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RAS webservice

As a user or developer you can use the RAS webservice to feed your own application with standard RAS data.
A non exhaustive list of applications: We support these methods of accessing the service:

RESTful service

SOAP service


Please, let us know if you are using the webservice, so we can add you to the users list.
Don't use the webservice to harvest RAS completely, you can request a database dump by completing this form
For problems or questions, please contact info@marinespecies.org

Example implementations

Change history

You can stay informed of any changes to the webservice: send an empty mail to webservice-subscribe@marinespecies.org.

Webservice/API has been published or implemented in:

Linking to RAS

If you simply want to link to RAS, just use this URL: https://ras.biodiversity.aq/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Your Species
i.e. https://ras.biodiversity.aq/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Solea solea
(This assumes that you have no idea if the taxon exists, or you do not want to look up the AphiaID)

If you know the taxon exists, lookup the AphiaID, via the search interface, and link to this URL: https://ras.biodiversity.aq/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=AphiaID
i.e. the AphiaID for Solea solea is 127160: https://ras.biodiversity.aq/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127160

Wikispecies has a template to link back to WoRMS.
It is available here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:WRMS (credits go to Lycaon)

Life Science Identifier (LSID)

LSIDs are persistent, location-independent, resource identifiers for uniquely naming biologically significant resources.
The LSID concept introduces a straightforward approach to naming and identifying data resources stored in multiple, distributed data stores in a manner that overcomes the limitations of naming schemes in use today.
More information here and here.

WoRMS has implemented LSIDs for all its taxonomic names and they are displayed on each taxon page. We have integrated the AphiaID into the LSID, so in fact you can continue using the AphiaID.

For example: the LSID for Solea solea is: urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:127160
You can resolve an LSID via the various services available.
Example for Solea solea: LSID Resolver

The returned model is RDF (XML) with metadata elements from Darwin Core and Dublin Core.

Vocabularies using a RAS unique identifier



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Website and databases developed and hosted by VLIZ · Page generated 2024-03-19 · contact: Anton Van de Putte