Annual Report-2000-2001 - Western Australian Museum - The ...

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Jaya, Indonesia, run by Conservation International,
an organisation based in Washington, DC. Fred
examined the mollusc fauna, recording more than
600 species. As a result of this fieldwork, Conservation
International is making recommendations to the
governments of Indonesia and the Province of Irian
Jaya about protecting the area as a marine park.
Fred Wells continued his research on three projects
as part of the Woodside program: biology of the
mudwhelk genus Terebralia, feeding biology of the
intertidal seastar Astropecten, and systematics of
planktonic heteropod molluscs. All three are based
in the Dampier Archipelago. Fred also completed his
supervision of Corey Whisson, who received First-
Class Honours from Curtin University for his thesis on
the invertebrates of the Peel-Harvey estuary.
Diana Jones continued research on a collection of
deep-water cirripedes from the Muséum national
d’histoire naturelle, Paris, and a collection of
hydrothermal vent barnacles from the Senckenberg
Museum, Frankfurt, Germany. The former resulted
in a major publication on the barnacles of New
Caledonia, in which Diana describes a new subfamily,
four new genera, and 18 new species of deep-water
balanomorph barnacles. Diana also continued
fieldwork on the behaviour of the fiddler crab Uca
elegans on the back-flats of mangrove areas at the
Burrup Peninsula.
Barry Hutchins continued his long-term study of
tropical reef fish recruitment at Rottnest Island in
relation to the Leeuwin Current. Indications are that
the Leeuwin Current has returned to its more normal
pattern after the strong flow of the previous two
years.
While in South Africa attending the Conference on
Indo-Pacific Fishes in Durban, Barry Hutchins
undertook a survey of the reef fishes at Aliwal Shoal,
a large area of reefs 40 kilometres south of Durban,
with a similar fauna as that found at the Houtman
Western Australian Museum Annual Report 2000–2001
Western Australian Museum–
Science and Culture
Abrolhos. Barry Hutchins and Sue Morrison continued
research into the clingfish genus Alabes.
Shirley Slack-Smith continued research on the pectinid
(bivalve molluscs) collection in collaboration with
H. Dijkstra, Amsterdam. She also undertook a survey
of the Cape Leeuwin swamp population of the
endangered species of amphibious snail
Austroassiminea letha for the Water Corporation, and
surveyed and reported on sections of the Pilbara nonmarine
molluscan fauna near Whim Creek and in an
area of the Burrup Peninsula.
Jane Fromont and Sue Morrison undertook a field
expedition to examine the biota of the Carnarvon
jetty. This survey resulted in a report on the marine
invertebrate fauna and fish species that were found
beneath the 100-year-old jetty.
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Invertebrate Palaeontology and
Palaeobotany
Ken McNamara continued studies of Devonian
trilobite faunas from the Canning Basin, working with
PhD student and Research Associate Malte Ebach on
the harpetid trilobites. He also completed his study
of the ontogeny and heterochrony of the Early
Cambrian oryctocephalid trilobite Arthricocephalus,
with colleagues Zhou Zhiyi and Yu Feng from the
Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology,
China.
Other research included the completion of two
papers on Cretaceous serpulids from Western
Australia and an analysis of fossil echinoids from the
7th to 8th century archaeological site of Busayra in
Jordan. A new project on the developmental
mechanisms involved in postcephalic segmentation
in trilobites was commenced.
Research Associate George Kendrick undertook
research on Cenomanian bivalves from South India;