Annual Report 2001-2002 - Western Australian Museum - The ...

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Western Australian Museum–
Science and Culture
Terrestrial Invertebrates
A collection of more than 3,000 specimens representing most orders of insects was received
from Argyle Diamonds. The collection, from the Argyle mine site in the Kimberley, represents a
significant improvement to the Museum’s holdings from that region. A second significant addition
to the collections came from Mr Mark Golding of Beverley, who donated more than 1,900
specimens, mainly beetles.
Two volunteers, Otto Mueller and Nihara Gunawardene, provided valuable assistance on the
entomological collections during the year, re-traying and relabelling some older sections of the
collection and entering data on the computerised database.
Julianne Waldock, Research Associate Tom Karanovic and Bill Humphreys collected numerous
new species of stygofauna (animals confined to groundwater) in the Carnegie and Gascoyne
drainages, and Tom Karanovic collected stygofauna on Rottnest Island. As a result, 548 lots of
subterranean animals were added to the collection.
The entire arachnology collection was transferred to new compactus storage in the Museum’s
Francis Street Building. Numerous new type specimens were added to the collection resulting
from research published by Museum staff and by researchers based at international or other
Australian museums. In particular, more than 30 new holotypes of the spider family Lamponidae
were accessioned.
Terrestrial Vertebrates
A major initiative of the department was the development and launching of FaunaBase, which
for the first time provides online access to the Museum’s terrestrial vertebrate collections. The
creation of FaunaBase required a major validation of the digitally stored data in all primary
collection databases. Associated with FaunaBase is FaunaList, which provides an online checklist,
with annotations on associated taxonomy, of all Western Australian vertebrate species, common
names, statistical information, and whether the species is gazetted as ‘threatened’ or is extinct.
The department reorganised the storage area for spirit specimens in the Lower Basement to
accommodate more material previously held in laboratories. Several collaborative systematic
studies with international institutions in the United States and the South Australian Museum
have involved the exchange of specimens and tissues from the collections. All collections
continued to expand as a result of material and vouchers supplied by the public, government
departments and consultants. Valuable voucher specimens were received from Biota
Environmental Sciences from its Pilbara surveys and from Department of Conservation and
Land Management surveys in the Pilbara by Honorary Associate Peter Kendrick and in the
Eastern Goldfields by Mark Cowan.
KNOWLEDGE GENERATION
Anthropology
The department was largely occupied with research for developing exhibitions, particularly in
Geraldton. Moya Smith and Anna Edmundson conducted extensive consultations with Aboriginal
communities in the region to ensure appropriate representation in Geraldton’s new Mid West
Gallery.
Charles Dortch participated with members of the Albany Aboriginal Corporation and with staff
of the Department of Indigenous Affairs in a test excavation at one of the stone tidal weirs at
Oyster Harbour. He also carried out surveys of burnt bush in the Scott Coastal Plain and elsewhere
in the lower South West, with the aim of determining whether former open-air camps and other
Aboriginal sites have been exposed.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2001–2002