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Articles on Taxonomy
Displaying 1 - 20 of 56 articles
Roughly 90% of species on Earth are believed to be undiscovered. Whether researchers will be able to identify them before they go extinct is unclear.
Millipede means ‘1,000 feet’, but until now the name was a bit of an exaggeration.
One of Australia’s largest groups of flower species is named after a wealthy British slave-trader. And Nazi memorabilia collectors have almost sent “Hitler’s beetle” extinct. It’s time for a change.
If scientific research is to take decolonization seriously, names for species should reflect this approach and consider the political, social and emotional implications.
To many people, Australia’s spider diversity is a source of fear. To arachnologists, it’s a goldmine, with most Australian spider species still yet to be discovered.
After more than 300 years of effort, scientists have documented fewer than one-third of Australia’s species. The remaining 70% are unknown, and essentially invisible, to science.
There are too many little-understood species for scientists to study them all. A new approach helps decide which ones to tackle first.
Deep ocean trenches are home to extraordinary biodiversity waiting to be discovered.
Māori treasure kiwi feathers for weaving cloaks for high-ranking people. But the bird’s first description by European scientists is quite recent, based on a specimen that arrived in London in 1812.
How scientists discovered the ‘Popa langur’ was a separate species of just 200 monkeys.
This stroke of serendipity shows how much there is still to be learned about the natural history of Australia. Surely more surprises are out there waiting for us.
There are fundamental knowledge gaps around coral in the Great Barrier Reef, including how many species live there and where they’re found. Our new study finally starts to fill those gaps.
From a Hugh Jackman-esque spider to honouring traditional Indigenous words, these species have memorable names.
A public debate recently erupted among global taxonomists. Strongly-worded ripostes were exchanged. A comparison to Stalin was floated. But eventually, they worked it out.
The sugar glider is an icon of the Australian bush. But discovering it’s actually three distinct species has big consequences for its conservation.
The Red List ranks species based on how threatened they are. But it can be inaccurate.
Scrapping the idea of a species is an extreme idea – but perhaps a good one.
The Victorian grassland earless dragon may well be the first lizard species driven to extinction on Australia’s mainland. But conservationists aren’t ready to declare it dead just yet.
There are more than 850 different species of eucalypts in Australia, and possibly many more we don’t know about.
Top contributors
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Adjunct Assoc. Professor, The University of Western Australia
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Senior lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, University of Bristol
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Senior Curator, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Museums Victoria
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Team Leader, Species Interactions, Atlas of Living Australia, UNSW Sydney
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Ecologist, University of Adelaide
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Director of Food Innovation, University of Adelaide
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Emeritus Professor, University of Cape Town
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Research scientist, Technical University Braunschweig
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Susan Lawler is a Friend of The Conversation.
Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University
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Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney
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Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide and Chief Botanist, State Herbarium of South Australia, University of Adelaide
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Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University
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ARC Australian Laureate Professor, University of Tasmania
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Endeavour Research Fellow, Post-doctoral scholar, UNSW Sydney
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Executive Officer, National Collections & Marine Infrastructure, CSIRO
