Methodology

This section outlines the process used to develop detailed, standardised web pages for each species within the Epitoniidae family — from compiling the species list to publishing the final content online.

Purpose
This website is intended as a fully referenced synthesis of the published literature relating to the Epitoniidae. It does not replace the original publications, but seeks to make more than two centuries of taxonomic literature accessible through a consistent format, supported by citations, translations, type material information and editorial commentary. Readers are encouraged to consult the original sources wherever possible.
Establishing a Species List
The project began with identifying all currently accepted Epitoniid species using the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Although several taxonomic databases are available, WoRMS was adopted as the principal taxonomic reference because of its authority, regularly updated taxonomy, and broad acceptance within the malacological community.

Collecting Original Descriptions
The next stage involved locating the original species descriptions for each valid taxon. Most of the historical literature was accessed through online repositories and public-domain archives, owing to the age of much of the taxonomic literature. In a few cases, data were sourced from museum catalogues, printed books and restricted-access publications. In addition to the original descriptions, the project also gathered:

• Associated illustrations, figures, and plates
• Descriptions of relevant synonyms (older or alternative names used for the same species)
• Distributional and habitat records

Data Organisation and Management
A custom database was developed using FileMaker Pro to store and structure all collected data. Each source document referring to a species was entered as a unique record, regardless of whether it contained a single data point or a full species account. This allowed the project to track and compare data across multiple sources. The database included fields for:

• Taxonomic name and known synonyms
• Morphological details
• Geographic distribution and habitat
• Type locality information
• Figures and illustrations
• Full bibliographic metadata

This data structure enabled systematic comparison of species using consistent criteria and allowed for easy evaluation of shared or differing features.

Standardising Descriptions
The descriptive content was segmented into clearly defined categories based on common traits found in the literature. These included broad descriptors such as shell shape, sculpture, size, and habitat, as well as more specific morphological features including costae [ribs], suture, umbilicus, spire height, aperture shape, axial and spiral ornamentation, and colouration. A custom algorithm was developed within FileMaker Pro to automatically consolidate and standardise this segmented information into a uniform descriptive format for each species. This ensured that descriptions were consistent across the dataset and could be easily compared. Although the majority of the standardisation was automated, manual input was necessary in certain cases — particularly for species with numerous, detailed, or conflicting records. Editorial judgement was exercised where conflicting interpretations or differing levels of detail existed, and, in most cases, conflicting information has been annotated rather than removed, allowing readers to evaluate the available evidence for themselves. Older descriptions were often less specific or used outdated terminology, so multiple source documents were used to construct more complete and modern summaries wherever possible. Historical descriptions published in Latin, French, German, Italian and other languages have been translated into English to improve accessibility. Artificial intelligence [ChatGPT, 2026] was used as an editorial tool to assist with translation, interpretation of obsolete taxonomic terminology and language refinement. All taxonomic interpretations, editorial commentary and final text were reviewed prior to publication.

Editorial Notes
Throughout the research numerous conflicting interpretations, unusual morphological features, and doubtful distribution records or discrepancies between original descriptions and subsequently illustrated type material were identified. These are noted where applicable and fully referenced to the relevant literature, allowing readers to evaluate the available evidence for themselves.

Compiling the Bibliography
As this work relied extensively on the contributions of previous taxonomists, it was essential that accurate bibliographic information was maintained to ensure all authors were properly acknowledged. All source documents consulted were recorded in a bibliographic database, and citations were formatted according to the APA 7th edition style. This approach ensures full transparency and allows users to trace each piece of information back to its original source.

Web Integration
Once finalised, the completed species data were exported from FileMaker into a SQL database that serves as the backend for the website. The species description pages were built using:

• HTML, CSS, and PHP for page structure and visual layout
• SQL for querying and displaying species data dynamically
• Leaflet.js to generate interactive maps showing distribution and type locality information

This framework allows the website to expand while maintaining a consistent structure.