col.species.detail
Retrieve full taxonomic details for a specific taxon in the Catalogue of Life by its COL usage ID. Returns scientific name with authorship, taxonomic rank, acceptance status, extinction flag, parent taxon ID, scrutinizer (the expert who verified the record), scrutinizer date, and an external link...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/col.species.detail.md
What col.species.detail does on Apibase
AI agents call col.species.detail to retrieve information from Apibase without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
taxon_id | string | Yes | Catalogue of Life usage ID for the taxon (e.g. "lom19ReAZMtfEGnM999rz1"). Obtain from col.search or col.suggest results. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why col.species.detail is rated Low
Tool queries taxonomic data without modification, side effects, code execution, or financial impact.
From the tool's definition Retrieve full taxonomic details for a specific taxon, Returns scientific name, rank, status
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs col.species.detail safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Apibase, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For col.species.detail, this is the rule to start with:
col.species.detail is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Apibase, apply this rule, and every col.species.detail call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about col.species.detail
Retrieve full taxonomic details for a specific taxon in the Catalogue of Life by its COL usage ID. Returns scientific name with authorship, taxonomic rank, acceptance status, extinction flag, parent taxon ID, scrutinizer (the expert who verified the record), scrutinizer date, and an external link to the COL web page for the taxon. Unlike col.species.search, the detail record does not include full higher-classification breadcrumbs — use the parent_id to walk the tree or pass the scientific name to col.species.search with rank=KINGDOM/PHYLUM etc. to retrieve ancestors. Obtain the taxon_id from a prior col.species.search or col.species.suggest call. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
col.species.detail accepts 1 parameter: taxon_id. Required: taxon_id. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Apibase MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for col.species.detail: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Apibase. Nothing to install.
col.species.detail is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the col.species.detail rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for col.species.detail. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
col.species.detail is provided by the Apibase MCP server (apibase-mcp-client). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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