FIGURE 15. Photo of Planigale tealei sp. nov. (WAM M62896) photographed by L. Umbrello.

https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5330.1.1
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:08AA1FEB-6C3E-4C17-AB38-038E7B87E9F4

COVID19: Even though restrictions have eased, we will still encourage members and visitors to take precautions and please do not attend if unwell.

Speaker: Linette Umbrello, WA Museum, Terrestrial Zoology, Research Associate, Mammology. BSc (Hons), PhD (UWA)

Linette is a Research Associate at the Queensland University of Technology/Western Australian Museum and a Research Scientist at the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Linette’s research focusses on Australian mammals, namely small dasyurids and threatened bats in the Pilbara region of WA. Linette uses museum specimens and genetic data to understand the diversity, phylogeography and local genetic structure in small mammal species and populations. In her talk, Linette will go though the process of species discovery and description of small dasyurid marsupials and how genetic and morphological data are incorporated into species descriptions in the 21^st Century.

Photos from WA Museum and Australian Mammal Society Inc webpages.

The Australian Mammal Society Inc Webpage describes Linette as follows:

Tell us about your background:

I was born in Perth and grew up in the historic wheatbelt town of York where at the age of eight my family moved to a 100 acre “hobby farm” about 20 kms from town in an area known as Quellington. Among the paddocks of wheat and sheep were patches of remnant bush where wildflowers bloomed in winter and evidence of echidnas and possums could be found if you knew where to look. After school I’d go horse riding or walking through the bush with the dog and my cat, who was a brilliant mouser and brought home a fat-tailed dunnart one night—my first close encounter with a dasyurid. I became obsessed with snakes at about age 10 at which point I was determined to become a zoologist so I could study them.

What interesting research/projects have you worked on?

During my PhD studies and beyond my research has focussed on the evolution of small dasyurid marsupials in arid environments. I like working on small, lesser-known species that don’t receive much research attention, it amazes me that they have and continue to persist throughout altered landscapes where so many other marsupial species have recently gone extinct. They are also absolutely ferocious, despite being tiny and I admire their tenacity.

What are your current projects?

I’m currently working on two different projects. The first is tackling undescribed diversity in some of Australia’s smallest marsupials, the planigales and stripe-faced dunnarts. I use genetic and morphological data to delimit species in these two groups and examine specimens to write species descriptions. The other project has a more direct conservation focus and involves using genetic and spatial data to help understand the movement and habitat suitability of threatened bats in the Pilbara.

Topic: 

Linette’s talk is on diversity in small Australian dasyurid marsupials and will go through the work I’ve been doing since PhD to now which is resolving the taxonomy of Australia’s smallest marsupials using molecular data and museum specimens.

Plus:

• Kids’ talk – one of your younger members will be giving a 5 minutes kids’ talk.
• Boffins talk – A member will give an 8 minutes Boffins’ talk.
• “Nature road show”. Members and visitors are encouraged to bring items to place on the display table or to send photographs to the MC in advance, e.g. a sample flower, an insect, and so on – anything of natural history interest that has legally been obtained. If we have time, one of our experts will identify them or briefly talk about them, or the person bringing them can talk about where they saw it, etc. Photographs are particularly welcome, as everyone can see them. If you wish to show a photograph please email it, no later than the Wednesday before the meeting, to our MC for this night, and she/he will include it on her PowerPoint slides. We have a dedicated email for this purpose” natclub@webco.com.au
• Thing of the month / Things coming up next month: These two presentations are about things in nature happening this month and things coming up, so if you have any photos or information, send them to: natclub@webco.com.au
• Door prizes: You could also be the lucky winner of a door prize. We make sure there are prizes for both members and visitors.
• Raffle: We will have a great raffle  – please raid your piggy bank for a bit more cash, $5 for 3 tickets.

Time: Please come at 7.15pm or earlier if you wish, for a 7.30pm start as we start promptly. We are open from 6.45pm. We finish formal proceedings no later than 9.30pm.

Donation: All this for only a donation of $3 per person for adult members ($0 for child members), and $5 per adult visitor and $1 per visiting child to help with the costs of running the club, venue hire, insurance and so on.  Please bring the right CASH to help us avoid long queues. Thanks. We do not have EFTPOS facilities yet.

Entrance: It is a condition of entry that everyone signs in on arrival, thank you.

Parking: Free parking right outside.

Wheelchair access: Everything is on one level.

Toilets: Are inside.

Bookings: No bookings required.

See you there for fabulous night.