Polychaetes of Northern Australia: Species Identifications from 2009-2012 Surveys

Species identifications for polychaetes collected during four marine surveys on the RV Solander in northern Australia between 2009 and 2012. Specimens were collected via grab or boxcore, elutriated, and taxonomically identified by experts Chris Glasby and Charlotte Watson to the lowest possible level. The dataset is published by Geoscience Australia with support from the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Use Cases

• Analyzing species composition and diversity of polychaete communities based on survey locations and dates.
• Training taxonomic classification models based on expert-identified species and operational taxonomic units (OTUs).
• Studying benthic ecology and habitat associations based on sediment collection methods described.
• Validating marine biodiversity survey methodologies for polychaete sampling and identification.

Strengths

• Data covers four distinct survey voyages conducted between 2009 and 2012, providing temporal depth.
• Specimens were identified by named taxonomic experts (Chris Glasby and Charlotte Watson) to the lowest possible level.
• Collection and processing methods (Smith McIntyre grab, boxcore, 500um sieve) are explicitly documented.
• Specimens are physically archived at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) for verification.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for statistical analysis.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the four specific survey voyages.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Sediment collected with grab or boxcore, elutriated over a 500um sieve, sorted at Geoscience Australia, and specimens identified taxonomically.

Time Range

2009-08-27 to 2012-10-06 (surveys SOL4934, SOL5117, SOL5463, SOL5650)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 18:05:32.689887; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Australia