Endemism.org updates published pages when stronger biological evidence, revised taxonomy, newer datasets, or confirmed corrections change the information presented. Changes are made to improve the accuracy of species records, geographic ranges, quantitative data, and source attribution.
When a page is updated
A page may be revised when an accepted species name changes, a taxon is split or merged, a native range is corrected, a new national inventory is released, a conservation assessment changes, or an error is identified in a table, checklist, citation, or calculation.
Updates are based on the underlying evidence rather than on publication age alone. An older figure can remain valid when it still represents the latest compatible dataset for that measure.
Newer does not always mean directly comparable. A later dataset may use different taxonomy, geographic boundaries, assessment coverage, or definitions. Those changes are checked before one value replaces another.
Types of corrections
Corrections can involve scientific names, common names, taxonomic groups, native ranges, endemic status, species counts, percentages, geographic descriptions, conservation categories, source references, or formatting that affects the interpretation of data.
Minor spelling and presentation errors may be corrected without changing the biological meaning of a record. Changes that affect species identity, range, count, or interpretation require evidence that supports the revised information.
Taxonomic revisions
Taxonomy is not fixed. A species may be transferred to another genus, treated as a synonym, divided into multiple species, or combined with another taxon. These changes can alter checklist composition and endemic-species totals.
When a taxonomic revision is adopted, affected records are checked for both accepted name and geographic range. A new species name is not assumed to retain the same endemic status as the taxon from which it was split.
Synonyms are not retained as separate checklist entries when they refer to the same accepted species.
Range corrections
Distribution records may change when a native population is confirmed outside a previously reported range, when an occurrence is shown to be introduced, or when older locality information is reinterpreted.
A correction to endemic status requires evidence about natural distribution. A new observation does not automatically expand the native range if the population is introduced, cultivated, naturalized, captive, or translocated.
Where a narrower natural range becomes better documented, species records may be updated to use that more precise geographic unit.
Quantitative updates
National and regional statistics are updated when a newer compatible source reports the same measure with improved or revised data. Values are compared using the same taxonomic rank, geographic scope, native-status definition, and dataset structure before replacement.
Counts from different datasets are not merged simply because one is newer. If a new dataset changes methodology or coverage, the revised figure is treated within its own definition.
Percentages derived from source values are recalculated only when the supporting numerator and denominator remain compatible.
Checklist changes
Species may be added to a checklist when reliable evidence confirms both accepted identity and endemic native range. Records may be removed when the species is shown to occur naturally outside the stated area, when a name becomes a synonym, or when the original evidence does not support species-level inclusion.
Checklist counts are adjusted to match the actual number of unique accepted species displayed. A species appearing in more than one source or geographic context is not counted more than once.
Source replacement
A source may be replaced when a more direct authority becomes available, a dataset moves to a newer official release, a previous link no longer represents the cited material, or the original source is found to be insufficient for the claim it supports.
Changing a source does not automatically require changing the published value. The underlying data are checked separately from the availability or location of the citation.
Conflicting sources
Different authorities can report different totals or taxonomic treatments without either value being a simple error. Differences may result from publication date, species concepts, geographic scope, extinction treatment, or the groups included in an inventory.
When two sources are not directly compatible, one is not selected merely because it provides the larger, smaller, or more recent number. The values remain tied to their own definitions, and the page is revised only when the evidence supports a clear replacement.
Reported errors
Readers may report possible errors involving species identity, distribution, taxonomy, numerical data, citations, or other factual content. A report is treated as a request for review rather than automatic evidence that the published record is wrong.
Corrections are made after the relevant claim can be checked against an appropriate biological or taxonomic source. Unsupported replacement values, unsourced lists, and observations without enough range context are not used as the sole basis for a change.
What is not silently normalized
Endemism.org does not alter valid source values simply to make separate datasets agree. Species and taxa are not converted into one another, regional totals are not promoted to national figures, and approximate values are not rewritten as exact counts.
When a discrepancy reflects a real difference in methodology or scope, that distinction is retained instead of being removed for visual consistency.
Ongoing revision
Published biological data can change as new species are described, taxonomic treatments are revised, distribution evidence improves, and national inventories are updated. Pages are therefore treated as reference records that may be revised when the evidence changes.
The objective of an update is to keep each claim consistent with its documented taxonomic and geographic basis, without creating certainty or precision that the available sources do not support.