HEADLINES

• On February 23. 2023, Killi-Data Wassup n°14 is downloadable in the members section (K-D Wassup in upper menu) by all members (like all previous issues) ; K-D-W is free and any issue can be obtained by anyone interested in killifish research via a simple mail to the editor, mentioning full name, full postal address (it will not be used, just to avoid fakes) and for aquarists, their killifish association membership and numbers (same reason) ; following requests of people who do not want (freely) to become members and who do not want to send a request of complimentary copy (sic !), archived copies are progressively brought online (with some delay !), at K-D-W.
• On December 6. 2022, KILLI-DATA SERIES 2022 is published (20 pages in full colors) with description of 1 new Rivulus species (s.l.) from Suriname ; beware, it is being sent for free as PDF to all active members, the print being sold at 12 Euro each.
• On June 28. 2022, Killi-Data Wassup n°13 is downloadable in the members section (K-D Wassup in upper menu) by all members (like all previous issues).
• On March 8. 2022, Killi-Data Wassup n°12 is downloadable in the members section (K-D Wassup in upper menu) by all members (like all previous issues).
• On February 15. 2022, 2 major collecting reports are added in database, the first is a report of a new series of collecting trips in Suriname (44 spots) over many years (with repeated collections) contributed by George De Roeck, the second is a new collecting trip report in Colombia all over 2021, contributed by Vasco Gomes who is a resident there for about 2 years and has already made major discoveries (thanks to both).
• On November 30. 2021, all cookies imposed by Google inc. are deleted (all advertising by Google inc. have been suppressed since June 2021… as a consequence all expenses are paid by author-editor).
• On October 5. 2021, KILLI-DATA SERIES 2021 is published (12 pages in full colors) with description of 1 new Rivulus species (s.l.) from Peru ; beware, it is being sent for free as PDF to all active members (click on appropriate right link above for registration), the print being sold at 6 Euro each).
• On September 12. 2021, Killi-Data Wassup n°11 is sent to members with news covering the period June 9. 2021 – September 12. 2021, along a new revamped formula.
• On June 10. 2021, Killi-Data Wassup n°10 is sent to members with news covering the period March 26. 2021 - June 9. 2021, along a new revamped formula.
• On March 26. 2021, Killi-Data Wassup n°9 is sent to members with news covering the period November 6. 2020 - March 25. 2021 : an editorial on human concept in taxonomy, quite provocative, a view from the chair with 2 major papers emblematic of biological complexity as seen today, full analyses of selected articles, as a PDF file.
• On January 7. 2021, KILLI-DATA ENCYCLOPEDIA is newly updated with all new and old species and genera included.
• On November 26. 2020, Killi-Data Wassup n°8 is sent to members with news covering the period May 13. 2020 – November 6. 2020 : an editorial on species concept, quite provocative, a view from the chair with the review of Gordian knots on Aphaniidae, plus 2 major molecular works, full analyses of selected articles, as a PDF file.
• On November 9. 2020, KILLI-DATA SERIES 2020 is published (48 pages in full colors) with description of 5 new species, 1 lampeye and 4 Rivulus species (s.l.) from Colombia ; beware, it is being sent for free as PDF to all active members (click on appropriate right link above for registration), the print being sold at 14 Euro each).
• On May 13. 2020, Killi-Data Wassup n°7 is sent to members with news covering the period November 20. 2019 – May 12. 2020 : an editorial on genus concept, a view from the chair, full analyses of selected articles, and 2 collecting trips reports this time, as a PDF file.
• On March 20. 2020, Killi-Data Pocket 2020 is now available to associations (K-D-P, a yearly list of valid names with aquarium populations (mind you, not breeding varieties and hybrids!). If your association is interested I only need to know in April or before, and get your logo (as a jpg, if not already sent) and know if you want all Cyprinodontiformes or only oviparous or viviparous ones, in order to make a special edition for you. It is free.
• On August 31. 2019, KILLI-DATA SERIES 2019 is published (156 pages in black and white), with a full revision of livebearers in Anablepsinae, Goodeinae, Poeciliidae, and a new genus Hiatirhaphis from central America) ; beware, it is being sent for free as PDF to all active members (click on appropriate right link above for registration), the print being sold at 20 Euro each).

  CONTENTS

• The "guest" or "public" section is fully open and anonymous and it is fully updated with automatic programmes and a list of alerts (brand new latest publications) plus their inventories at FLASH-ARCHIVES
• The "members" section is restricted to members after free REGISTRATION, with 9 ethical commitments.
• The "members" section mainly contains the knowledge base and all killiflash since at least 1961 (all major publications on killifish with reference, abstract for each) : to freely check the contents of the database, please read the SAMPLE page, or if you intend to write an article, ask for a GRATUITY page of a given name of killifish.
• The "guest" and "public" section necessarily follow unavoidable conventions : present tense of sentences is used with a limited number of articles (which results in a lighter style for Internet reading but may make sentences less correct grammatically), initial caps are used for ambiguous terms (e.g. Dorsal fin vs. dorsal region), local names are preferred (not English names) notably for countries, abbreviations of generic or subgeneric names are not labelled with only the first initial letter like it is in standard practices but with an arbitrary minimum set of initial letters in order that each is unique in Cyprinodontiformes, mentions of «Huber online, with date» are set to separate original observations by author/editor from analysis of publications or to point out original contributions or personal communications {that are ICZN-published herein for the first time}, and uses of various types of parenthesis are differentiated as sources, with «()» in their standard meaning, with «[]» as attributed data and with «{}» as personal comments by editor-author.
• The "guest" or "public" section necessarily holds a lot of advertising (please readily click on links if interested) : this is aimed to cover in part the costs of web-hosting each year so far fully paid by editor (Dr Jean H. Huber) [read financial ACCOUNTS in full transparency, including the list of grants and donations allocated by Killi-Data between 2001 and 2018].

  MISSION STATEMENT

• Killi-Data aims to present all available information on Killies or oviparous and viviparous fishes, i.e. all Cyprinodontiformes.
  
• Killi-Data compiles state of the art knowledge, wherever it sources from, scientist or aquarist.
• Killi-Data focuses on published evidence, or exceptionally, for an un-published fact, a statement with personal communication to editor is added and dated.
• Killi-Data complies with principles, recommendations and rules of ICZN (International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature), notably in terms of stability and universality, in all cases.
• Killi-Data selects latest published evidence and dates it, and also mentions prior historical evidences in order to present a full comprehensive picture of knowledge.
• Killi-Data strongly encourages cooperation between ichthyologists, either professional or amateur, and aquarists to build a cooperative community of interest and knowledge.

   STATE OF THE ART

• Killi-Data, at SPECIES LEVEL, always keeps latest evidence facts and observations (not opinion based)… if conflicting results are published based on distinct phylogenetic methods, then latest evidence is always selected (and other alternative options are quoted).
• Killi-Data, at GENERIC LEVEL, is evidence based (not opinion based)… however at generic level, published evidence may be derived into diverse and opposite conclusions, depending if the author(s) follow(s) a lumping strategy (few large speciose genera with optionally many subgenera) or a splitting strategy (many less-speciose genera with few subgenera), and if published conflicting results are time-distant then latest evidence is again selected and otherwise if published conflicting results are contemporary and based on distinct phylogenetic methods and opposite lumping-splitting strategies, then latest evidence is preferred but not always selected, until a consensus is met after some time delay, in order to avoid too many name changes without added value and without stability sake.
• Killi-Data, at FAMILY-GROUP NAMES name levels, always keeps latest evidence facts and observations (not opinion based)… if conflicting results are published based on distinct phylogenetic methods, then latest evidence is always selected (and other alternative options are quoted).

   DETAILED PRINCIPLES OF LATEST PUBLISHED EVIDENCE

• Killi-Data is automatically based on latest published evidence by principle, i.e. it is built on 3 criteria following those 3 words, (1) publication (formal and official), (2) evidence-based (not opinion-based), (3) latest (last, not previous) ; in other words it is based on scientific facts and proofs (= 'evidence-based'), published in all journals and magazines, preferably with external reviews, by peers and-or experts and with editors fully aware of and complying with ICZN current-at-time-of-publication Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which means that the value of the findings is pre-evaluated as scientifically acceptable (it does not mean that those findings are correct or true or permanently unchallengeable), with the priority rule to last-in-published (= 'latest' has priority)… then a new evidence-based published result replaces the old ones, no matter of the evaluation of that result.
• Killi-Data requires, as a consequence of the evidence-based criterion, that systematic moves are established on quantitative scientific facts (not on qualitative evaluations, even by the most knowledgeable expert on a given subject) and are followed by new diagnoses of the concerned names, fully in line with ICZN principles and spirit (for example, the systematic revalidation of taxon A, a current synonym, from taxon B, or, the systematic synonymization of taxon C into taxon D will not be taken into account if the argumentation appears opinion-wise AND if no new diagnoses are proposed for revalidated taxon A, for the redefined taxon B with a restricted sense and for the redefined taxon D with an extended sense… notably revalidations and synonymizations mentioned in lists only on account of not-precise molecular differences are not accepted {for example, as of November 2020, in Aphaniidae, revalidations of alexandri, boulengeri, mentoides, orontis, similis, striptus (vs. mento) and synonymizations of arakensis, kavirensis, mesopotamicus, and pluristriatus into sophiae, and revalidation of Rachovia splendens from synonymy into brevis, are not accepted because of missing renewed diagnoses (morphological or molecular)}.
• Killi-Data actually proceeds with no evaluation of any published work outside those 3 criteria and if there are errors or pitfalls or weaknesses in it then it is the responsibility of the author(s) of that work, of the reviewers and-or of the publishing media.
• Killi-Data does not judge publications and does not aim to impose systematic validities or synonymies based on assessments or judgements of a given publication vs. others… thus Killi-Data editor does not express opinions on published works by any author.
• Killi-Data obviously does not claim holding the truth in terms systematics and nomenclature (it is just impossible and research is continuously moving forward)… it is just following latest published evidence with dated updates.
• Killi-Data, in practical terms, at the species level as well as at the generic level or above, is the automatic mirror of the latest evidence if the code of nomenclature is respected (ICZN availability of the name, publication of a diagnosis, type species designation, etc.)… however it may not be automatic, i.e., it is a bit less automatic when (and only when) several contemporary publications dealing with a given taxon (species name, generic name or above) lead to distinct results because multiple changes along published papers are detrimental to stability (a major principle of ICZN, the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature)… but 'less so' means very rare, hopefully temporary, exceptions to that automatic rule.
• Killi-Data follows strictly those principles and updates often its contents whereas in more general and large-scope, databases (e.g., on all fishes or on all zoological taxa), obviously not all publications can be indexed and analysed in depth like in Killi-Data and then the decision on systematic status is most often based on (1) the abstracts of the published work (only… not the full publication), and-or (2) the proposed (formal) vs. the suggested (conditional) systematic move by the given author(s), and-or (3) on published synthetic lists of fauna in a group or in a region (then, the objective analysis is done by the authors of that list who may not be killifish specialists), and-or (4) the personal subjective analysis of the published work by its general (not specialized) editor(s) or by anonymous experts, centralized or decentralized, in charge of dedicated groups of fishes, as ghost panels representing those editors.

   DIFFERENCES BETWEEN KILLI-DATA KNOWLEDGEBASE AND OTHER DATABASES