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. 2016 Feb 9:2016:bav118.
doi: 10.1093/database/bav118. Print 2016.

ScaleNet: a literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics

Mayrolin García Morales  1 , Barbara D Denno  2 , Douglass R Miller  3 , Gary L Miller  2 , Yair Ben-Dov  4 , Nate B Hardy  5
Affiliations

ScaleNet: a literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics

Mayrolin García Morales et al. Database (Oxford). .

Abstract

Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) are small herbivorous insects found on all continents except Antarctica. They are extremely invasive, and many species are serious agricultural pests. They are also emerging models for studies of the evolution of genetic systems, endosymbiosis and plant-insect interactions. ScaleNet was launched in 1995 to provide insect identifiers, pest managers, insect systematists, evolutionary biologists and ecologists efficient access to information about scale insect biological diversity. It provides comprehensive information on scale insects taken directly from the primary literature. Currently, it draws from 23,477 articles and describes the systematics and biology of 8194 valid species. For 20 years, ScaleNet ran on the same software platform. That platform is no longer viable. Here, we present a new, open-source implementation of ScaleNet. We have normalized the data model, begun the process of correcting invalid data, upgraded the user interface, and added online administrative tools. These improvements make ScaleNet easier to use and maintain and make the ScaleNet data more accurate and extendable. Database URL: http://scalenet.info.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Diagram of the ScaleNet data model. The central tables to the database are the Citations, Scale Classification, Species and Genera tables. Together these tables validate the currently accepted valid names of scale insects, which are then used throughout the database to track ecological associations, distributions, taxonomic keys, etc. The figure depicts relationships between the tables using Crow’s Foot Notation. The symbol ‖ represents a one-and-only-one relationship. The crow’s foot symbol represents a one-or-many relationship. Relationships can be asymmetrical, and the nature of the relationship of object A to object B is specified at the connection with B. For example, the relationship between Keys and Keys Stages would be read as ‘One key can have one and only one key stage; a key stage can be in one or many keys.’
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