3 or pforams) but for programming links the alternative of using 'system' is simpler.
• The result is returned as a JSON object.
• Please let me know if you use this api, and feel free to ask if you want it to do something different - Jeremy Young
• The form below shows the results sent by the api

name

db Main database catalog Submit

 

Acknowledgements: I developed this api using a blog posting on shareurcodes