<
https://theconversation.com/hundreds-of-australian-lizard-species-are-barely-known-to-science-many-may-face-extinction-161572>
"Most of the incredible diversity of life on Earth is yet to be discovered and
documented. In some groups of organisms – terrestrial arthropods such as
spiders and scorpions, marine invertebrates such as sponges and molluscs, and
others – scientists have described fewer than 20% of species.
Even our knowledge of more familiar creatures such as fish and reptiles is far
from complete. In our new research, we studied 1,034 known species of
Australian lizards and snakes and found we know so little about 164 of them
that not even the experts know whether they are fully described or not. Of the
remaining 870, almost a third probably need some work to be described properly.
Documenting and naming what species are out there – the work of taxonomists –
is crucial for conservation, but it can be difficult for researchers to decide
where to focus their efforts. Alongside our lizard research, we have developed
a new “return on investment” approach to identify priority species for our
efforts.
We identified several hotspots across Australia where research is likely to be
rewarded. More broadly, our approach can help target taxonomic research for
conservation worldwide."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
