The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the Museum Act 1969.The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-opened on 21 November 2020 in the Perth Cultural Centre. The other sites are: the WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle, the Museum of the Great Southern in Albany, the Museum of Geraldton in Geraldton, and the Museum of the Goldfields in Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
The tribe Aradellini Wygodzinsky & Usinger, 1963 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Holoptilinae) has been traditionally considered as the earliest diverging tribe of the feather-legged assassin bugs, lacking many of the diagnostic characters of the rest of the subfamily. These include the lack of the long antennal and hind-tibial setae, as well as the absence of the abdominal trichome - a glandular structure fundamental to prey interactions in the more derived Holoptilini Lepeletier & Serville, 1825. Here, we describe a new monotypic genus, Aratrichous anacomosus gen. et sp. nov., which shares synapomorphies with members of Aradellini, yet starkly contrasts the tribe's diagnosis by having a distinct abdominal trichome. This trichome occurs in all instars and in both sexes; although incomplete in the first instar, it is fully developed in later stages. Phylogenomic analysis confirms this new species as sister taxon to the remaining Aradellini and places the tribe as a derived lineage within Holoptilini and as sister group to other endemic Australian genera, thereby refuting the long-held assumption that Aradellini represent the earliest diverging lineage of the entire subfamily. Consequently, we here synonymize Aradellini with Holoptilini sensu nov. and present a revised diagnosis for the tribe that includes characters pertaining to forewing venation, vestiture and trichome presence. Furthermore, within the Australian Holoptilinae, our findings suggest: a secondary loss of the trichome; a replacement of elongate setae with short teardrop-shaped setae; and a pronounced broadening of the antennae. We hypothesize that these morphological shifts reflect an adaptive transition toward a more myrmecophilous lifestyle, in contrast to the interceptive predatory strategies typical of other Holoptilinae. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0FFCE963-EEA5-48A9-BFAE-1E86189FC4CC
The majority of species in Australia's most diverse vertebrate genus Ctenotus Storr were diagnosed and described based on morphological data prior to the wide availability of molecular phylogenetic data to interpret taxonomic relationships and boundaries. The C. labillardieri (Duméril & Bibron) species group comprises seven taxa endemic to the biodiversity hotspot of southwestern Western Australia. A recent analysis provided a phylogeny for most species in this group and described a range-restricted species of immediate conservation concern. However, that study was unable to examine the molecular divergence of the species C. delli Storr due to a lack of tissue samples. Newly available samples allowed us to examine the taxonomic distinctiveness of this species and C. catenifer Storr which is very similar in morphology. Our combined molecular and morphological analyses show these two species to be conspecific. Therefore, we designate the name C. catenifer a junior synonym of C. delli and provide a redescription and revised diagnosis of a single morphologically variable species.
The Labroides phthirophagus Randall, 1958 and Labroides bicolor Fowler & Bean, 1928 species complexes of cleaner wrasses are reviewed. The former comprises three colourful, phylogenetically intractable species confined to tropical coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific, viz., Labroides phthirophagus from the Hawaiian Islands, Labroides rubrolabiatus Randall, 1958 from the central and southeastern Pacific, and Labroides pectoralis Randall & Springer, 1975 from the western Pacific. Our phylogenomic analysis of genome-wide ultraconserved elements and mitochondrial DNA resolves four taxa within this complex, with one taxon, Labroides flammulatus, new species, described as a new, cryptic species from the eastern Indian Ocean. Labroides flammulatus, new species, is described on the basis of eight specimens, the holotype and four paratypes from Christmas Island, and three paratypes from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. A second species, Labroides inopinatus, new species, is described on the basis of six specimens, the holotype and two paratypes from Flora Reef, Coral Sea, and one paratype each from the Izu Oceanic Park in Japan, Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea, and Boulari Pass in New Caledonia. Labroides inopinatus, new species, appears to be widespread across the western Pacific but is restricted to deep mesophotic coral reefs below 40 m. The new species is highly distinctive and appears to be only distantly related to Labroides bicolor. The recent synonymy of Larabicus quadrilineatus within Labroides is corroborated by morphological and phylogenomic evidence, and the species is reinstated as Labroides quadrilineatus (R & uuml;ppell, 1835), following the historical combination first established by G & uuml;nther in the nineteenth century. New ecological and field observations are provided for Labroides, and phylogenetic relationships for the new species, congeneric species of Labroides, and related genera of labrichthyine wrasses are explored. Labroides is rediagnosed and a key to species is provided.
Molecular data are widely used to resolve complex phylogenetic relationships between cryptic species, particularly in cases where morphological features are insufficient to confirm taxonomic distinctness. For benthic shallow-water octopuses, several successes and failures have been reported when attempting to delineate species using individual nuclear or mitochondrial markers. In this study, we investigated the potential of shallow random shotgun sequencing to assess the phylogenetic placement of an undescribed southern hemisphere lineage within the Octopus vulgaris species complex, which could not be conclusively delimited using single-marker approaches. A total of 338 nuclear loci, along with complete mitochondrial genomes, were generated for two specimens presently classified as Octopus vulgaris (Type III) that originated from the southeastern Atlantic coast of South Africa and Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean. Our combined phylogenomic approach reveals that this lineage is genetically distinct from O. vulgaris sensu stricto (ss) from the Mediterranean and the northeast Atlantic, as well as from the closely related O. sinensis from East Asia. A further separation of O. vulgaris (Type III) into distinct South African and Amsterdam Island lineages cannot be proven. These findings add to the growing body of evidence that supports O. vulgaris Type III as a genetically distinct lineage within the O. vulgaris species complex, and emphasise that the taxonomic classification of this southern hemisphere lineage warrants re-evaluation.
ABSTRACT Submarine canyons are globally recognized as biodiversity hotspots, yet logistical challenges in accessing deep‐sea environments hinder comprehensive surveys of their biota. This study presents the first extensive environmental DNA (eDNA) survey of the Cape Range and Cloates submarine canyons in the East Indian Ocean, integrating eDNA metabarcoding, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) imagery, and specimen collection to develop curated DNA reference sequences. Two metabarcoding assays (COI Leray and 16S Fish) were applied to 178 ten‐liter water samples collected across 5 depths: surface, 200, 500, 1000 m, and bottom (1750–4540 m). These assays detected 226 species spanning 126 families, with each canyon revealing unique species. Notably, our study identified 83 putative new records or range extensions, including a range extension for the sleeper shark (Somniosus) and the elusive giant squid (Architeuthis dux), and the first Western Australian record of the faceless cusk eel (Typhlonus nasus). We also detected deep‐diving mammals, including the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris). Our results revealed strong assay‐specific differences in vertical stratification patterns, with clear depth‐related signals in the COI Leray dataset and weaker, broad‐scale separation in the 16S Fish dataset. These disparities likely reflect the biological characteristics of the target taxa for each assay, as well as the dynamic nature of submarine canyons influencing vertical mixing. Together, these findings highlight the complexity of interpreting spatial biodiversity patterns using eDNA and the necessity of considering biological, ecological, and physical context of both target taxa and environment in future studies. Our work demonstrates the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding in exploring submarine canyon biodiversity and its potential for characterizing biodiversity in unexplored deep‐sea habitats. The implementation of eDNA metabarcoding in deep‐sea research shows promise as a tool for establishing ecological baselines and informing conservation practices as growing anthropogenic pressures threaten these unique ecosystems.
