A revised taxonomy for Australian Teneropsis Chapin and Cregya Leconte (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Korynetinae)

The taxonomic status of Australian species presently assigned to the genera Teneropsis Chapin and Cregya LeConte is assessed. Two new genera are erected: Gnidmus gen. nov. for Gnidmus jocosus (Schenkling) comb. nov. (transferred from Teneropsis); Hautenerus gen. nov. for Hautenerus australicus (Lea) comb. nov. (transferred from Teneropsis), Haute - nerus kioloa (Kolibáć) comb. nov. (transferred from Cregya) and Hautenerus leichhardti sp. nov. The three previously described species are redescribed. The systematic position of these taxa is discussed. Additionally, Tarsostenus hilaris (Westwood) comb. nov. is transferred from Tarsostenosis Heller and a revised key to Australian genera of Korynetinae is provided. © The State of Queensland, Queensland Museum 2013.

Embedding Indigenous knowledges: An Australian case study of urban and remote teaching practicum

In this chapter we propose that there are certain conditions that enable the agency of pre-service teachers to enact curriculum decision-making within their pedagogical relationships with their supervising teachers as they endeavour to embed Indigenous knowledges (IK) during the teaching practicum. The case study, underpinned by decolonising methodologies, centred upon pre-service teacher preparation at one Australian university, where we investigated how role modelling in urban and remote schools occurred in the learning and teaching relationships between pre-service teachers on practicum and their supervising teachers. This chapter draws from an Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) sponsored project at one Australian university; a full report on this project has been documented (see McLaughlin, Whatman and Nielsen, 2014). We commence with a discussion of decolonising and critical pedagogical spaces as the conceptual framework for the embedding Indigenous knowledges and perspectives in curricula and pedagogy. Our focus then shifts to a contextual overview of the development of Indigenous Knowledges (IK) in Australian school and university curriculum, providing a standpoint from which to consider the unfolding case study.

A review of Australian Conescharellinidae (Bryozoa : Cheilostomata)

The family Conescharellinidae Levinsen is defined and is regarded as comprising seven cheilostome genera (Conescharellina, Bipora, Trochosodon, Flabellopora, Zeuglopora, Crucescharellina and Ptoboroa). The astogeny of colonies, that consists of frontally budded zooids with "reversed" orientation, is briefly described and compared between genera. The morphology of zooids and heterozooids is defined and keys to genera and Australian species are provided. Taxa that were first described from Australia or from reliable subsequent records are redescribed and illustrated where possible. Australian specimens that have been identified as non-Australian species, have generally been found to be distinct and are here redescribed as new species. Some non-Australian records of specimens previously assigned to Australian species have also been re-examined. These are described and sometimes referred to other taxa. Altogether, eight previously described species that have not been found in the present material are discussed and 27 taxa are described from collections, principally from the eastern and southern coasts of Australia and from the Tertiary of Victoria. Eighteen of these are considered to be new species. Where possible, type or at least topotype material of previously described species has been examined. Colonies from the collections of Museum Victoria (NMV) and the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH), have been examined. New species from Australia described here are: Conescharellina cognata, C. ecstasis, C. diffusa, C. obscura, C. stellata, C. plana, C. perculta, C. pustulosa, C. ocellata, C. macgillivrayi, C. humerus; Trochosodon fecundus, T. asymmetricus, T. diommatus, T. aster, T. anomalus, T. praecox and Crucescharellina australis. In addition, the New Zealand bryozoan Trochosodon multiarmatus (Gordon, 1989) (not Bipora multiarmata Maplestone, 1909) is described as Trochosodon gordoni sp. nov.

Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum : history and collections

A publication of works from the permanent collection and a history to mark the centenary of the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum. The photographs have been produced using superimposed exposures of polarised and non-polarised light; a technique for the optical and digital enhancement of colour saturation, reflection reduction and surface effects in reprography of painting developed by James McArdle.

From little things, big things grow: trends and fads in 110 years of Australian ornithology

Publishing histories can reveal changes in ornithological effort, focus or direction through time. This study presents a bibliometric content analysis of Emu (1901–2011) which revealed 115 trends (long-term changes in publication over time) and 18 fads (temporary increases in publication activity) from the classification of 9,039 articles using 128 codes organised into eight categories (author gender, author affiliation, article type, subject, main focus, main method, geographical scale and geographical location). Across 110 years, private authorship declined, while publications involving universities and multiple institutions increased; from 1960, female authorship increased. Over time, question-driven studies and incidental observations increased and decreased in frequency, respectively. Single species and ‘taxonomic group’ subjects increased while studies of birds at specific places decreased. The focus of articles shifted from species distribution and activities of the host organisation to breeding, foraging and other biological/ecological topics. Site- and Australian-continental-scales slightly decreased over time; non-Australian studies increased from the 1970s. A wide variety of fads occurred (e.g. articles on bird distribution, 1942–1951, and using museum specimens, 1906–1913) though the occurrence of fads decreased over time. Changes over time are correlated with technological, theoretical, social and institutional changes, and suggest ornithological priorities, like those of other scientific disciplines, are temporally labile

Teaching history in Australian museums: pedagogy and praxis

This research examines the work of museum educators who teach history to secondary students in ‘formal’ education programs in Australian museums. It challenges the dominant constructivist paradigm and proposes that educators use a history pedagogy model to actively engage students in the dynamic process of learning history in museums.

Detecting range shifts among Australian fishes in response to climate change

One of the most obvious and expected impacts of climate change is a shift in the distributional range of organisms, which could have considerable ecological and economic consequences. Australian waters are hotspots for climate-induced environmental changes; here, we review these potential changes and their apparent and potential implications for freshwater, estuarine and marine fish. Our meta-analysis detected 300 papers globally on 'fish' and 'range shifts', with ∼7% being from Australia. Of the Australian papers, only one study exhibited definitive evidence of climate-induced range shifts, with most studies focussing instead on future predictions. There was little consensus in the literature regarding the definition of 'range', largely because of populations having distributions that fluctuate regularly. For example, many marine populations have broad dispersal of offspring (causing vagrancy). Similarly, in freshwater and estuarine systems, regular environmental changes (e.g. seasonal, ENSO cycles not related to climate change) cause expansion and contraction of populations, which confounds efforts to detect range 'shifts'. We found that increases in water temperature, reduced freshwater flows and changes in ocean currents are likely to be the key drivers of climate-induced range shifts in Australian fishes. Although large-scale frequent and rigorous direct surveys of fishes across their entire distributional ranges, especially at range edges, will be essential to detect range shifts of fishes in response to climate change, we suggest careful co-opting of fisheries, museum and other regional databases as a potential, but imperfect alternative. © 2011 CSIRO Open Access.

Migration exhibitions and the question of identity: reflections on the history of the representation of migration in Australian museums, 1986-2011

Museums and Migration explores the ways in which museum spaces - local, regional, national - have engaged with the history of migration, including internal migration, emigration and immigration.

Museum exhibition practice: recent developments in Europe, Canada and Australia

'Permanent' museum exhibitions or galleries are usually planned for a life of seven to ten years, but not infrequently survive for thirty years or more. When change finally occurs, it addresses new approaches in ideology, disciplines, technology and fashion. This chapter surveys such shifts in transnational history and Aboriginal cultures presented in museums.

Climate-related spatial and temporal variation in bill morphology over the past century in Australian parrots

Aim: Allen's rule posits that the appendages of endothermic organisms will be larger in warmer climates to allow for dumping of heat loads. Given a link between appendage size and climate, we tested the prediction that climate change has driven the evolution of larger bills in birds, resulting in measurable changes over the recent past. Location: Australia. Methods: We explored geographical and temporal variation in bill surface area of five Australian parrot species to determine whether individuals from warmer climates have larger bills, and whether there have been increases in bill surface area over time, consistent with climatic warming. Measurements were obtained from museum specimens dating from 1871 to 2008. These data were then related to geographical location, collection date and locality-specific climate data, in order to construct and compare models of spatio-temporal and climate-related variation in bill morphology. Results: There have been increases in bill surface area in mulga parrots (Psephotus varius), gang-gang cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum), red-rumped parrots (Psephotus haematonotus) and male crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans), equating to a c. 4-10% increase in bill surface area since 1871. Average maximum summer temperature in the 5 years prior to specimen collection also positively predicted bill surface area in mulga parrots, red-rumped parrots and crimson rosellas, consistent with Allen's rule. With the exception of red-rumped parrots, however, models with geographical location and year of collection were still better predictors of bill surface area than local climate at the date of collection. Main conclusions: Our analysis provides evidence that four species of parrot have exhibited adaptive change in bills over the past century potentially mitigating the thermal stress caused by climatic warming. Although consistent with the predicted effects of climate change, the temporal patterns we observe may have additional causes, however, such as changes in primary productivity, habitat or food availability.