Wikipedia Bio References

Wikipedia Bio References is a nifty tool that can help with scientific classification in the field of biology.

The tool is Java-based so make sure the necessary dependencies are available on the system before trying to run it; it does not require installation.

When launched, a minimalist interface shows a search field and a few choices for the groups of specimens, which should restrict the search to specific groups of specimens and make the operation complete faster.

The program relies on online resources to return the result and uses about fifty taxonomist web sites. Based on the response from them it generates a Wikipedia syntax that includes a taxobox, a list of the elements in the searched taxon and one of references.

Wikipedia Bio References is not a complicated utility if you know what it is for. Considering this, setting it up is a simple job.

Since it requires an Internet connection to function the developer included the possibility to provide the proxy details in case the connection on the system is detoured.

It also allows setting the maximum depth and size of the subtaxon list. Moreover, the user can easily impose a minimum rank for this list.

Additional options refer to the possibility to define the information strings that should be included when the results are returned. Some of the options are localized, though.

The program is not difficult to understand but it addresses a specific segment of users. It is easy to configure and works right out of the box. During our tests it proved to be a reliable instrument and returned the expected results.