Biology & specimen tracking

How to list specimen locations after you analyze them

Last checked September 15, 2026 · Early Access launch build

The short answer

Use the Journal for specimens you have already analyzed. The Bio Collector scan is for finding nearby locations; the Journal is the saved fragment-to-location list you want after cataloging them.

If an entry is still unknown, collect that location once and analyze the fragment at a Bio Lab. Then run the Journal lookup again. You do not need to build a permanent coordinate dictionary by hand.

On this page

1. Print the cataloged specimen list

Open an in-game script where you can use the Journal component, then run:

journal = get_component("journal")
print(journal.cataloged_fragments("nocturna"))

This is the Nocturna lookup. It returns the specimens that this save has already cataloged together with their location data. The method was added specifically so players no longer had to maintain their own fragment-to-coordinate dictionary.

This is game code, not website code. Paste it into a Code: Terraform script editor. If autocomplete shows a changed signature, follow the current in-game docs before running it.

2. Know what the list is telling you

What you see	What it means	Next move
Fragment ID and coordinates	That specimen is cataloged in this save.	Use those coordinates for your collection route.
A scan location with `cataloged` false	The location exists, but its specimen has not been identified yet.	Collect there and analyze the fragment once.
ID, name, or rarity is empty	The scan cannot reveal those fields until analysis catalogs the fragment.	Finish the Bio Lab analysis, then check the Journal again.

A location scan also includes coordinates and distance. Once cataloged, the same location can reveal the fragment ID, name, and rarity. Recipes and creature identity are not part of this location result.

3. Find the specimen that is still missing

Open the Bio Collector's in-game script and inspect the result of self.scan().
Choose a nearby row that is not cataloged yet; its coordinates are still available even when its ID is unknown.
Send the Bio Collector to collect the fragment at that row's coordinates.
Analyze the collected fragment at a Bio Lab.
Run the Journal lookup again and confirm the new fragment now appears.

Code: Terraform surface map and Harvester panel beside a script editor — Official surface-map and Harvester screenshot for orientation—not a Bio Collector scan or a Journal list. Use your own save’s specimen locations.Open full image ↗

If the Journal list is empty or incomplete

Confirm you passed the biome name expected by the current docs; the verified Nocturna example uses "nocturna".
Make sure the fragment was analyzed in this save, not only collected or seen on the map.
Check the Bio Collector scan for uncataloged rows instead of assuming every colored map cell is already identified.
Run the lookup again after the Bio Lab finishes the analysis.
Do not copy a fixed coordinate list from another save when the Journal can return the mapping your current save knows.

How to know the catalog is ready

The Journal output contains the specimen IDs you need.
Each needed entry has usable location data instead of an unknown identity.
A fresh Bio Collector scan marks those locations as cataloged.
You can build the next collection route from the Journal result without maintaining a separate hand-written map.

See the planet you are cataloging

Watch the game

Explore the game in the official trailer

See the wider world and its automation systems. This is not a Bio Lab or Journal walkthrough; use the scan, analysis and lookup steps above to complete your specimen list.

By Code: Terraform / AppsMafia

Return to the Journal lookup →

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