When to use this skill
When the user asks whether a scientific name is current or has been reclassified, synonymized, or deprecated — or wants the accepted replacement for an outdated taxon name. ITIS tracks this via usage and acceptedTSN fields on every record. For full taxonomic lineage (not just reclassification status), reach for a broader ITIS lookup instead. For occurrence records or geographic range data, this is the wrong skill — use GBIF or iNaturalist.
Your best first call
curl "https://services.itis.gov/?q=tsn:182662&wt=json"
No auth. No key. Query by TSN (Taxonomic Serial Number) and inspect the usage field. If usage is "not accepted", follow acceptedTSN to the current name. The unacceptReason field explains why the name was deprecated — it is often "other, see comments", which means the actual reasoning lives in the comment field, not in unacceptReason itself.
Key response fields:
usage — "accepted" or "not accepted"acceptedTSN — array of TSNs for the current name (present when usage is "not accepted")unacceptReason — free-text reason for the reclassificationnameWInd — full scientific name with indicatorcredibilityRating — whether a Taxonomic Working Group has vetted the recordvernacular — common names packed in $-delimited strings (first token after $ is the name itself)
If you have a scientific name but not a TSN, you need a name-based lookup first — this skill assumes you already have the TSN or can obtain one from a prior search.
Fallbacks (when the best call isn't enough)
- Need the TSN for a scientific name → The same Solr endpoint supports name-based queries, but this tutorial does not document the syntax. If a name-to-TSN lookup is critical, consult ITIS documentation for patterns like
q=nameWInd:*searchTerm*.
- Need the full lineage, not just reclassification status → Add
fl=hierarchySoFarWRanks to the same query. The entire chain from kingdom to variety is returned in a single $-delimited string with rank labels embedded. Prefer hierarchySoFarWRanks over hierarchySoFar — the rank labels make the hierarchy parseable without external lookup.
- No fallback if ITIS is down — this is the authoritative source for taxonomic nomenclature status.
Pitfalls
- The API lives at
services.itis.gov, not www.itis.gov. The documentation page is at www.itis.gov/ws_description.html, but the Solr endpoint is on a different host. Older links and search results frequently point to the wrong one.
unacceptReason is free text, not a controlled vocabulary. The most common value is "other, see comments" — the real reason is in the comment field, not in unacceptReason.- A bare call with no
q parameter can return the entire ITIS index. Always include a Solr query and use rows to cap result count.
acceptedTSN is an array, not a scalar. One deprecated name can map to multiple accepted names when a taxon is split into several.
One-line summary for the user
I can check whether a scientific name has been reclassified or synonymized and find the currently accepted replacement — via ITIS in a single unauthenticated GET, but I need the TSN first.
ITIS
· primary
· verified
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Solr Web Service provides access to authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes. ITIS contains more than 900,000 scientific and common names with their taxon…
SKILL.md source (frontmatter + body)
---
name: access-reclassified
description: When the user asks whether a scientific name has been reclassified, synonymized, or deprecated — or wants the accepted replacement — reach for ITIS. Check taxonomic usage status and follow acceptedTSN in one unauthenticated GET.
---
## When to use this skill
When the user asks whether a scientific name is current or has been reclassified, synonymized, or deprecated — or wants the accepted replacement for an outdated taxon name. ITIS tracks this via `usage` and `acceptedTSN` fields on every record. For full taxonomic lineage (not just reclassification status), reach for a broader ITIS lookup instead. For occurrence records or geographic range data, this is the wrong skill — use GBIF or iNaturalist.
## Your best first call
```bash
curl "https://services.itis.gov/?q=tsn:182662&wt=json"
```
No auth. No key. Query by TSN (Taxonomic Serial Number) and inspect the `usage` field. If `usage` is `"not accepted"`, follow `acceptedTSN` to the current name. The `unacceptReason` field explains why the name was deprecated — it is often `"other, see comments"`, which means the actual reasoning lives in the `comment` field, not in `unacceptReason` itself.
Key response fields:
- `usage` — `"accepted"` or `"not accepted"`
- `acceptedTSN` — array of TSNs for the current name (present when `usage` is `"not accepted"`)
- `unacceptReason` — free-text reason for the reclassification
- `nameWInd` — full scientific name with indicator
- `credibilityRating` — whether a Taxonomic Working Group has vetted the record
- `vernacular` — common names packed in `$`-delimited strings (first token after `$` is the name itself)
If you have a scientific name but not a TSN, you need a name-based lookup first — this skill assumes you already have the TSN or can obtain one from a prior search.
## Fallbacks (when the best call isn't enough)
- **Need the TSN for a scientific name** → The same Solr endpoint supports name-based queries, but this tutorial does not document the syntax. If a name-to-TSN lookup is critical, consult ITIS documentation for patterns like `q=nameWInd:*searchTerm*`.
- **Need the full lineage, not just reclassification status** → Add `fl=hierarchySoFarWRanks` to the same query. The entire chain from kingdom to variety is returned in a single `$`-delimited string with rank labels embedded. Prefer `hierarchySoFarWRanks` over `hierarchySoFar` — the rank labels make the hierarchy parseable without external lookup.
- **No fallback if ITIS is down** — this is the authoritative source for taxonomic nomenclature status.
## Pitfalls
- The API lives at `services.itis.gov`, not `www.itis.gov`. The documentation page is at `www.itis.gov/ws_description.html`, but the Solr endpoint is on a different host. Older links and search results frequently point to the wrong one.
- `unacceptReason` is free text, not a controlled vocabulary. The most common value is `"other, see comments"` — the real reason is in the `comment` field, not in `unacceptReason`.
- A bare call with no `q` parameter can return the entire ITIS index. Always include a Solr query and use `rows` to cap result count.
- `acceptedTSN` is an array, not a scalar. One deprecated name can map to multiple accepted names when a taxon is split into several.
## One-line summary for the user
I can check whether a scientific name has been reclassified or synonymized and find the currently accepted replacement — via ITIS in a single unauthenticated GET, but I need the TSN first.