New species for 2011

Kimberley land snail Australocosmica augustae from Augustus Island.

Catch up with the most recent Australian discoveries over at the Australian Museum's website - 64 so far for 2011. They include species of snail, such as the Kimberley Land Snail as shown above, several species of frogs, shrimps and spiders.

While we're talking about new species, visit the International Institute for Species Exploration website for their Top Ten New Species 2011 (which is actually for the preceding year 2010).

New species of Monitor lizard discovered in The Philippines.

The Spirit House - where are they now?

(The) Spirit House has 50,000 bottles containing half a million specimens. They are used for reference. Some are seventy years old. By renewing spirit every few years they will keep indefinitely. Card index system makes them quickly accessible. Museum assistant examines python for identification and cataloging. Specimens are vital to work of museum in providing ready means of comparison and identification. Photo circa 1950s, taken at the Australian Museum.

So where are all these Australian Museum herpetology specimens now? What became of them?

Wouldn't it be fantastic if the Australian Museum could put together a display similar to that of the Grant Museum of Zoology? Now that would be something...

Australia's own 'wishing fish' - the Coelacanth

 

We didn't realise there was a Coelacanth on exhibit at the Australian Museum in Sydney! It looks like a beauty!

It was captured off the Comoros Islands, and purchased by the Trustees of the Australian Museum in 1965. The fish was transported to the Western Australian Museum by the US RV Atlantis, where it starred briefly in the Perth media. 

The fish was then sent by air to the Australian Museum. Once on display it became affectionately known as the 'wishing fish'. Visitors dropped coins through a small crack in the holding case of the tank and made a wish. Unfortunately after a time the coins discoloured the liquid in the tank, and the practice was stopped. The Coelacanth has been on display in several different exhibitions.

Researching the trade in Thylacine specimens

Tasmanian Tiger authority Kathryn Medlock has been researching the 19th century records at the Australian Museum Archives - and has also found time to appear in a Japanese documentary (above) on the Thylacine.

Recently the carefully preserved administrative records of the Australian Museum revealed new information to Medlock, who is the Senior Curator Vertebrate Zoology at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

Kathryn (a PhD candidate at the Australian National University) spent a week researching in the Australian Museum Archives. Kathryn found valuable information amongst the museum’s 19th century correspondence, exchange schedules, photographs and published material.

She is examining the collection and trade of the infamous thylacine (often referred to as the “Tasmanian tiger”). Whilst Museums continue to collect natural history specimens they no longer “trade” specimens to build their collections. Kathryn’s research will help the Museum understand the development of this change in Museum science.