Benthic Biota of Northern Australia: Specimens from 2012 Marine Survey

A biological survey collected 261 voucher specimens of benthic marine life during a transit between Darwin and Cairns from 15-24 October 2012. The program, conducted from the R.V. Southern Surveyor, used an ROV and benthic sled to focus on sessile invertebrates like sponges and corals for biodiversity and biodiscovery research. Sponges were the most abundant group collected, with approximately 139 kg of biomass and 93 voucher specimens.

Use Cases

• Analyze benthic community composition based on specimen counts and biomass data for sponges, cnidarians, and hard corals.
• Identify potential sources of marine natural products based on the collection of specimens for chemical screening.
• Study habitat distribution patterns based on descriptions of features like banks, terraces, and deep holes.
• Support biodiversity assessments in proposed marine protected areas based on sampling within the proposed Wessel Islands CMR.

Strengths

• Includes 261 voucher specimens with quantified biomass (e.g., ~139 kg of sponges).
• Sampling targeted specific, previously mapped geomorphic features (a bank and a terrace/hole).
• Specimens are allocated for specific downstream research (49 to ABL, large samples to NCI for bioactivity screening).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single, short-duration survey in 2012.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Biological sampling using an ROV and benthic sled from the R.V. Southern Surveyor.

Time Range

15-24 October 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:32:39.713506; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Marine areas between Darwin and Cairns, Northern Australia, including a bank and a terrace/hole feature within the proposed Wessel Islands CMR.