Sep 18, 2023 | Biodiversity, People
Sea spiders (Pycnogonida) are a fascinating and understudied group of organisms. They are the closest relative of all arachnids (spiders, scorpions, mites, etc.) without being an arachnid. Sea spiders and arachnids form a group known as the Class Chelicerata. There... 
Sep 11, 2023 | People, Reef condition
Some 45 years ago, just a few years after Professor Frank Talbot AM established the Lizard Island Research Station in 1973, we — two young students — began our PhD projects there. Jan Aldenhoven studying a blue and gold, sex-changing angel fish, Centropyge bicolor;... 
Jun 6, 2023 | Observation
Makeely Blandford has completed her final report for studies undertaken at the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station. The project was supported by the Gough Family Doctoral Fellowship, and over three summers, five field trips were conducted. The aim of... 
Nov 22, 2022 | Cleaning, People
It was August 2017 when I first flew from Cairns to Lizard Island Research Station. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. While I had written a book of poems previously on the ocean and fishing landscapes of Cervantes in Western Australia, I had no exposure to the... 
Nov 14, 2022 | Observation
Most species of hard corals on the Great Barrier Reef take part in a mass spawning event over a short period, once a year. It’s a remarkable sight and, every year, most people at LIRS are keen to go out and see it – even if their research has nothing to... 
Oct 10, 2022 | Biodiversity, Fellowships, Research
Finally, a long-delayed field trip takes place! Dr Chris Goatley (University of New England) and Dr Simon Brandl (University of Texas Austin) were jointly awarded The John and Laurine Proud Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2020. After two years’ delay forced by...