The European Register of Marine Species

What is ERMS

The European Register of Marine Species (ERMS) is an authoritative taxonomic list of species occurring in the European marine environment, defined as up to the strandline or splash zone above the high tide mark and down to 0.5 (psu, ppt) salinity in estuaries. The register is actively maintained and daily updated in the framework of the MarBEF EU Network of Excellence by a board of taxonomic editors, which are world experts on the taxonomy of their relevant taxa. It is anticipated that the Register will become a standard reference (and technological tool) for marine biodiversity training, research and management in Europe. ERMS is served from a relational database. The most recent version of the data will always be available through this search interface. At regular intervals, a snapshot of the database will be archived; these archive copies will be kept available through the ERMS web site.

Scope of ERMS

The project covers species of the kingdoms Animalia, Plantae, Fungi and Protoctista occurring in the marine environment. Bacteria and marine viruses are not included. The area covered by the project is all the continental shelf seas of Europe, from the Canaries and Azores to Greenland and north west Russia, including the Mediterranean shelf, Baltic Seas and deep-sea areas. Click here to view the map covered by ERMS.

Feedback

People interested, especially those with expertise in marine taxa, are invited to contact the co-ordinator or other participants to get on the project circulation list. Also relevant ecological information and pictures of taxa, listed in ERMS, are more than welcome. Approved editors of species lists are able to access ERMS online, such that the register will be changing according to need and editorial diligence. Simultaneously, the name of the editor and the revision date for each species or taxon is shown.

Download database

We see the web interface as the main means of access to information in the ERMS database. However, in some cases this web interface might be too limited, especially for those building off-line applications. If you want to get an electronic copy of the ERMS database, please contact the Database Management Team.

History of ERMS

The European Register of Marine Species (ERMS) was created in 1998 by a project funded under the European Union MAST research programme. It resulted in a species list for European marine waters. This first version has been published as a book (Costello et al, 2001).

Citation

• Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvanitidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2024). European Register of Marine Species. Accessed at http://www.marbef.org/data/erms.php on 2024-12-24

ERMS Editorial Board

The editorial board of ERMS consists of an Executive Commitee and Associate Editors. Each taxonomic group is represented by an Associate editor, responsible for the quality and content of large taxonomic groups. Associate editors can appoint review editors who are responsible for smaller phyla and families.

ERMS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

• Prof. Dr Bouchet, Philippe
  Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Department Systematics and Evolution
  
   
• Prof. Boxshall, Geoff
  Natural History Museum; Department of Zoology
  
   
• Mr Appeltans, Ward
  UNESCO; UNESCO/IOC Project Office for IODE
  
   

EDITORS

• Prof. Dr Artois, Tom
  Universiteit Hasselt; Centre for Environmental Sciences; Onderzoeksgroep Dierkunde: Biodiversiteit en Toxicologie
  
  Acoela - Kalyptorhynchia - Platyhelminthes - Proseriata - Prostoma - Rhabditophora - Turbellaria
   
• Prof. Dauvin, Jean-Claude
  Université de Caen; Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière
  
  Ampeliscidae - Amphipoda
   
• Prof. Huys, Rony
  Natural History Museum; Department of Zoology
  
  Copepoda - Harpacticoida - Tantulocarida
   
• Dr Costello, Mark
  Nord University; Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture
  
  Amphipoda - Biota
   
• Dr Jaume, Damià
  Universitat de les Illes Balears; Instituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados
  
  Bogidiellidae - Crustacea - Eriopisidae - Melitidae - Pseudoniphargidae - Thermosbaenacea
   
• Dr Arvanitidis, Christos
  Hellenic Centre for Marine Research; Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture
  
  Annelida
   
• Dr van Soest, Rob
  Naturalis Biodiversity Center
  
  Alcyonium - Porifera - Thaliacea
   
• Dr Bailly, Nicolas
  Quantitative Aquatics, Inc.
  
  Agnatha - Chaetognatha - Chondrichthyes - Holocephali - Osteichthyes - Pisces
   
• Dr Dolan, John
  Sorbonne Université; Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche
  
  Tintinnina
   
• Agatha, Sabine
  Universität Salzburg; Department of Organismic Biology
  
  Choreotrichia - Ciliophora - Oligotrichia
   
• Dr Bellan-Santini, Denise
  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Mediterranean Institute of marine and terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology
  
  Ampeliscidae - Amphipoda
   
• Prof. Boxshall, Geoff
  Natural History Museum; Department of Zoology
  
  Amphionidacea - Arthropoda - Branchiopoda - Branchiura - Cephalocarida - Copepoda - Crustacea - Mystacocarida - Pentastomida - Remipedia - Rhizocephala - Tantulocarida
   
• Dr Bray, Rod
  Natural History Museum; Department of Zoology
  
  Cestoda - Monogenea - Platyhelminthes - Trematoda
   
• Dr Gibson, David
  Natural History Museum; Department of Zoology
  
  Acanthocephala - Aspidogastrea - Cestoda - Monogenea - Nematoda - Neodermata - Trematoda
   
• Gofas, Serge
  University of Málaga; Faculty of Sciences; Departamento de Biología Animal
  
  Mollusca - Xenoturbellida
   
• Dr Horton, Tammy
  University of Southampton; National Oceanography Centre, Southampton; Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems
  
  Amphipoda - Biota - Ingolfiellida - Isopoda - Lysianassoidea
   
• Dr Hoeksema, Bert
  Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Department of Marine Zoology
  
  Anthozoa - Cnidaria - Milleporidae - Scleractinia - Stylasteridae
   
• Williams, Gary
  California Academy of Sciences; Department of Invertebrate Zoology & Geology
  
  Pennatulacea
   
• Stöhr, Sabine
  Swedish Museum of Natural History; Department of Invertebrate Zoology
  
  Asterias - Ophiuroidea
   
• Saiz Salinas, José Ignacio
  University of the Basque country; Department of zoology and animal cell dynamics
  
  Echiura - Sipuncula
   
• Dr Kullander, Sven
  Swedish Museum of Natural History
  
  Actinopterygii - Agnatha - Elasmobranchii - Holocephali - Pisces
   
• Dr Petrescu, Iorgu
  Muzeul National de Istorie Naturala Grigore Antipa
  
  Cumacea
   
• Dr Neuhaus, Birger
  Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity; Museum für Naturkunde
  
  Cephalorhyncha - Kinorhyncha
   
• Mapstone, Gill
  Natural History Museum
  
  Siphonophorae
   
• Schierwater, Bernd
  School of veterinary medicine Hannover; Institute of animal ecology and cell biology; ITZ, Ecology and Evolution
  
  Ctenophora - Placozoa
   
• Sterrer, Wolfgang
  Bermuda Natural History Museum
  
  Biota - Gnathostomulida
   
• Dr Nielsen, Claus
  University of Copenhagen; Zoological Museum
  
  Entoprocta
   
• Dr Collins, Allen
  Smithsonian Institution; National Museum of Natural History; Department of Invertebrate Zoology
  
  Ctenophora - Cubozoa - Scyphozoa - Staurozoa
   
• Gravili, Cinzia
  University of Salento; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali; National Interuniversity Consortium For Marine Sciences; Laboratory of Zoology and Marine Biology
  
  Hydrozoa
   
• Dr Glasby, Christopher
  Northern Territory Government; Natural Sciences, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
  
  Nereididae - Terebellidae
   
• Sicinski, Jacek
  University of Lodz; Dept. Invertebrate Zoology & Hydrobiology; Laboratory of Polar Biology and Oceanobiology
  
  Polychaeta - Siboglinidae
   
• Dr Musco, Luigi
  Stazione Zoologica 'Anton Dohrn' of Naples; Integrative Marine Ecology
  
  Syllidae
   
• Smit, Harry
  Naturalis Biodiversity Center
  
  Pontarachnidae - Prostigmata
   
• ten Hove, Harry
  Naturalis Biodiversity Center
  
  Polychaeta fossils incertae sedis - Serpulidae
   
• Dr Picton, Bernard
  National Museums of Northern Ireland; Ulster Museum
  
  Heterobranchia - Porifera