Ontologies are formal ways of organizing knowledge. Anatomy ontologies define morphological structures in terms of their properties and hierarchical relationships, limiting the potential for confusion and creating testable homology statements among taxa. We are introducing the Coleoptera Anatomy Ontology Project, which will produce tools to increase understanding about beetle anatomy and facilitate communication among researchers across the order. The team will compile and integrate information to produce not only a formal ontology, but also a fully illustrated, standardized, and referenced glossary of beetle anatomy, including lists of synonyms and usages. By engaging with the worldwide community of beetle researchers, we hope to develop a comprehensive database of the terms and definitions used in beetle morphology, and their relationships. These resources will be publicly available online, allowing people to explore and get familiar with beetle morphology, aiding descriptive beetle taxonomy, and potentially serving as a common ground to revisit morphological evolution across Coleoptera.
