diff --git a/syft/cataloger/apkdb/parse_apk_db.go b/syft/cataloger/apkdb/parse_apk_db.go
index 7cc9ec16e..3ce1f921d 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/apkdb/parse_apk_db.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/apkdb/parse_apk_db.go
@@ -49,11 +49,12 @@ func parseApkDB(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
 		}
 		if metadata != nil {
 			packages = append(packages, pkg.Package{
-				Name:     metadata.Package,
-				Version:  metadata.Version,
-				Licenses: strings.Split(metadata.License, " "),
-				Type:     pkg.ApkPkg,
-				Metadata: *metadata,
+				Name:         metadata.Package,
+				Version:      metadata.Version,
+				Licenses:     strings.Split(metadata.License, " "),
+				Type:         pkg.ApkPkg,
+				MetadataType: pkg.ApkMetadataType,
+				Metadata:     *metadata,
 			})
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/deb/parse_dpkg_status.go b/syft/cataloger/deb/parse_dpkg_status.go
index 20c3b205d..cd5b3c132 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/deb/parse_dpkg_status.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/deb/parse_dpkg_status.go
@@ -30,10 +30,11 @@ func parseDpkgStatus(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		packages = append(packages, pkg.Package{
-			Name:     entry.Package,
-			Version:  entry.Version,
-			Type:     pkg.DebPkg,
-			Metadata: entry,
+			Name:         entry.Package,
+			Version:      entry.Version,
+			Type:         pkg.DebPkg,
+			MetadataType: pkg.DpkgMetadataType,
+			Metadata:     entry,
 		})
 	}
 
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go b/syft/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go
index 8681ffe57..b64c43adf 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go
@@ -142,10 +142,11 @@ func (j *archiveParser) discoverMainPackage() (*pkg.Package, error) {
 	}
 
 	return &pkg.Package{
-		Name:     selectName(manifest, j.fileInfo),
-		Version:  selectVersion(manifest, j.fileInfo),
-		Language: pkg.Java,
-		Type:     pkg.JavaPkg,
+		Name:         selectName(manifest, j.fileInfo),
+		Version:      selectVersion(manifest, j.fileInfo),
+		Language:     pkg.Java,
+		Type:         pkg.JavaPkg,
+		MetadataType: pkg.JavaMetadataType,
 		Metadata: pkg.JavaMetadata{
 			Manifest: manifest,
 		},
@@ -177,10 +178,11 @@ func (j *archiveParser) discoverPkgsFromPomProperties(parentPkg *pkg.Package) ([
 
 				// discovered props = new package
 				p := pkg.Package{
-					Name:     propsObj.ArtifactID,
-					Version:  propsObj.Version,
-					Language: pkg.Java,
-					Type:     pkg.JavaPkg,
+					Name:         propsObj.ArtifactID,
+					Version:      propsObj.Version,
+					Language:     pkg.Java,
+					Type:         pkg.JavaPkg,
+					MetadataType: pkg.JavaMetadataType,
 					Metadata: pkg.JavaMetadata{
 						PomProperties: propsObj,
 						Parent:        parentPkg,
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json.go b/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json.go
index 83642e451..01d3fe7ba 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json.go
@@ -38,12 +38,13 @@ func parsePackageJSON(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
 		}
 
 		packages = append(packages, pkg.Package{
-			Name:     p.Name,
-			Version:  p.Version,
-			Licenses: []string{p.License},
-			Language: pkg.JavaScript,
-			Type:     pkg.NpmPkg,
-			Metadata: pkg.NpmMetadata{
+			Name:         p.Name,
+			Version:      p.Version,
+			Licenses:     []string{p.License},
+			Language:     pkg.JavaScript,
+			Type:         pkg.NpmPkg,
+			MetadataType: pkg.NpmPackageJsonMetadataType,
+			Metadata: pkg.NpmPackageJsonMetadata{
 				Author:   p.Author,
 				Homepage: p.Homepage,
 			},
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json_test.go b/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json_test.go
index f8e7b92fb..f5fe044f4 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json_test.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/javascript/parse_package_json_test.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ func TestParsePackageJSON(t *testing.T) {
 		Type:     pkg.NpmPkg,
 		Licenses: []string{"Artistic-2.0"},
 		Language: pkg.JavaScript,
-		Metadata: pkg.NpmMetadata{
+		Metadata: pkg.NpmPackageJsonMetadata{
 			Author:   "Isaac Z. Schlueter <i@izs.me> (http://blog.izs.me)",
 			Homepage: "https://docs.npmjs.com/",
 		},
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/cataloger.go b/syft/cataloger/python/index_cataloger.go
similarity index 61%
rename from syft/cataloger/python/cataloger.go
rename to syft/cataloger/python/index_cataloger.go
index 65faac0b1..620892b22 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/python/cataloger.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/index_cataloger.go
@@ -7,16 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/cataloger/common"
 )
 
-// NewPythonPackageCataloger returns a new cataloger for python packages within egg or wheel installation directories.
-func NewPythonPackageCataloger() *common.GenericCataloger {
-	globParsers := map[string]common.ParserFn{
-		"**/*egg-info/PKG-INFO":  parseWheelOrEggMetadata,
-		"**/*dist-info/METADATA": parseWheelOrEggMetadata,
-	}
-
-	return common.NewGenericCataloger(nil, globParsers, "python-package-cataloger")
-}
-
 // NewPythonIndexCataloger returns a new cataloger for python packages referenced from poetry lock files, requirements.txt files, and setup.py files.
 func NewPythonIndexCataloger() *common.GenericCataloger {
 	globParsers := map[string]common.ParserFn{
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/package_cataloger.go b/syft/cataloger/python/package_cataloger.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ecf97c214
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/package_cataloger.go
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package python
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/file"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
+)
+
+const wheelGlob = "**/*dist-info/METADATA"
+
+type PackageCataloger struct {
+	globs []string
+}
+
+// NewPythonPackageCataloger returns a new cataloger for python packages within egg or wheel installation directories.
+func NewPythonPackageCataloger() *PackageCataloger {
+	//globParsers := map[string]common.ParserFn{
+	//	"**/*egg-info/PKG-INFO":  parseWheelOrEggMetadata,
+	//	"**/*dist-info/METADATA": parseWheelOrEggMetadata,
+	//}
+
+	return &PackageCataloger{}
+}
+
+func (c *PackageCataloger) Name() string {
+	return "python-package-cataloger"
+}
+
+func (c *PackageCataloger) Catalog(resolver scope.Resolver) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
+	return c.catalogWheels(resolver)
+}
+
+func (c *PackageCataloger) catalogWheels(resolver scope.Resolver) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
+	fileMatches, err := resolver.FilesByGlob(wheelGlob)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to find files by glob: %s", wheelGlob)
+	}
+
+	var pkgs []pkg.Package
+	for _, ref := range fileMatches {
+		p, err := c.catalogWheel(resolver, ref)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to catalog python wheel=%+v: %w", ref.Path, err)
+		}
+		pkgs = append(pkgs, p)
+	}
+	return pkgs, nil
+}
+
+func (c *PackageCataloger) catalogWheel(resolver scope.Resolver, wheelRef file.Reference) (pkg.Package, error) {
+	// we've been given a file reference to a specific wheel METADATA file. note: this may be for a directory
+	// or for an image... for an image the METADATA file may be present within multiple layers, so it is important
+	// to reconcile the RECORD path to the same layer (or the next adjacent lower layer).
+	recordPath := filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(string(wheelRef.Path)), "RECORD")
+
+	// problem! we don't know which is the right discovered path relative to the given METADATA file! (which layer?)
+	discoveredPaths, err := resolver.FilesByPath(file.Path(recordPath))
+
+}
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/package_cataloger_test.go b/syft/cataloger/python/package_cataloger_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..09fc376c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/package_cataloger_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+package python
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
+	"github.com/go-test/deep"
+)
+
+func TestPythonPackageCataloger(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		Fixture          string
+		ExpectedMetadata []pkg.Package
+	}{
+		{
+			Fixture: "test-fixtures/",
+			ExpectedMetadata: []pkg.Package{
+				{
+					Name:         "requests",
+					Version:      "2.22.0",
+					Type:         pkg.PythonPkg,
+					Language:     pkg.Python,
+					Licenses:     []string{"Apache 2.0"},
+					MetadataType: pkg.PythonEggWheelMetadataType,
+					Metadata: pkg.EggWheelMetadata{
+						Name:        "requests",
+						Version:     "2.22.0",
+						License:     "Apache 2.0",
+						Platform:    "UNKNOWN",
+						Author:      "Kenneth Reitz",
+						AuthorEmail: "me@kennethreitz.org",
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					Name:         "Pygments",
+					Version:      "2.6.1",
+					Type:         pkg.PythonPkg,
+					Language:     pkg.Python,
+					Licenses:     []string{"BSD License"},
+					MetadataType: pkg.PythonEggWheelMetadataType,
+					Metadata: pkg.EggWheelMetadata{
+						Name:        "Pygments",
+						Version:     "2.6.1",
+						License:     "BSD License",
+						Platform:    "any",
+						Author:      "Georg Brandl",
+						AuthorEmail: "georg@python.org",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.Fixture, func(t *testing.T) {
+			fixture, err := os.Open(test.Fixture)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("failed to open fixture: %+v", err)
+			}
+
+			actual, err := parseWheelOrEggMetadata(fixture.Name(), fixture)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("failed to parse python package: %+v", err)
+			}
+
+			for _, d := range deep.Equal(actual, &test.ExpectedMetadata) {
+				t.Errorf("diff: %+v", d)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_requirements_test.go b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_requirements_test.go
index a5c0f79bf..230bb69ae 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_requirements_test.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_requirements_test.go
@@ -4,9 +4,32 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/go-test/deep"
+
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
 )
 
+func assertPackagesEqual(t *testing.T, actual []pkg.Package, expected map[string]pkg.Package) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if len(actual) != len(expected) {
+		for _, a := range actual {
+			t.Log("   ", a)
+		}
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected package count: %d!=%d", len(actual), len(expected))
+	}
+
+	for _, a := range actual {
+		expectedPkg, ok := expected[a.Name]
+		if !ok {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected package found: '%s'", a.Name)
+		}
+
+		for _, d := range deep.Equal(a, expectedPkg) {
+			t.Errorf("diff: %+v", d)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestParseRequirementsTxt(t *testing.T) {
 	expected := map[string]pkg.Package{
 		"foo": {
@@ -34,6 +57,6 @@ func TestParseRequirementsTxt(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("failed to parse requirements: %+v", err)
 	}
 
-	assertPkgsEqual(t, actual, expected)
+	assertPackagesEqual(t, actual, expected)
 
 }
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_setup_test.go b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_setup_test.go
index 7369c42a4..4abf6359c 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_setup_test.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_setup_test.go
@@ -55,6 +55,6 @@ func TestParseSetup(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("failed to parse requirements: %+v", err)
 	}
 
-	assertPkgsEqual(t, actual, expected)
+	assertPackagesEqual(t, actual, expected)
 
 }
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go
index c678a7c71..37994ffec 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go
@@ -6,16 +6,14 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/cataloger/common"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure"
+
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
 )
 
-// integrity check
-var _ common.ParserFn = parseWheelOrEggMetadata
-
 // parseWheelOrEggMetadata takes a Python Egg or Wheel (which share the same format and values for our purposes),
 // returning all Python packages listed.
-func parseWheelOrEggMetadata(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
+func parseWheelOrEggMetadata(_ string, reader io.Reader) (*pkg.EggWheelMetadata, error) {
 	fields := make(map[string]string)
 	var key string
 
@@ -64,16 +62,11 @@ func parseWheelOrEggMetadata(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error)
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse python wheel/egg: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	p := pkg.Package{
-		Name:     fields["Name"],
-		Version:  fields["Version"],
-		Language: pkg.Python,
-		Type:     pkg.PythonPkg,
+	var metadata pkg.EggWheelMetadata
+
+	if err := mapstructure.Decode(fields, &metadata); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to parse APK metadata: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	if license, ok := fields["License"]; ok && license != "" {
-		p.Licenses = []string{license}
-	}
-
-	return []pkg.Package{p}, nil
+	return &metadata, nil
 }
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_test.go b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_test.go
index 829dd49c0..3b2eae754 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_test.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_test.go
@@ -5,89 +5,54 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
+	"github.com/go-test/deep"
 )
 
-func assertPkgsEqual(t *testing.T, actual []pkg.Package, expected map[string]pkg.Package) {
-	t.Helper()
-	if len(actual) != len(expected) {
-		for _, a := range actual {
-			t.Log("   ", a)
-		}
-		t.Fatalf("unexpected package count: %d!=%d", len(actual), len(expected))
-	}
-
-	for _, a := range actual {
-		expectedPkg, ok := expected[a.Name]
-		if !ok {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected package found: '%s'", a.Name)
-		}
-
-		if expectedPkg.Version != a.Version {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected package version: '%s'", a.Version)
-		}
-
-		if a.Language != expectedPkg.Language {
-			t.Errorf("bad language: '%+v'", a.Language)
-		}
-
-		if a.Type != expectedPkg.Type {
-			t.Errorf("bad package type: %+v", a.Type)
-		}
-
-		if len(a.Licenses) < len(expectedPkg.Licenses) {
-			t.Errorf("bad package licenses count: '%+v'", a.Licenses)
-		}
-		if len(a.Licenses) > 0 {
-			if a.Licenses[0] != expectedPkg.Licenses[0] {
-				t.Errorf("bad package licenses: '%+v'", a.Licenses)
-			}
-		}
-
-	}
-}
-
 func TestParseEggMetadata(t *testing.T) {
-	expected := map[string]pkg.Package{
-		"requests": {
-			Name:     "requests",
-			Version:  "2.22.0",
-			Language: pkg.Python,
-			Type:     pkg.PythonPkg,
-			Licenses: []string{"Apache 2.0"},
+	tests := []struct {
+		Fixture          string
+		ExpectedMetadata pkg.EggWheelMetadata
+	}{
+		{
+			Fixture: "test-fixtures/egg-info/PKG-INFO",
+			ExpectedMetadata: pkg.EggWheelMetadata{
+				Name:        "requests",
+				Version:     "2.22.0",
+				License:     "Apache 2.0",
+				Platform:    "UNKNOWN",
+				Author:      "Kenneth Reitz",
+				AuthorEmail: "me@kennethreitz.org",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			Fixture: "test-fixtures/dist-info/METADATA",
+			ExpectedMetadata: pkg.EggWheelMetadata{
+				Name:        "Pygments",
+				Version:     "2.6.1",
+				License:     "BSD License",
+				Platform:    "any",
+				Author:      "Georg Brandl",
+				AuthorEmail: "georg@python.org",
+			},
 		},
 	}
-	fixture, err := os.Open("test-fixtures/egg-info/PKG-INFO")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to open fixture: %+v", err)
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.Fixture, func(t *testing.T) {
+			fixture, err := os.Open(test.Fixture)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("failed to open fixture: %+v", err)
+			}
+
+			actual, err := parseWheelOrEggMetadata(fixture.Name(), fixture)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("failed to parse egg-info: %+v", err)
+			}
+
+			for _, d := range deep.Equal(actual, &test.ExpectedMetadata) {
+				t.Errorf("diff: %+v", d)
+			}
+		})
 	}
 
-	actual, err := parseWheelOrEggMetadata(fixture.Name(), fixture)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to parse egg-info: %+v", err)
-	}
-
-	assertPkgsEqual(t, actual, expected)
-}
-
-func TestParseWheelMetadata(t *testing.T) {
-	expected := map[string]pkg.Package{
-		"Pygments": {
-			Name:     "Pygments",
-			Version:  "2.6.1",
-			Language: pkg.Python,
-			Type:     pkg.PythonPkg,
-			Licenses: []string{"BSD License"},
-		},
-	}
-	fixture, err := os.Open("test-fixtures/dist-info/METADATA")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to open fixture: %+v", err)
-	}
-
-	actual, err := parseWheelOrEggMetadata(fixture.Name(), fixture)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to parse dist-info: %+v", err)
-	}
-
-	assertPkgsEqual(t, actual, expected)
 }
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb.go b/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb.go
index 1fcf5e12a..efebae2a4 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb.go
@@ -52,8 +52,9 @@ func parseRpmDB(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
 			Name:    entry.Name,
 			Version: fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", entry.Version, entry.Release), // this is what engine does
 			//Version: fmt.Sprintf("%d:%s-%s.%s", entry.Epoch, entry.Version, entry.Release, entry.Arch),
-			Type: pkg.RpmPkg,
-			Metadata: pkg.RpmMetadata{
+			Type:         pkg.RpmPkg,
+			MetadataType: pkg.RpmdbMetadataType,
+			Metadata: pkg.RpmdbMetadata{
 				Name:      entry.Name,
 				Version:   entry.Version,
 				Epoch:     entry.Epoch,
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb_test.go b/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb_test.go
index 2a4100f94..586961759 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb_test.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/rpmdb/parse_rpmdb_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 package rpmdb
 
 import (
-	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
-	"github.com/go-test/deep"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
+	"github.com/go-test/deep"
 )
 
 func TestParseRpmDB(t *testing.T) {
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ func TestParseRpmDB(t *testing.T) {
 			Name:    "dive",
 			Version: "0.9.2-1",
 			Type:    pkg.RpmPkg,
-			Metadata: pkg.RpmMetadata{
+			Metadata: pkg.RpmdbMetadata{
 				Name:      "dive",
 				Epoch:     0,
 				Arch:      "x86_64",
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/ruby/parse_gemspec.go b/syft/cataloger/ruby/parse_gemspec.go
index 7fe310265..e8f33f56d 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/ruby/parse_gemspec.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/ruby/parse_gemspec.go
@@ -96,12 +96,13 @@ func parseGemSpecEntries(_ string, reader io.Reader) ([]pkg.Package, error) {
 		}
 
 		pkgs = append(pkgs, pkg.Package{
-			Name:     metadata.Name,
-			Version:  metadata.Version,
-			Licenses: metadata.Licenses,
-			Language: pkg.Ruby,
-			Type:     pkg.GemPkg,
-			Metadata: metadata,
+			Name:         metadata.Name,
+			Version:      metadata.Version,
+			Licenses:     metadata.Licenses,
+			Language:     pkg.Ruby,
+			Type:         pkg.GemPkg,
+			MetadataType: pkg.GemMetadataType,
+			Metadata:     metadata,
 		})
 	}
 
diff --git a/syft/pkg/egg_wheel_metadata.go b/syft/pkg/egg_wheel_metadata.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..958257469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syft/pkg/egg_wheel_metadata.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+package pkg
+
+// EggWheelMetadata represents all captured data for a python egg or wheel package.
+type EggWheelMetadata struct {
+	Name        string `json:"name" mapstruct:"Name"`
+	Version     string `json:"version" mapstruct:"Version"`
+	License     string `json:"license" mapstruct:"License"`
+	Author      string `json:"author" mapstruct:"Author"`
+	AuthorEmail string `json:"authorEmail" mapstruct:"Author-email"`
+	Platform    string `json:"platform" mapstruct:"Platform"`
+}
diff --git a/syft/pkg/metadata.go b/syft/pkg/metadata.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..280e0951b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syft/pkg/metadata.go
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+package pkg
+
+type MetadataType string
+
+const (
+	UnknownMetadataType        MetadataType = "UnknownMetadata"
+	ApkMetadataType            MetadataType = "apk-metadata"
+	DpkgMetadataType           MetadataType = "dpkg-metadata"
+	GemMetadataType            MetadataType = "gem-metadata"
+	JavaMetadataType           MetadataType = "java-metadata"
+	NpmPackageJsonMetadataType MetadataType = "npm-package-json-metadata"
+	RpmdbMetadataType          MetadataType = "rpmdb-metadata"
+	PythonEggWheelMetadataType MetadataType = "python-egg-wheel-metadata"
+)
diff --git a/syft/pkg/npm_metadata.go b/syft/pkg/npm_metadata.go
index af683120b..705de1486 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/npm_metadata.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/npm_metadata.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package pkg
 
-// NpmMetadata holds extra information that is used in pkg.Package
-type NpmMetadata struct {
+// NpmPackageJsonMetadata holds extra information that is used in pkg.Package
+type NpmPackageJsonMetadata struct {
 	Name        string   `mapstructure:"name" json:"name"`
 	Version     string   `mapstructure:"version" json:"version"`
 	Files       []string `mapstructure:"files" json:"files"`
diff --git a/syft/pkg/package.go b/syft/pkg/package.go
index c84b26fb5..c3224a07f 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/package.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/package.go
@@ -23,10 +23,11 @@ type Package struct {
 	FoundBy string           `json:"foundBy"`  // the specific cataloger that discovered this package
 	Source  []file.Reference `json:"sources"`  // the locations that lead to the discovery of this package (note: this is not necessarily the locations that make up this package)
 	// TODO: should we move licenses into metadata?
-	Licenses []string    `json:"licenses"`           // licenses discovered with the package metadata
-	Language Language    `json:"language"`           // the language ecosystem this package belongs to (e.g. JavaScript, Python, etc)
-	Type     Type        `json:"type"`               // the package type (e.g. Npm, Yarn, Egg, Wheel, Rpm, Deb, etc)
-	Metadata interface{} `json:"metadata,omitempty"` // additional data found while parsing the package source
+	Licenses     []string     `json:"licenses"`           // licenses discovered with the package metadata
+	Language     Language     `json:"language"`           // the language ecosystem this package belongs to (e.g. JavaScript, Python, etc)
+	Type         Type         `json:"type"`               // the package type (e.g. Npm, Yarn, Python, Rpm, Deb, etc)
+	MetadataType MetadataType `json:"metadataType"`       // the shape of the additional data in the "metadata" field
+	Metadata     interface{}  `json:"metadata,omitempty"` // additional data found while parsing the package source
 }
 
 // ID returns the package ID, which is unique relative to a package catalog.
diff --git a/syft/pkg/package_test.go b/syft/pkg/package_test.go
index 94cdfcfc6..471fe06f7 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/package_test.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/package_test.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestPackage_pURL(t *testing.T) {
 				Name:    "bad-name",
 				Version: "bad-v0.1.0",
 				Type:    RpmPkg,
-				Metadata: RpmMetadata{
+				Metadata: RpmdbMetadata{
 					Name:    "name",
 					Version: "v0.1.0",
 					Epoch:   2,
diff --git a/syft/pkg/rpm_metadata.go b/syft/pkg/rpmdb_metadata.go
similarity index 80%
rename from syft/pkg/rpm_metadata.go
rename to syft/pkg/rpmdb_metadata.go
index fed840d1b..85b7d9bda 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/rpm_metadata.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/rpmdb_metadata.go
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/package-url/packageurl-go"
 )
 
-// RpmMetadata represents all captured data for a RPM DB package entry.
-type RpmMetadata struct {
+// RpmdbMetadata represents all captured data for a RPM DB package entry.
+type RpmdbMetadata struct {
 	Name      string `json:"name"`
 	Version   string `json:"version"`
 	Epoch     int    `json:"epoch"`
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ type RpmMetadata struct {
 	Vendor    string `json:"vendor"`
 }
 
-func (m RpmMetadata) PackageURL(d distro.Distro) string {
+func (m RpmdbMetadata) PackageURL(d distro.Distro) string {
 	pURL := packageurl.NewPackageURL(
 		packageurl.TypeRPM,
 		d.Type.String(),
diff --git a/syft/pkg/rpm_metadata_test.go b/syft/pkg/rpmdb_metadata_test.go
similarity index 92%
rename from syft/pkg/rpm_metadata_test.go
rename to syft/pkg/rpmdb_metadata_test.go
index 8b1c99d81..a38eaec05 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/rpm_metadata_test.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/rpmdb_metadata_test.go
@@ -1,22 +1,23 @@
 package pkg
 
 import (
+	"testing"
+
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
 	"github.com/sergi/go-diff/diffmatchpatch"
-	"testing"
 )
 
 func TestRpmMetadata_pURL(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		distro   distro.Distro
-		metadata RpmMetadata
+		metadata RpmdbMetadata
 		expected string
 	}{
 		{
 			distro: distro.Distro{
 				Type: distro.CentOS,
 			},
-			metadata: RpmMetadata{
+			metadata: RpmdbMetadata{
 				Name:    "p",
 				Version: "v",
 				Arch:    "a",
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ func TestRpmMetadata_pURL(t *testing.T) {
 			distro: distro.Distro{
 				Type: distro.RedHat,
 			},
-			metadata: RpmMetadata{
+			metadata: RpmdbMetadata{
 				Name:    "p",
 				Version: "v",
 				Arch:    "a",
diff --git a/syft/presenter/cyclonedx/presenter_test.go b/syft/presenter/cyclonedx/presenter_test.go
index 2b3536866..d600d5309 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/cyclonedx/presenter_test.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/cyclonedx/presenter_test.go
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@ package cyclonedx
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"flag"
-	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/imagetest"
-	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
 	"regexp"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/imagetest"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
+
 	"github.com/anchore/go-testutils"
 	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/file"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ func TestCycloneDxImgsPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		Type:    pkg.RpmPkg,
 		FoundBy: "the-cataloger-1",
-		Metadata: pkg.RpmMetadata{
+		Metadata: pkg.RpmdbMetadata{
 			Name:      "package1",
 			Epoch:     0,
 			Arch:      "x86_64",
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ func TestCycloneDxImgsPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 			"MIT",
 			"Apache-v2",
 		},
-		Metadata: pkg.RpmMetadata{
+		Metadata: pkg.RpmdbMetadata{
 			Name:      "package2",
 			Epoch:     0,
 			Arch:      "x86_64",