World of Crayfish®

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Open-source R workflow · Biogeography

cheCkOVER

From validated occurrences to publication-ready species packages — automated, reproducible, FAIR-aligned.

1

The problem it solves. Converting occurrence records into consistent, reusable knowledge products typically relies on ad-hoc manual pipelines. cheCkOVER automates the entire transformation.

2

Taxonomy & origin. Harmonizes taxonomy, retains type locality and vernacular names, and assigns population origin (indigenous vs non-indigenous) — anchoring every species to its nomenclatural identity.

3

Spatial metrics. Derives IUCN-aligned EOO and AOO, then intersects occurrences with administrative units, hydrographic basins, ecoregions, and protected areas for full geospatial contextualization.

4

AI- & API-ready outputs. Delivers GeoJSON, KML/KMZ, JSON, and Markdown exports via REST endpoints, plus a canonical geo-narrative structured for machine consumption — including RAG/LLM pipelines.

5

Time-aware mapping. Local extinction is not simply absence — it is a directional, high-information transition (presence → loss). Where extinction-claim records exist, cheCkOVER flags distributional change signals and prevents temporal inflation in IUCN range metrics.

6

Evidence manifestation & SEBs. Artifacts are packaged as versioned, citable Species Exposure Bundles (SEBs) — machine-readable artefacts with explicit provenance. LLM tests showed manifest-directed SEB retrieval reached 6.97/8 vs 1.78/8 closed-book, with 0% failures.

7

Community Data & tiered access. cheCkOVER preserves contributor-defined confidentiality tiers at the raw-data level, while derived outputs never expose precise coordinates—keeping restricted records protected.

8

Proven at scale. Demonstrated on 465 crayfish species across 97 countries — from 2 to over 20,000 records per species — showing robust operation across extreme heterogeneity in range size and record density.

This tool does not operate in real time — it produces artifacts periodically.

📄 Pârvulescu et al. (preprint) · Livadariu et al. (preprint) · Bâcu et al. (preprint)

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Ecological profiling · Geospatial variables

chECkOLOGY

Linking occurrence records to environmental reality — from field points to full ecological portraits.

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chECkOLOGY will link validated occurrence records to geospatial environmental variables across multiple spatial scales — building species-level ecological profiles that complement the biogeographic outputs of cheCkOVER. Species distribution models adapted to the dendritic nature of freshwater habitats, predictor selection and management, and explainable decision trees ready for AI ingestion.
In development

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Phylogenetics · Molecular data

checkLINEAGE

Tracing evolutionary history alongside distribution — integrating molecular lineages with occurrence evidence.

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checkLINEAGE will integrate phylogenetic and molecular lineage data with the spatial occurrence framework — enabling biodiversity assessments that combine distributional and evolutionary evidence within a single reproducible pipeline.
In development

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Taxonomy · Morphological data

checkMORPH

Anchoring taxonomy to morphological evidence — bridging specimen data and digital biodiversity records.

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checkMORPH will integrate taxonomic evidence and bring morphological features specific to crayfish taxa into modern visual analyses. Combined with the occurrence backbone and phylogenetic signal, it may reveal insights into the biogeographic distinctiveness of populations — bridging form, lineage, and geography.
In development

⚠️

Conservation risk · Functional connectivity

checkTHREATS

The integrator that turns spatial, ecological, and genetic distances into conservation diagnostics.

⚠️

checkTHREATS operates on validated outputs from the check family — not on raw data. It integrates geographic, ecological, and molecular distances to assess population connectivity and detect fragmentation patterns invisible to any single module. Combined with threat-layer overlays, it produces multi-evidence conservation diagnostics aligned with IUCN criteria.
In development

The engines behind the scenes