Latest News

What does sampling tell us about the ecology of troglofauna? (ISBC 2018)

8th January 2019

The conference abstract is available online at https://doi.org/10.3897/aca.1.e29829 and a video will be forthcoming. Sampling for troglofauna has many inherent constraints and these include survey timing and design. Stuart Halse and his co-authors analysed sampling data from the Pilbara and found little evidence of weather or timing affecting capture rates. Importantly, there is evidence to […]
Comparison of eDNA and traditional troglofauna sampling methods (ISBC 2018)

8th January 2019

The conference abstract is available online – https://doi.org/10.3897/aca.1.e30282 and a video of Michael Curran‘s talk will be forthcoming. eDNA metabarcoding holds great promise for documenting the underground biota, but it currently faces significant challenges that will likely be met over the next decade. The troglofauna eDNA pilot study was unable to definitively confirm the presence […]
Cave Ecology

8th January 2019

The book ‘Cave Ecology’ has recently been published – https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/2357751. The MD Stuart Halse is one of the editors of the book and penned two chapters. Brief introductions to these chapters are provided below: Chapter 20 – Research in Calcretes and Other Deep Subterranean Habitats Outside Caves The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies […]
On the Ecology of Australia’s Arid Zone

3rd October 2018

The Managing Director, Stuart Halse, has had a book chapter published in ‘On the Ecology of Australia’s Arid Zone’. Stuart’s chapter talks about the subterranean fauna of the Australia’s arid zone. The major difference between this chapter and most accounts of subterranean fauna is the focus on underground habitats other than caves. The book is […]

Bennelongia Environmental Consultants – Perth, Western Australia

AUSRIVAS (Australian River Assessment System) is a rapid prediction system used to assess the biological health of Australian rivers. AUSRIVAS was developed under the National River Health Program (NRHP) by the Federal Government in 1994, in response to growing concern in Australia for maintaining ecological values

Staff at Bennelongia have many years experience of fieldwork, invertebrate identification, taxonomy, DNA techniques, scientific research and environmental assessment. Senior staff conducted the stygofauna component of the Pilbara Biodiversity Survey for the Western Australian Government and developed new sampling protocol used for stygofauna in Western Australia as well as new techniques for troglofauna collection. The company now also applies these skills to improving the results of short range endemic (SRE) invertebrate surveys.

Bennelongia operates a large laboratory with state of the art microscopes and photographic systems for invertebrate identification and is linked with many invertebrate taxonomists locally and internationally. Company staff have organised or participated in all major subterranean fauna, wetland and waterbird surveys undertaken in Western Australia.

Bennelongia is committed to best practice in environmental management and writes succinct reports based on sound science and policy. The company has an excellent safety record.

The company name is derived from the ostracod genus Bennelongia. The genus was described in 1981 by Patrick de Deckker and Ken G. McKenzie after Woollarawarre Bennelong, who is the first aboriginal to have a long association with the early European settlers of Australia. The Bennelongia genus is endemic to Australia and New Zealand. See journal articles 121 and 123 here for more information.

Latest News

What does sampling tell us about the ecology of troglofauna? (ISBC 2018)

Comparison of eDNA and traditional troglofauna sampling methods (ISBC 2018)

Cave Ecology

On the Ecology of Australia’s Arid Zone

Bennelongia Environmental Consultants – Perth, Western Australia