worms.species.search
Search 240K+ accepted marine species by scientific or partial name in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Returns AphiaID, accepted scientific name, authority, taxonomic status, kingdom/phylum/class/order/family/genus, LSID, and habitat flags (marine/brackish/freshwater/terrestrial/exti...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/worms.species.search.md
What worms.species.search does on Apibase
AI agents call worms.species.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.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
like | boolean | — | Enable fuzzy/partial match (default true). Set false for exact scientific name match only. |
name | string | Yes | Scientific or partial name to search (e.g. "Orcinus orca", "Tursiops", "Gadus morhua"). Case-insensitive. |
offset | integer | — | Pagination offset — return records starting at this position (default 1, max 50 per page). |
marine_only | boolean | — | Restrict results to marine species only (default true). Set false to include brackish/freshwater/terrestrial. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why worms.species.search is rated Low
Tool queries a taxonomic database and returns reference data with no side effects or modifications.
From the tool's definition Search 240K+ accepted marine species by scientific or partial name. Returns taxonomy data, AphiaID, classification information.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs worms.species.search 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 worms.species.search, this is the rule to start with:
worms.species.search 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 worms.species.search call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about worms.species.search
Search 240K+ accepted marine species by scientific or partial name in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Returns AphiaID, accepted scientific name, authority, taxonomic status, kingdom/phylum/class/order/family/genus, LSID, and habitat flags (marine/brackish/freshwater/terrestrial/extinct). Supports fuzzy matching and optional restriction to marine-only taxa. Use the AphiaID from results with worms.species.details, worms.species.classification, or worms.species.vernaculars. Source: WoRMS Editorial Board, CC BY 4.0. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
worms.species.search accepts 4 parameters: like, name, offset, marine_only. Required: name. 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 worms.species.search: 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.
worms.species.search 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 worms.species.search 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 worms.species.search. 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.
worms.species.search 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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