Taxonomic Database

This is a list of useful resources for food nomenclature and terminology, food descriptors, food classification and food identification.

These sites contain scientific names, cultivar/variety/breed names, common names, legal names for trade purposes, photographs, drawings, and other useful information for food composition purposes.

Plants

• HORTIVAR - Prepared by FAO
• Plants - Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture
• The Plant List - a working list of all known plant species
• African plants along with their nomenclatural status
• GRIN Taxonomy for plants
• Mansfield's world database of agriculture and horticulture crops
• Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database
• International Seed Testing Association

Plants, Fish & Animals

• Plants and animals prepared by Species 2000
• Taxonomy database NCBI
• Canadian Biodiversity information facility

Fish 

• Fish - Prepared by Native Fish Australia Incorporated
• Fish - Prepared by U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Seafood Products Research Center
• FAO fish finder
• FAO species fish facts
• Fish base
• Volume 1: Shrimps and prawns of the world. An annotated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries.
• Volume 2: Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date.
• Volume 3: Cephalopods of the world. Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries.
• Volume 4: Sharks of the world. Part 1. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes.
• Volume 4: Sharks of the world. Part 2. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Carcharhiniformes.
• Volume 5: Billfishes of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes and swordfishes known to date.
• Volume 6: Snappers of the world. Snappers of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date.
• Volume 7: Clupeoid fishes of the world (Suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. Part 1. Chirocentridae, Clupeidae & Pristigasteridae
• Volume 7: Clupeoid fishes of the world (Suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies, and wolf-herrings. Part 2. Engraulididae
• Volume 8: Fusilier fishes of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Caesionid species known to date
• Volume 9: Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (Family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date.
• Volume 10: Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date.
• Volume 11: Sea turtles of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of sea turtle species known to date.
• Volume 12: Nemipterid fishes of the world (threadfin breams, whiptail breams, monocle breams, dwarf monocle breams and coral breams), family Nemipteridae. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of nemipterid species known to date.
• Volume 13: Marine Lobsters of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marine lobsters known to date.
• Volume 14: Sillaginid fishes of the world (Family Sillaginidae). An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of the Sillago, Smelt or Indo-Pacific Whiting Species Known to Date.
• Volume 15: Snake mackerels and cutlassfishes of the world (Families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the snake mackerels, snoeks, escolars, gemfishes, sackfishes, domine, oilfish, cutlassfishes.
• Volume 16: Groupers of the world (Family Serranidae, Subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date.
• Volume 17: Pearl perches of the world. (Family Glaucosomatidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the pearl perches known to date. Rome, FAO. 1997.
• Volume 18: Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date. Rome, FAO. 1999

Gene bank databases

• GenBank entry managment

Langual inventory

• Food Classification, Description, Nomenclature and Taxonomy on the web