If there is no specimen/location data and no TDWG regions were selected for the taxon description, the default map view is of Europe. There might still be GBIF data, but the map does not automatically use that data to display its default extent. I suspect that the Scratchpad team made Europe the default extent because that project is based there. I've requested that the default extent be changed to a more global so as not to give the false impression that all species lacking distribution data occur in Europe.
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical):
Ed Baker,
Katherine Bouton
Alice Heaton
Dimitris Koureas,
Laurence Livermore,
Dave Roberts,
Simon Rycroft,
Ben Scott,
Vince Smith
If there is no specimen/location data and no TDWG regions were selected for the taxon description, the default map view is of Europe. There might still be GBIF data, but the map does not automatically use that data to display its default extent. I suspect that the Scratchpad team made Europe the default extent because that project is based there. I've requested that the default extent be changed to a more global so as not to give the false impression that all species lacking distribution data occur in Europe.