Friday 6 September 2024

The Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS) is pleased to announce 14 successful projects funded through the 2024-25 National Taxonomic Research Grant Program (NTRGP).

These projects will bolster the taxonomic capacity of Australia and to help complete our national biodiversity picture by naming, documenting and classifying Australia’s unique species.

Once published, the newly named species and taxonomic revisions will be made publicly available on the Australian National Species List (AuNSL), the go-to checklist for native and naturalised species.

The AuNSL strives to make biodiversity and taxonomic information freely accessible to support rapid and reliable decision-making by researchers, citizen scientists, conservationists and governments to better manage and protect species living in Australia.

On behalf of the ABRS, congratulations to the principal investigators and research teams of the successful 2024-25 NTRGP projects enhancing our understanding of Australia’s unique biodiversity.

Principal Investigator

Host Institution

Project Title

Volker Framenau

Murdoch University

Interactive key to the genera of Australian orb-weaving spiders (Araneidae)

Matthew Barrett

James Cook University

Taxonomic and phylogenomic revision of brown rot polypores (Fungi)

David Chapple

Monash University

Taxonomy of the skink genus Lerista (Scincidae) in Western Australia

Lisa Kirkendale

Western Australian Museum

Unifying Symbiodiniaceae taxonomy for meaningful biological interpretations

Russell Barrett

Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

A genomic solution for sword sedge taxonomy (Lepidosperma, Cyperaceae)

Paige Maroni

University of Western Australia

Chasms and connectivity: Linking deep-sea regions within Australia’s EEZ

Francis Nge

Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

A new phylogeny and taxonomic treatment of Halgania (Ehretiaceae)

Marina Cheng

University of New South Wales

Systematics and conservation of Myrtlemiris-Xasmasoma bugs

Michael Klunzinger

Griffith University

Describing new species & conservation of Australian freshwater mussels

Mollie-Rosae Slater-Baker

University of Adelaide

Taxonomy and systematics of rogadine parasitoid wasps in Australia

Nicholas Wee

Board of the Queensland Museum

Diversity of monorchiid trematodes in mullid fishes of Australia

Stephen Donnellan

Australian Museum Trust

Systematics of the Australian tree frogs of the Litoria bicolor group

Olivia Portman

University of Adelaide

Systematics of the parasitoid wasp subfamily Phygadeuontinae

Andreas Zwick

CSIRO Australian National Insect Collection

Uncovering hidden diversity: taxonomic revision of Australian Heliozelidae