Everything you wanted to know about the Australian fauna: the on-line

Australian Fauna Directory

Andy AustinAustralian Centre for Evolutionary Biology & BiodiversityThe University of Adelaide

Alice Wells and Christy GerombouxAustralian Biological Resources StudyDepartment of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population & Communities, ACT

ABRS 2013 – Celebrating its 40th anniversary!

ABRS Printed CataloguesZoological Catalogues of Australia

• AFD was initiated in 2001

• Has grown slowly since then

• Expanded by ABRS staff and short-term contracts with researchers to complete specific groups

• In 2010 ABRS initiated a program to accelerated the AFD to bring it up to date

• Funding support from the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA)

• Oracle 11 database with two Java web applications (the editor and the public pages), and a web services layer

Australian Faunal Directory – History and Development

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Currently 118,834 species/subspecies;29,500 new species names added sine

June 2010, and a further 37,000 updated : 35% increase

Now more than 90%+ complete overall, and98%+ for terrestrial invertebrates

1. A taxonomic catalogue of all valid species names for the Australian fauna

2. Includes biological/ecological details for many groups

3. Co-operative effort by scientists and ABRS

4. Publicly accessible, free, maintained on an Australian Govt server

5. Online Editor for updating, controlled access

6. Allows for significant data analysis

www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/home

Search by name

Search by Group

The Checklist

Species information

Simple names list or complete catalogue CSV files (~Excel spreadsheet) Statistics Host-parasite or plant food lists Regional species lists (e.g. Lord Howe Is) Reference lists Potentially many more (Dist’n maps, images) BUT depends

on what data are available

Down-loads — Various forms

Generate statistics for any valid/accepted taxon

Generate host-parasite or food plant lists

Bibliographies (approx. 105,000 references)

Functions by:

• ABRS assignment of section (taxon) to compiler

• Compiler able to work anywhere with internet access

• Once finished, section assigned back to ABRS

• Checked by ABRS

• Copied to the AFD Public web app. (replaces earlier section)

• History of changes and compilers are stored in database

The on-line editor

OnychophoraArachnida

Hexapoda

Myriapoda

The Described Terrestrial Arthropod Fauna

(7,400 spp.)

(67,400 spp.)

(700 spp.)

(70 spp.)

Blattodea Orthoptera Thysanoptera

HemipteraNeuroptera

Coleoptera

Diptera

Trichoptera

Lepidoptera

Hymenoptera

Minor orders

23,800 spp.

8,500 spp.

10,800 spp.

5,700 spp..560 spp.

1,050 spp. 1,500 spp.

870 spp.

11,660 spp.

The Described Hexapod Fauna

1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 20000

5000

10000

15000

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25000

Total valid species for 5 major insect groups and mites in Australia

Year

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ames

Acari

Hemiptera

Lepidoptera

Hymenoptera

Coleoptera

Diptera

• Primary data for taxonomic research – history, literature, type depositories, etc

• Checking valid names (spelling) for Govt agencies (agriculture), biodiversity studies, journal editors, etc

• Biosecurity issues• Distributional data for ecological research,

conservation, etc

Applications of the AFD?First complete catalogue of a country/continental fauna

• Depends on systematics community support for data entry

• Perceived value to potential users including branches of Government

• Input of $$$$ from Government, possibly from users?

The future of AFD?

Acknowledgements

• ABRS staff Pam Beesley, Brigitte Kuchlmayr

• AFD contributors/compilers/referees

• ANBG/ABRS IT team

• Australian Government

• ALA for recent funding