30 Jun 2021New research discovering new species of fussy barnaclesThree new species have just been described as part of an ongoing research project between the WA Museum and Curtin University, which has been examining the diversity of a symbiotic group of barnacles found embedded in the tissues of sponges. There were approximately 20 named species of sponge-inhabiting barnacles in Australia and this latest publication from the project adds an additional six species to the Australian fauna, including the three new species.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
24 Aug 2020The tale (or tail) of an extraordinary marsupial Author: Dr Kenny J. Travouillon 24 August 2020Read more Blog entry Kenny Travouillon
12 Apr 2019New name for a tropical whip spongeBy Jane Fromont The enigmatic body shape of a tropical whip sponge collected in Western Australia has resulted in the creation of a new family and genus of sponges. The species was first described from Indonesia as Dendrilla lacunosa by Hentschel in 1912 and 100 years later found in abundance in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia during fieldwork funded by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI). This is where the puzzle begins.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
10 Aug 2018Australia's Diverse Sponge BarnaclesWhen people think of barnacles they normally picture a small, conical shell clinging to rocks at low tide or to ships’ hulls and normally thought of as being a nuisance. What most people don’t realise is that barnacles are crustaceans (so closely related to crabs and shrimps) that have specialised and adapted to almost every marine environment, from the depths of over 5000m to being exposed at low tide for hours a day.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
7 May 2018Unreliable colour patterns in seaslugsAs part of the Net Conservation Benefits Fund project, we have discovered 18 new species of Chromodoris nudibranch sea slugs. In our paper (Flexible colour patterns obscure identification and mimicry in Indo-Pacific Chromodoris nudibranchs; Mol. Phylo. Evol. 124, 27-36) we show that many of these new species have very similar colour patterns to already described species, which can be confusing when trying to identify species. This finding suggests that these colour patterns are not very reliable.Read more Blog entry Joel Huey
20 Apr 2018New book on the freshwater fishes of the KimberleyLast night saw the official launch of a new book on the freshwater fishes of the KimberleyRead more Blog entry Lintette Umbrello
13 Apr 2018Fresh lizard species out of Western AustraliaFour new species from the Kimberley and Pilbara have been described by teams led by Dr Paul Doughty, our WA Museum Herpetology Curator (reptiles and amphibians). Three new gecko species of the genus Gehyra from the Kimberley region (and one from the Northern territory) were discovered through the work. Detailed genetic analyses were conducted at the Australian National University (ANU), led by Professor Craig Moritz and a morphological study of specimens was carried out at the WA Museum led by Dr Doughty.Read more Blog entry Rebecca Bray
13 Apr 2017Creature Feature: Holy Crab! The crucifix crab Charybdis feriata (Linneaus, 1758)This large and colourful species of swimming crab is wide ranging in the tropical Indo-West Pacific from East Africa the Persian Gulf through to Indonesia and Japan, and throughout most of Australia. The crucifix crab lives in shallow sandy or rocky areas. In parts of its range, such as India, the crucifix crab forms a substantial commercial and recreational fishery but in Australia this species is quite rare and isn’t caught in large numbers by Australian crabbers.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum