This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of trees of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions, personal notes and other unpublished sources. Records range from 1960 to present. TreeMAP is a Virtual Museum and citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of trees and shrubs in southern Africa. TreeMAP is helping to build the 21st century distribution maps for southern African's trees. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator. All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is moderate for South Africa, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of Mushrooms of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions. Records range from 1986 to present. Interest in mushrooms is mushrooming. Mushrooms are somehow mysterious, appearing and disappearing. MushroomMAP aims to help solve one of the big mushroom mysteries: "How are they distributed?" Even within South Africa this information is remarkably incomplete. This Virtual Museum project focuses on the "macrofungi", the mushrooms (and other fungi) that are more than about 5 mm in size. This is the same cut-off as used by Marieka Gryzenhout in her guidebook "Mushrooms of South Africa" published by Struik Nature. In her book, she describes the distribution of many species "widespread." So MushroomMAP provides the opportunity to make a real contribution to our understanding of the distribution of this fascinating component of biodiversity. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator. All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is moderate for South Africa, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of Orchids (Family Orchidaceae) of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions, herbarium records, literature records, personal notes and other unpublished sources. Records range from 1734 to present. Orchids are a charismatic and diverse family of flowering plants. With over 470 species in South Africa alone and more than 3300 species throughout Africa and Madagascar, we have a rich orchid flora. However, in recent years the collection of traditional herbarium specimens has been declining and our understating of where orchids are found is becoming ever more outdated. OrchidMAP aims to reverse this trend with the help of orchid lovers. OrchidMAP is interested in distributions and flowering times of all orchids in Africa, Madagascar and the Western Indian Ocean Islands including naturalized or wild growing exotic species. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator. All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is moderate for South Africa, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of Insect Order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) across Africa, although the bulk of the data is for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (former Swaziland). It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions, museum and private collections, personal notebooks, published literature records, surveys and other unpublished sources. Records range from 1800 to present. LepiMAP is a Virtual Museum and citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of Lepidoptera on the African continent. LepiMAP is building the 21st century distribution maps for Africa's moths and butterflies. LepiMAP also aims to improve public awareness of the value and plight of Lepidoptera and also provide government agencies with a clear definition of conservation priorities that will help them to plan their activities. LepiMAP is the continuation of the Southern African Butterfly Conservation Assessment (SABCA) and incorporates the full SABCA database. SABCA was formally stablished in 2007 as a three-way partnership between the Animal Demography Unit (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town), The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa (Lepsoc), and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator. All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. However, historical records were assigned to a 15x15 minute grid (or QDS) based on the locality description when no coordinates were provided. The coverage is good for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, moderate for Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of the Echinoderms (starfish, sea-urchins, brittle-stars and their kin) occurring in the seas and coasts of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions, museum collections, and published literature records. Records range from 1938 to present. EchinoMAP is a Virtual Museum and citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of Echinoderms on the African continent. It aims to serve as a repository of all existing distribution data for this group in the African continent. Echinoderms (starfish, sea-urchins, brittle-stars and their kin) are conspicuous and attractive marine animals, frequently photographed by divers. Although many can be identified from photographs, no comprehensive guide to South African species exists, making it difficult to accurately identify images. The fauna is also poorly know, making it very likely that divers will encounter species new to the region, or even to science. This site aims to collate all available images of echinoderms from South Africa, thus building up a comprehensive identification guide, as well as mapping the ranges of each species. Images of all South African echinoderms are welcomed and all contribute equally towards a better understanding of the distribution patterns of these fascinating creatures. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator. The complete data-set is available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. However, historical records were assigned to a 15x15 minute grid (or QDS) based on the locality description when no coordinates were provided. The coverage is moderate for the South African coast, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of the Spiders of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions. Records range from 1880 to present. SpiderMAP is a Virtual Museum and citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of Scorpions on the African continent. SpiderMAP is also an online repository for photographic species distribution records for this important group of arthropods. Spiders make up the largest proportion of terrestrial invertebrate diversity after the insects and the mites, and they play a significant role as predators in ecosystems. Several initiatives are currently under-way to map spider distributions, and SpiderMAP aims to complement these by encouraging submissions from the ADU Citizen Scientist community. Records will be directed to the South African National Survey of Arachnida once identified. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator, a professional arachnologist. Identification to species level is very high for the Theraphosidae (Baboon spiders), other groups are identified to genus or family level. All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is moderate for South Africa, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of Dung beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the African continent, although the bulk of the data is for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (former Swaziland). DungBettleMAP was stablished on 2015-08-18 as a citizen science project in the Virtual Museum system in partnership with Professor Clarke Scholtz, head of the Scarab Research Group at the University of Pretoria. In Their databasing project they have digitized 24216 verified distribution records, these are mostly specimen (museum) records and published records of Dung beetles. DungBettleMAP aims to build on this distribution data. Records range from 1900 to present. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator, a professional entomologist. All data available in this data-set is shareable. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. However, historical records were assigned to a 15x15 minute grid (or QDS) based on the locality description when no coordinates were provided. The coverage is good for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, moderate for Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of the Scorpions of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions. Records range from 2003 to present. ScorpionMAP is a Virtual Museum and citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of Scorpions on the African continent. Scorpions are conspicuous and attractive terrestrial animals, and are frequently photographed. Images of all African Scorpions are welcomed and all contribute equally towards a better understanding of the distribution patterns of these fascinating creatures. Scorpions have captivated much interest by scholars by their great antiquity and the amazing suite of biochemical, physiological, behavioural, and ecological adaptations that have combined to ensure their continued success over the past 450 million years. Scorpions have a wide geographical distribution and live on all major land masses except Antarctica. Although some species are quite specific in micro-habitat requirements, many exhibit a high degree of plasticity in habitat use. However, the distribution of most species is poorly known and in most cases it is based on a handful of museum records. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator, a professional arachnologist. All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is moderate for South Africa, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises species occurrence records of the fresh-water fish of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions. Records range from 1988 to present. FishMAP is a Virtual Museum project aiming to: (1) map the current distribution of the fresh water fish occurring in Africa, tentatively, the FishMAP region includes Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia and the countries to the south and east of them; and (2) to serve as a repository of all existing distribution data for this group in the geographic extent of the project. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. All data are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is low for South Africa and very sparse for the rest of Africa.

This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of Neuroptera and Megaloptera across Africa, although the bulk of the data is for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (former Swaziland). It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions, museum collections, personal notebooks, published literature records, and other unpublished sources. Records range from 1924 to present. The Neuroptera and Megaloptera are collectively loosely termed the "lacewings." Hence the name LacewingMAP. This is a somewhat obscure group of insects, and this project is an ideal way to sensitize everyone to their existence. Lacewings are one of nature's best all-purpose predators and provide essential "ecosystem services": they control aphids. LacewingMAP is a project in collaboration with Dr Mervyn Mansel, University of Pretoria, and a world leader in lacewing research. . He has digitized the museum specimens in the major museum collections in southern Africa. This data was uploaded into GBIF and forms the basis of the data holdings in LacewingMAP. LacewingMAP is a Virtual Museum and citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of “Lacewings” on the African continent. Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator, a professional entomologist. All data available in this dataset is shareable. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. However, historical records were assigned to a 15x15 minute grid (or QDS) based on the locality description when no coordinates were provided. The coverage is good for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, moderate for Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi but very sparse for the rest of Africa.