SS2012t07: Benthic Invertebrate Specimens from Northern Australia, 2012

261 voucher specimens of sessile invertebrates were collected in under 24 hours during a 2012 research voyage between Darwin and Cairns. The survey, conducted by Geoscience Australia, focused on sponges and octocorals for biodiversity and biodiscovery research, collecting approximately 139 kg of sponges and 30 kg of cnidarians. Specimens are intended for cancer and HIV drug screening, with samples lodged at the Australian Biological Library and the National Computational Infrastructure.

Use Cases

• Analyze species distribution and abundance based on the described bank and terrace/hole sampling areas.
• Identify potential sources of bioactive compounds for drug discovery based on the described specimen collection for cancer and HIV screening.
• Study benthic community structure based on the described dominance of sponges, octocorals, hard corals, and crinoids in different habitats.

Strengths

• Specimen collection is quantified with 261 vouchers and biomass measurements (e.g., ~139 kg of sponges).
• Sampling methodology is described, including use of an ROV and benthic sled across two distinct geographic areas.
• Explicit research aims for biodiversity and natural products research are stated.

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 the single 2012 survey.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Biological sampling using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and benthic sled during a research vessel transit.

Time Range

October 15-24, 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:07:54.424035; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Australia, specifically a transit between Darwin and Cairns, including a bank (Area I) and a terrace/hole feature within the proposed Wessel Islands CMR (Area II).