Deus creavit; Linneaus disposuit: An international effort to create a catalogue and expert system for the identification of protistan species

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Abstract
This manuscript describes the computer software ‘Linnaeus Protist’, developed at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, in cooperation with over 20 scientists. The software contains information on over 310 marine protistan species (algae and protozoans) from northern European marine coastal waters. Species are presented as line drawings, with classifications, descriptions, references and in most cases with on-screen, photograph- quality micrographs. The program also includes taxonomic keys, distribution maps of toxic and blooming species, methods in protistology and a glossary and master reference list. Version 1.0 of the software is distributed o'n a single compact disc, including a ‘Linnaeus ToolKit’ for construction of taxonomic keys and species cards for other species or groups. Included also is ‘Linnaeus Zooplankton’ an earlier version of the program. Because the Linnaeus software will be offered free to any interested institution or individual, and because it includes extensive facilities for adding information and species, we hope experts around the world will add species to the system and contribute them to an eventual enhanced version 2.0 of the software.