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

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Western Australian Museum–
Science and Culture
In July Mark Harvey organised a symposium session on short-range endemism in the Australian
biota at a conference of the Society of Australian Systematic Biologists and the Australasian
Evolution Society in Melbourne; his keynote address on the topic started the symposium.
In December Bill Humphreys presented a paper (jointly) at the 5th Invertebrate Biodiversity and
Conservation Conference in Adelaide. At the same conference, Mark Harvey co-presented a
paper on arthropod diversity in Australia, in which it was estimated that more than 250,000
terrestrial arthropods occur in Australia, of which only 25 per cent are named.
In May Bill Humphreys was keynote speaker at the International Association of Hydrogeologists
conference, Darwin. He organised the first ever stygofauna session to that audience and gave
presentations to several natural history groups.
Terrestrial Vertebrates
A major departmental initiative during the year has been the establishment of FaunaBase, which
had its official launch on World Environment Day.
Handbook of the Birds of Western Australia, volume II, by Ron Johnstone is due for completion
within the year. The revised edition of the field guide Snakes of Western Australia is at galley
proof stage and will also be published before the end of the year. Work has begun on the first
Western Australian Field Guide to Mammals.
Text, specimens and images were provided for the new Geraldton Museum. Information and
specimens were also provided for the galleries at the new Maritime Museum.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2001–2002