`search_species`

Pack: gbif · Endpoint: https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gbif/mcp

Search for species by common or scientific name. Returns matched taxa with rank, classification status, and taxonomic hierarchy. Use get_species with the taxon key for full details.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	yes	Species name or keyword (e.g., “Homo sapiens”, “oak”)
`limit`	number	no	Maximum results to return (1-100, default 20)

Example call

Arguments

{
  "query": "Homo sapiens"
}

curl

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gbif/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"search_species","arguments":{"query":"Homo sapiens"}}}'

TypeScript (@pipeworx/sdk)

import { Pipeworx } from '@pipeworx/sdk';
const pipeworx = new Pipeworx();

const result = await pipeworx.call('search_species', {
  "query": "Homo sapiens"
});

More examples

{
  "query": "oak",
  "limit": 50
}

Response shape

Always returns: count, end_of_records, results

Field	Type	Description
`count`	number	Total number of results found
`end_of_records`	boolean	Whether all available records have been returned
`results`	array	Array of matched species

Full JSON Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "count": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Total number of results found"
    },
    "end_of_records": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "Whether all available records have been returned"
    },
    "results": {
      "type": "array",
      "description": "Array of matched species",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "key": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "GBIF taxon key identifier"
          },
          "scientific_name": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Full scientific name"
          },
          "canonical_name": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Canonical form of scientific name"
          },
          "rank": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Taxonomic rank (e.g., species, genus, family)"
          },
          "status": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Classification status"
          },
          "kingdom": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Kingdom classification"
          },
          "phylum": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Phylum classification"
          },
          "class": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Class classification"
          },
          "order": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Order classification"
          },
          "family": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Family classification"
          },
          "genus": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Genus classification"
          },
          "species": {
            "type": [
              "string",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Species classification"
          },
          "num_descendants": {
            "type": [
              "number",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Number of descendant taxa"
          }
        },
        "required": [
          "key",
          "scientific_name",
          "canonical_name",
          "rank",
          "status",
          "kingdom",
          "phylum",
          "class",
          "order",
          "family",
          "genus",
          "species",
          "num_descendants"
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "count",
    "end_of_records",
    "results"
  ]
}

Connect

Add this to your MCP client config, or use one-click install buttons:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gbif": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gbif/mcp"
    }
  }
}

See Getting Started for client-specific install steps.

search_species