DELTA for Beginners. An introduction into the taxonomy software package DELTA

By

Coleman, Charles Oliver
Lowry, Jim
Macfarlane, Terry

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2010

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

45

Pages

1-75

Subjects

biodiversity informatics , database , Delta , descriptive language for taxonomy , software , systematics , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.45.263

 

Abstract

An introduction to the software package DELTA (DEscription Language for TAxonomy) is given. The contribution consists of step by step instructions into the DELTA Editor and the interactive identification program Intkey. It describes how to record taxonomic character information in a database and maintain these data. Standard output functions are simplified in a new starter database. All used commands are commented and it is marked where changes in the command files are required. The paper explains how to generate text descriptions, interactive identification tools, and how to make keys and species diagnoses.