生物物种目录是目前可获得的最全面，最权威的物种全球索引。 它由单个综合物种清单和分类层次结构组成。 该目录包含有关180万多种物种的名称，关系和分布的基本信息。 由于信息来自世界各地，因此这一数字继续上升。由52个全球性的生物多样性数据库组织以联邦的形式联合而成，秘书处设在英国的雷丁大学。
The Catalogue of Life is the most comprehensive and authoritative global index of species currently available. It consists of a single integrated species checklist and taxonomic hierarchy. The Catalogue holds essential information on the names, relationships and distributions of over 1.8 million species. This figure continues to rise as information is compiled from diverse sources around the world.