Search itis taxonomy

---
name: search-itis-taxonomy
description: When the user asks about a scientific name — whether it's accepted or deprecated, its taxonomic lineage, common names, or TSN — reach for ITIS. Solr-based keyword and ID lookup for all kingdoms, no auth required.
---

## When to use this skill

When the user asks whether a scientific name is accepted or deprecated, wants the full taxonomic lineage of an organism from kingdom to variety, needs common (vernacular) names, or has a TSN (Taxonomic Serial Number) and wants the record. ITIS is the authoritative source for nomenclature and classification across all kingdoms — Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Protozoa, Bacteria, and Chromista. For occurrence records or geographic range data, reach for GBIF or iNaturalist instead; ITIS handles taxonomy, not observations.

## Your best first call

```bash
curl "https://services.itis.gov/?q=Agave&wt=json&rows=5"
```

No auth. No key. The ITIS Solr API accepts any Solr query in the `q` parameter. Use a bare keyword like `Agave` for broad search, `q=nameWInd:*Agave+americana*` for scientific-name search, or `q=tsn:182662` when you have a TSN. Always include `wt=json` for JSON output. The tutorial demonstrated TSN lookup; name-based search follows the same Solr pattern.

The response is a Solr result set. Key fields in each `doc`:

- `tsn` — the Taxonomic Serial Number, ITIS's stable identifier
- `nameWInd` — full scientific name with indicator (e.g. "Agave americana ssp. americana var. expansa")
- `usage` — "accepted" or "not accepted"; if not accepted, `acceptedTSN` points to the current name
- `unacceptReason` — why the name was deprecated ("synonym", "misapplied", or free-text curator comment)
- `credibilityRating` — whether a Taxonomic Working Group has vetted this record
- `rank`, `kingdom` — taxonomic rank and kingdom
- `vernacular` — common names packed as `$name$language$flag$sourceTSN$date$` strings; split on `$` to extract
- `hierarchySoFarWRanks` — full lineage as a `$`-delimited string with embedded `Rank:Name` pairs

## Fallbacks (when the best call isn't enough)

- **You have a TSN, not a name** → `curl "https://services.itis.gov/?q=tsn:182662&wt=json"` returns the exact record without wildcard matching. Use this when the user provides a TSN or when you followed an `acceptedTSN` reference.
- **You need common-name search** → `curl "https://services.itis.gov/?q=vernacular:*century+plant*&wt=json"` searches vernacular names. Results still return the full taxonomic record.

## Pitfalls

- The API lives at `services.itis.gov`, not `www.itis.gov`. The documentation page at `www.itis.gov/ws_description.html` is informational; the Solr endpoint is a different host. Older links frequently point to the wrong one.
- `vernacular` and `hierarchySoFarWRanks` are `$`-delimited strings, not structured JSON. Split on `$` then `:` to extract common names or rank–name pairs — there is no nested object structure.
- A bare call with no `q` parameter returns the entire index. Always include a Solr query, and use `rows` and `fl` to cap results and select fields.
- `usage: "not accepted"` is data, not an error — the name has been synonymized or reclassified. Follow `acceptedTSN` to get the current name. The absence of `acceptedTSN` means the name is current.

## One-line summary for the user

I can search authoritative taxonomic data — scientific names, synonymy, accepted vs. deprecated status, full lineage, and common names — from the ITIS database via a single Solr-based GET, but I need to parse dollar-delimited hierarchy and vernacular strings myself.