Northern Australian Marine Invertebrate Catalogue

Between 2009 and 2012, Geoscience Australia conducted three marine surveys in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and Timor Sea. The resulting catalogue contains onboard photographs of identified benthic samples and taxonomic identification sheets for cross-referencing. Sponges were the only group fully identified, but include high proportions of unnamed or undescribed species.

Use Cases

• Cross-reference species images with location and depth data based on the included identification sheets.
• Study sponge biodiversity and undescribed species in the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve.
• Analyze benthic community composition from samples collected via sled deployments between 2009-2012.

Strengths

• Includes all onboard photographs from identified samples collected during three dedicated surveys.
• Provides taxonomic identification sheets linking species names and images to location and depth.
• Focuses on a specific, fully-identified group (sponges) with noted scientific novelty.

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/temporal bias inherent to the specific survey periods and locations.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Biological samples collected via benthic sled deployments on R.V. Solander surveys, sorted onboard, photographed, and sent to taxonomists for identification.

Time Range

2009-2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 09:35:27.857959; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and the Timor Sea, overlapping the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Northern Australia).