# obis.marine.taxon_search

Look up marine species taxonomy in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) via OBIS. Search by scientific name (genus, species, or higher taxon) to retrieve the full taxonomic hierarchy (kingdom through species), WoRMS AphiaID, taxonomic status, accepted name, authorship, and habitat flags (marine / brackish / freshwater). Also returns common (vernacular) names. Source: OBIS + WoRMS — free, CC BY 4.0, no auth required.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `obis.marine.taxon_search`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/obis.marine.taxon-search

## Facts

- Tool: `obis.marine.taxon_search`
- Server: Apibase (`apibase-mcp-client`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase.md
- Install: `npx -y apibase-mcp-client`
- Homepage: https://github.com/whiteknightonhorse/APIbase
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 1 (1 required)
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `scientificname` | string | yes | Scientific name of the marine taxon to look up (e.g. "Tursiops truncatus", "Gadus", "Cetacea"). Returns full WoRMS taxonomy. |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "obis.marine.taxon_search",
    "arguments": {
      "scientificname": "<scientificname>"
    }
  }
}
```

## Why obis.marine.taxon_search is rated Low

Tool queries taxonomic database and returns structured data without modifying or deleting any records.

From the tool's own definition: "Look up marine species taxonomy, retrieve taxonomic hierarchy, search by scientific name"

## Use case

AI agents call obis.marine.taxon_search 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.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Apibase:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "obis.marine.taxon_search": {}
  }
}
```

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## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase