Chapman 2009 NumbersofLivingSpecies Oz World DEH

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/266375631
Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World 2nd edn.
Book · September 2009
CITATIONS READS
312 1,291
1 author:
Arthur David Chapman

Australian Biodiversity Information Services
165 PUBLICATIONS 1,497 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Biota FAPESP (Brazil) View project
Data Quality of Museum and Herbarium Collections View project
All content following this page was uploaded by Arthur David Chapman on 15 November 2019.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Numbers of Living Species
in Australia and the World
2nd edition
Arthur D. Chapman
Australian Biodiversity Information Services
australia’s nature Toowoomba, Australia
there is more
still to be discovered… Report for the Australian Biological Resources Study
Canberra, Australia
September 2009
Contents
Foreword 1 Insecta (insects) 23 Plants 43 Viruses 59

Arachnida Magnoliophyta (flowering plants) 43 Protoctista (mainly
Introduction 2
(spiders, scorpions, etc) 26 Gymnosperms (Coniferophyta, Protozoa—others included
Executive Summary 6 Pycnogonida (sea spiders) 28 Cycadophyta, Gnetophyta under fungi, algae,
Myriapoda and Ginkgophyta) 45 Chromista, etc) 60
Detailed discussion by Group 12
(millipedes, centipedes) 29 Ferns and Allies 46 Acknowledgements 63
Chordates 13
Crustacea (crabs, lobsters, etc) 31 Bryophyta
Mammalia (mammals) 13 (mosses, liverworts, hornworts) 47 References 66
Onychophora (velvet worms) 32
Aves (birds) 14 Plant Algae (including green
Hexapoda (proturans, springtails) 33
Reptilia (reptiles) 15 algae, red algae, glaucophytes) 49
Mollusca (molluscs, shellfish) 34
Amphibia (frogs, etc) 16 Fungi 51
Annelida (segmented worms) 35
Pisces (fishes including Fungi (excluding taxa
Nematoda
Chondrichthyes and treated under Chromista
(nematodes, roundworms) 36
Osteichthyes) 17 and Protoctista) 51
Acanthocephala
Agnatha (hagfish, Lichen-forming fungi 53
(thorny-headed worms) 37
lampreys, slime eels) 18 Others 54
Platyhelminthes (flat worms) 38
Cephalochordata (lancelets) 19 Prokaryota (Bacteria
Cnidaria (jellyfish,
Tunicata or Urochordata [Monera] of previous report) 54
sea anenomes, corals) 39
(sea squirts, doliolids, salps) 20 Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria) 55
Porifera (sponges) 40
Invertebrates 21 Chromista (including some
Other Invertebrates 41
Hemichordata (hemichordates) 21 species previously included
Echinodermata (starfish, under either algae or fungi) 56
sea cucumbers, etc) 22
Foreword
In Australia and around the world, biodiversity is under huge Harnessing core science and knowledge bases, like
and growing pressure. The pressures are pervasive and this report, will be key to creating new ways of meeting
chronic in many places — invasive species, habitat loss and Australia’s biodiversity challenges. Importantly, they provide
climate change in particular. a benchmark for assessing and monitoring the future effects
of climate change on Australia’s biodiversity.
But there’s also good news. Every day we are making
exciting new discoveries about the breadth and depth of As we move into the International Year of Biodiversity in
Australia’s biodiversity. Since the first edition of the Numbers 2010, Australia has the opportunity to show global leadership
of Living Species in Australia and the World was produced in biodiversity conservation. This report, the only one of its
in 2006, we’ve discovered 48 reptiles, about 200 new fish kind in the world, is a positive start.
species and 1,184 flowering plants.
Understanding of the global significance of Australia’s

biodiversity is also on the increase. This comprehensive
review of the endemism of Australia’s plants and animals
shows that a greater percentage of our plants and animals
Robyn Kruk
are found nowhere else in the world. Reptile endemism has Secretary
jumped from 89 to 93 per cent, mammals from 83 to 87 and Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
frogs from 93 to 94. And close to 92 per cent of our vascular September 2009
plants, up from 90 per cent, are unique to Australia. It is vital
that we forge new and innovative ways of conserving and
protecting this unique biodiversity at a landscape level.

Introduction
| Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Estimates of the total number of species in the world vary In taxonomic groups where individuals are generally large,
from 5 million to over 50 million (May 1998). In this report charismatic, easily visible, of economic importance, of
figures of close to 11 million species worldwide and about public interest, or subject to extensive taxonomic interest,
570,000 for Australia are accepted. Numbers for accepted such as mammals, birds, and some higher plant groups,
published species in the world are given here as close to the total number of species is likely to be fairly close to
1,900,000 and 147,579 for Australia. the number of known or described species. On average,
around 25 mammal species and five bird species have been
The number of known species has been estimated by described each year over recent times (Hammond 1992),
collating information from systematists, taxonomic literature, with many of these new species resulting from changes in
online resources and previous compilations. Species taxonomic opinion and splitting, rather than being due to the
numbers referred to as ‘described’ in this report, relate to discovery of new species (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002).
names of native taxa that have been validly published and Recently, molecular systematics has led to an increase in
are accepted, unless otherwise stated. Although many newly discovered species as genetic differences become
scientific names are synonyms (thus there being more than more apparent. Estimates for the total number of species on
one name applied to a species) the numbers of valid species earth vary from 3–5 million (Tangley 1997) to 50 million (May
for well-reviewed and familiar groups can be calculated with 1998) and even to as many as 100 million (Tangley 1997).
reasonable accuracy (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002). This report settles on a figure of about 11 million.
Most recent calculations for the total number of known In contrast, for groups of organisms that contain individuals
(i.e. described) species in the world suggest a figure of that are small, difficult to collect, obscure, or of little direct
around 1.75 million (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995), public or economic interest, the total number of species is
varying from about 1.5 million to 1.8 million (Tangley 1997). difficult to estimate and is likely to be much higher than the
About 18,000 new species are being described each year number of known described individuals (Hammond 1992,
(16,969 in 2006 and 18,516 in 2007—the last two years for Groombridge and Jenkins 2002). Many of these groups have
which figures are available). About 75% of the new species very few or no systematists working on them, although often
described in 2007 were invertebrates, 11% vascular plants there are undescribed species awaiting description in many
and nearly 7% were vertebrates (Connor 2009). collections.

Reliable estimates of the total number of species in many For the Prokaryota, Protoctista, Chromista and Viruses, Similarly, listing of threatened species in Australia is not
of the less well known taxonomic groups are unlikely to be estimating the number of species (both known and total) is simple. As well as the lists of nationally threatened species
made for many decades, although several new initiatives made difficult by uncertainties in definition of a ‘species’. maintained by the Australian Government (DEWHA
are attempting to fill the gaps in knowledge. In 1998, the 2009a, 2009b) under the Environment Protection and
Generally, for these groups species are determined on the
Convention on Biological Diversity established the Global
basis of features shown in culture (Woese 1998, Ward 2002), Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), each State
Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) (ABRS 1998, CBD 2009a) with
and estimation of the total number of species in the world is also maintains its own list. Species listed as threatened
the mandate to improve taxonomic knowledge through
increasing the number of taxonomists and trained curators. almost impossible. Indeed, according to Curtis et al. (2002) in one State may be common in another State. The list
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)1 is ‘The absolute diversity of prokaryotes is widely held to be maintained by the Australian Government (http://www.
attempting to collate, through collaboration, existing attempts unknown and unknowable at any scale in any environment’. environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html)
to document the names of species of biodiversity through its is the only comprehensive list of ‘nationally’ threatened
ECAT program (GBIF 2009a) and through the identification The listing of threatened species is also difficult. All lists species. Some States (e.g. Western Australia) also list
and funding of nomenclatural and taxonomic gaps (GBIF lag well behind discovery and taxonomic revision, and thus species under categories additional to those recognised by
2009a). Other major projects that are looking at documenting are likely to provide under-estimates. On a world basis, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
names and taxa on a global basis are the Species 20002 very few countries list undescribed species, and this again Although these species may be of no less importance for
project and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
leads to under-estimation. The only lists available that are regional conservation, they are not listed here as it is difficult
(ITIS)3 which together produce the annual Catalogue of Life
listing (Bisby et al. 2009). The International Plant Names regularly updated on a world basis are the IUCN Red Lists of to provide comparisons between the State lists and between
Index (IPNI)4 documents the names of all vascular plant Threatened Species (IUCN 2004, 2009b) and even though the State lists and the National list.
species, along with information on their place of publication. these include considerable error (Kirschner and Kaplan
Recently, the Convention on Biological Diversity has been The 2006 report generated considerable discussion and many
2002), I have relied on them for numbers of threatened
working on the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (CBD individual scientists have sent me new information in personal
species for the world.
2009b) and this has led to an attempt to determine the size communications. All these have allowed for much more
of the task and hence the number of species. accurate figures and adjustments for many of the estimates.
1 Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://www.gbif.org

2 Species 2000 http://www.species2000.org
3 Integrated Taxonomic Information System http://www.itis.usda.gov/
4 International Plant Names Index http://www.ipni.org

In some cases numbers have increased, in others Many of the figures supplied in this report are estimates only.
(for example the numbers of published species of insects For each group details are given of how the estimates were
in Australia) decreased. With the insects, for example, determined. ‘Unknown’ is inserted into the tables of species
entomologists across Australia have collaborated on an numbers where no information could be obtained. Estimates
extensive exercise to look at the numbers of insects in each of total species in Australia were often not easy to find, as
Order (Yeates et al. 2003, Raven and Yeates 2007) and other were estimates of percentage endemism for many of the
entomologists have worked extensively on some individual invertebrate groups and non plant and animal phyla. For
Orders (for example, Oberprieler et al. (2007), ABRS (2009b)) some groups, estimates were made by suggesting that only
and this has led to a much more accurate determination of a small percentage has been described, thus making the
both published numbers and estimates. In the previous report, figures for total species just approximate.
figures for insects were based on reports at just the Class
The estimate of total species for the world was calculated
level as this was all that was consistently available at the time.
by adding individual estimates, where cited. For a number
In addition, international and national online databases and
of groups ranges are given and for these the upper figure is
internet lists, including Trichoptera World Checklist, World
used for the calculation of totals in the Executive Summary.
Spider Catalog, FishBase, AlgaeBase, AmphibiaWeb, the
Throughout this report all textual references to the previous
Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi, and the Australian
version of this report (first edition) are cited as the ‘previous
Plant Census, have provided valuable species statistics.
report’ (http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/
These online species information systems are constantly
publications/other/species-numbers/2006/index.html).
being updated and improved, and are rapidly becoming
definitive resources on species names and thus on the number
Arthur D. Chapman, 2009
of accepted species. They have assisted greatly in providing
much more accurate and definitive numbers for this report.
Still, many gaps and unknowns exist, and it will be years, if not
decades, before we truly know how many species exist and
how many are described and accepted as good species.

Executive Summary

Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World was breakdown of these figures, the estimates for Australia
first published in 2006. It was a collation of information are 8,128 accepted described chordate species, 98,703
from taxonomic literature, online resources and previous invertebrates, 24,716 plants (including plant algae and
compilations, augmented by discussions with systematists. bryophytes), 11,846 fungi and around 4,186 in other groups.
It is updated and revised in this new edition, taking into These figures include new records and newly described
account newly published species, and refined estimates species for Australia for the past three years, among them
and corrections, again with considerable input from the approximately 1,184 vascular plants, 48 reptiles, 8 frogs and
taxonomic community. Insects are subdivided further than 8 mammals, 904 arachnids, 148 myriapods and 60 sponges.
before, with separate figures being given for the component Endemism is high in some groups. For example, 41.3% of
orders, and the algae and fungi are rearranged in line with the chordates are endemic (including 87% of mammals, 45%
more recent classifications. of birds, 93% of reptiles, 94% of frogs) and some 92% of the
vascular plants.
The total number of accepted described species in the
world is estimated to be close to 1,900,000, well above the Nationally, the number of Australian species under threat are
1,786,000 given in 2006. Worldwide, about 18,000 new 246 chordates (3% of chordate species, including 20% of
species are being described each year and for the year mammals and 14% of amphibians), 1,260 vascular plants
(6.5%), 32 invertebrates, two algae and one bryophyte.
2007, 75% of these were invertebrates, 11% vascular plants
and nearly 7% vertebrates.
For Australia a figure of 147,579 accepted described species

is now determined, below the 2006 figure of 172,200, and
the estimate of the number of species overall is 566,398.
The reduction in numbers is due in large part to refinement
of the estimates of numbers of insects, and feedback on
the earlier edition of this report which led to more extensive
collaboration to develop revised estimates. In a coarse

Chordates
Brusca and Brusca (2003) estimated that there are 49,693 provided a much higher figure of 60,979 published chordate 7,561 to ~8,128 (an increase of 7.5%) again with most of the
published and accepted vertebrate species for the world, species (Chapman 2006). This report has again increased increase in the number of fish species. It is estimated that
whereas Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) gave an estimate that figure, to 64,791—an increase of about 6.2%. The group just over 40% of Australian chordate species are endemic.
of 52,000 accepted vertebrate species and an estimate with the greatest increase was the fishes, but all groups have
of about 55,000 chordate species in total. Adding up the had new species published since the previous report. The
individual estimates documented in the previous report number of published species in Australia has increased from
World Descr./ Australia Descr./ Austral. Estimate Estimate World World Threat. Austral. Austral. Threat. % of World’s Percent.
Taxon Accepted Accepted Percent. World Australia Threat.5 Percent. Threat.6 Percent Threat. Endemic
Mammals 5,487 386 7.0% ~5,500 ~390 1,141 20.8% 78 20.2% 6.8% 87%
Birds 9,990 828 8.3% >10,000 ~900 1,222 12.2% 50 6.0% 4.1% 45%
Reptiles 8,734 917 10.5% ~10,000 ~950 423 4.8% 46 5.0% 10.9% 93%
Amphibia 6,515 227 3.5% ~15,000 ~230 1,905 29.2% 31 13.7% 1.6% 94%
Fishes 31,153 ~5,000 16.0% ~40,000 ~5,750 1,275 4.1% 41 0.8% 3.2% 24%
Agnatha 116 5 4.3% unknown ~10 0 0% 0 0% – 60%
Cephalochordata 33 8 24.2% unknown ~8 0 0% 0 0% – 50%
Tunicata 2,760 757 27.4% unknown ~850 0 – 0 – – 50%
TOTAL (2005) 60,979 7,561 12.4% ~71,000 ~8,444 5,188 8.5% 247 3.3% 4.8% 39%
TOTAL (2009) 64,788 ~8,128 12.5% ~80,500 ~9,088 5,966 9.2% 246 3.0% 4.1% 41.3%
5 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

6 Includes listed Extinct and Vulnerable species (DEWHA 2009a, b).

Invertebrates
The number of published, accepted invertebrate species in By contrast, the estimate for the total number of published unknowns in most of the larger groups, including the spiders,
the world has increased since the previous report to insect species in Australia has decreased from approximately nematodes and platyhelminths.
1,359,367—largely due to an increase in the number of 80,000 to 62,000. The estimates for the total numbers of
Note: Where a range is given in number of species for a
insects. In this report I have been able to report on the species, however, has altered very little. Estimates for
group the higher figure of the range is used in this table.
numbers of insects by Order and this has allowed for a endemism have now been supplied for many more groups,
more accurate estimate for the total number of species. but an overall estimate is still not possible due to the
World Descr./ Australia Descr./ Austral. Estimate World World Threat. Austral. Austral. Threat. % of World’s Percent.
Taxon Accepted Accepted Percent. Estimate World Australia Threat.7 Percent. Threat. Percent Threat. Endemic
Hemichordata 108 17 15.7% ~110 22 0 – 0 – – ~25%
Echinodermata 7,003 1,475 21.1% ~14,000 ~2,000 0 – 0 – – 31%
Insecta ~1,000,000 ~62,000 6.2% ~5,000,000 ~205,000 626 0.06% 8 0.01% 1.2% ~70%
Arachnida 102,248 6,615 6.5% ~600,000 31,338 18 0.02% 0 – 0% unknown
Pycnogonida 1,340 215 16.0% unknown unknown 0 – 0 – – ~50%
Myriapoda 16,072 553 3.4% ~90,000 ~3,100 15 0.1% 0 – 0% 86%
Crustacea 47,000 7,266 15.5% 150,000 ~9,500 606 1.3% 9 0.1% 1.5% unknown
Onychophora 165 71 43.0% ~220 ~80 9 5.5% 0 – – 100%
Hexapoda 9,048 338 3.7% 52,000 ~2,070 0 – 0 – – ~17.6%
Mollusca ~85,000 ~8,700 10.2% ~200,000 ~12,250 978 1.2% 14 0.2% 1.4% 38%
Annelida 16,763 2,192 13.1% ~30,000 ~4,230 6 0.04% 1 0.05% 16.7% 67%
Nematoda <25,000 ~2,060 8.2% ~500,000 ~30,000 0 – 0 – – unknown
Acanthocephala 1,150 56 4.9% ~1,500 ~160 0 – 0 – – unknown
Platyhelminthes 20,000 1,593 8% (~80,000) ~10,000 0 – 0 – – unknown
Cnidaria 9,795 1,705 17.4% unknown ~2,200 236 2.4% 0 – – unknown
Porifera ~6,000 1,476 24.6% ~18,000 ~3,500 0 – 0 – – 56%
Others 12,673 ~2,371 18.7% ~20,000 ~5,015 30 0.2% 0 – 0% unknown
TOTAL (2005) 1,263,600 114,600 9.1% ~5,500,000 ~250,0008 1,992 0.17% 14 0.01% 0.7% unknown
TOTAL (2009) ~1,359,365 ~98,703 7.3% ~6,755,830 ~320,465 2,524 0.2% 32 0.04% 1.3% unknown

8 This figure is a midpoint between estimates of 200,000 to 300,000.

Plants
In this report, I have included plant algae, including the I have added a comparison for plants excluding the algae. edition, but the estimate for the total number of species has
green algae, red algae and glaucophytes, making a direct Estimates for published species of the Magnoliophyta for the dropped considerably from ~422,000 to ~352,000 in line with
comparison with the previous report impossible, however world have increased by about 10,000 since the previous recent research.
Taxon Accepted Accepted Percent. World Australia Threat.9 Percent. Threat. Percent. Threat. Endemic
Bryophyta 16,236 1,847 11.4% ~22,750 ~2,200 82 0.4% 1 0.05% 1.2% 25%
Algae (Plant) 12,272 ~3,545 ~29% unknown ~3,000 9 0.07% 2 0.06% 22% unknown
Vascular Plants 281,621 19,324 6.9% ~368,050 ~21,645 8,366 3.0% 1,260 6.5% 15% 91.8%
Ferns and allies (~12,000) (498) (4.2%) (~15,000) (~525) (139) (1.2%) (41) (8.2%) (29.5%) (33.8%)
Gymnosperms (~1,021) (120) (11.7%) (~1,050) (~120) (323) (31.6%) (17) (14.2%) (5.3%) (96%)
Magnoliophyta (~268,600 (18,706)10 (7.0%) (~352,000) (~21,000) (7,904) (2.9%) (1,202) (6.4%) (15.2%) (93.25%)
TOTAL 2009 ~310,129 ~24,716 7.9% ~390,800 26,845 8,457 2.7% 1,263 5.1% 14.9% ~86%
TOTAL 2005 excl.

Algae (Plant) 289,000 ~20,000 6.9% ~444,000 23,000 8,321 2.9% 1,195 6.0% 14.4% 84%
TOTAL 2009 excl.
Algae (Plant) 297,857 21,171 7.1% ~390,800 23,845 8,448 2.8% 1,261 5.9% 14.9% 86%
Fungi
In the previous report, lichens were included as a separate fungi, although the numbers for lichens are included in the Chromista or Protoctista have been excluded from the
group to the fungi. In this edition the lichens (or more table in brackets. A number of groups previously regarded fungi and included under those groups respectively—in the
correctly lichen-forming fungi) have been included under the as fungi but which are now regarded as belonging to either previous report they were included in the fungi.
Taxon Accepted Accepted Percent. World Australia Threat.11 Percent. Threat. Percent. Threat. Endemic
Fungi 98,998 11,846 11.9% 1,500,000 50,000 3 >0% 0 0% 0% unknown
Lichens (17,000) (3,495) (20.6%) (~25,000) (~4,500) (2) (0.01%) (0) 0% 0% (34%)
TOTAL 2009 98,998 11,846 11.9% 1,500,000 50,000 3 >0% 0 0% 0% unknown
10 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Others
This group includes mainly single-celled, heterotrophic, previous report, fungi and lichens were included within correctly regarded as belonging to the Chromista, Protoctista
eukaryotic organisms. It includes many species that were this category, but have now been transferred to a separate or Cyanophyta, which are included here under those groups
previously thought to be fungi or algae, but which are now section. Algae were also included here, but have now respectively.
regarded as belonging to Chromista or Protoctista. In the been included under plants except for those species more
World Descr./ Australia Descr./ Austral. Estimate World World Threat. Australia Australia Threat. % of World’s Percent.
Taxon Accepted Accepted Percent. Estimate World Australia Threat.12 Percent. Threat.13 Percent. Threat. Endemic
Prokaryota 7,643 ~40 0.5% ~1,000,000 40,000 0 – 0 – – unknown
Cyanophyta 2,664 270 10% unknown ~500 0 – 0 – – unknown
Chromista 25,044 2,130 8.5% ~200,500 >15,000 6 0.02% 0 0% 0% unknown
Viruses 2,085 ~400 ~19.2% 400,000 unknown 0 – 0 – – ~50%
Protoctista ~28,871 >1,346 4.7% >1,000,000 ~65,000 0 – 0 – – unknown
TOTAL 2009 ~66,307 >4,186 6.2% ~2,600,500 (~160,000) 6 0.01% 0 0% 0% unknown
All Species
World Descr./ Australia Descr./ Austral. Estimate Estimate World World Threat. Aust Austral Threat. % of World’s Percent.
Taxon Accepted Accepted Percent. World Australia Threat.14 Percent. Threat.15 Percent Threat. Endemic
Chordates 64,788 ~8,128 12.5% ~80,500 ~9,088 5,966 9.2% 246 3.0% 4.1% 41.3%
Invertebrates 1,359,365 98,703 7.3% ~6,755,830 ~320,465 2,524 0.2% 32 0.04% 1.3% unknown
Plants 310,129 24,71616 7.9% ~390,800 26,845 8,457 2.7% 1,263 5.1% 14.9% 86%
Fungi 98,998 11,846 11.9% 1,500,000 50,000 3 >0% 0 0% 0% unknown
Others ~66,307 >4,186 6.2% 2,600,500 ~160,000 6 0.01% 0 0% 0% unknown
TOTAL 2009 1,899,587 147,579 7.8% ~11,327,630 ~566,398 16,956 0.9% 1,541 1.1% 9.1% unknown
9 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b). 14 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).
10 Does not include 824 undescribed species, but which have been given either manuscript or phrase names. 15 Includes listed Extinct and Vulnerable species (DEWHA 2009a, b). Does not include infraspecific or
11 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b). undescribed taxa.
12 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b). 16 Includes an estimate of 3,236–3,545 accepted and described species of plant algae for Australia, and 12,205
for the world. This grouping was not included within the ‘Plants’ grouping in the previous report, but was treated
13 Includes listed Extinct and Vulnerable species (DEH 2005). NB This figure includes about 88 undescribed
within ‘Algae’ under the group ‘Others’.
species, and excludes infraspecific taxa.
11
Detailed discussion by Group

Chordates Mammalia (mammals)
number of species of mammals, based on the recent rate of
description of new species, I estimate that it would be a little
over 5,500 species.
Australian mammal species are quite well known and thus

the number of described species is relatively stable at
386 in 48 familes and 150 genera (ABRS 2009a) although
this number has increased by eight since the last edition.
There are also 246 accepted subspecies. Estimates for the
number of species yet to be described in Australia is <1%;
however, as noted previously, molecular studies may lead
to some further splitting. Mammal species are well known,
and endemism in Australia was given as 83% in the previous
report (calculated from Walton 1988). The percent endemism
Mammals are a quite well known group, however estimates has been revised to 87% following recalculations based on
for the numbers of described species still vary considerably, new species described since 1988.
ranging from 4,300 in Biodiversity: the UK Action Plan (Anon.
1994), through 4,630 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002), There are 78 listed threatened species in Australia along
5,416 (IUCN 2004), 5,419 (Wilson and Reeder 2005) to with 42 subspecies, forms or populations including four
5,487 (IUCN 2009a). For the purposes of this report, I have undescribed subspecies (DEWHA 2009a). Of these,
accepted the figure of 5,487 which accords well with the 20 species and seven subspecies are listed as Extinct
most recent figures from The IUCN Red List of Threatened in the Wild, two species and two subspecies as Critically
Species although Hilton-Taylor (pers. comm.17) suggests Endangered, 25 species, six subspecies, one form and one
that there are several additional recently described species. population as Endangered and 31 species, 19 subspecies,
Although I can find no estimate of the total estimated and six races, forms or populations as Vulnerable.
Australia Australian Threatened

World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ Australia Australia Australia Australian as percentage of
Accepted min. Accepted max. Accepted Estimated Accepted Percent. Estimated Endemic World Threatened18 Threatened World Threatened
4,300 5,487 5,487 ~5,500 386 7.0% ~390 87% 1,141 (~20.8%) 78 (20.2%) 6.8%
17 pers. comm. Craig Hilton-Taylor, Manager The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, IUCN, September 2008.
18 Plus another 1.4% which are regarded as Extinct in the Wild (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009b).
13
Aves (birds)
Birds are also a well known group, and the estimate of of Christidis and Boles as cited and accepted by Birds
the number of described species appears quite stable, Australia (2009)19. ABRS (2009a) gives a figure of 869 which
varying from as low as 9,000 (Tangley 1997), through must include the Extinct and Introduced species. Including
9,750 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002), 9,875 (BirdLife vagrants on the mainland and island territories, we arrive at
International 2005), 9,917 (IUCN 2004), 9,946 (Gaston and a figure approaching 900 species (Boles pers. comm. 2009).
Blackburn 1997) to 9,990 (IUCN 2009b). I have accepted
There are 50 listed threatened bird species in Australia,
the figure of 9,990 which is consistent with the most recent
and 81 listed subspecies (including one undescribed)
figures from BirdLife International (2008) and IUCN (2009b).
(DEWHA 2009a). Of these, nine species and 14 subspecies
Total number of species of birds on earth is estimated at
are listed as Extinct in the Wild, three species and three
around 10,000 (BirdLife International 2004, 2008), although if
subspecies as Critically Endangered, 16 species and
one accepts the figure of 9,990 already described, this figure
25 subspecies as Endangered, and 22 species and
would appear a little low.
39 subspecies as Vulnerable. Due to a rearrangement of
Australian species of birds are quite well known and thus taxonomy, a number of previously listed species now appear
the number of described extant species is stable at around as subspecies in accordance with the taxonomy of Christidis
828 (Christidis and Boles 2008). An additional 13 species and Boles (2008).
are listed by Christidis and Boles as Extinct in the Wild, and
27 as introduced. Because bird species are so well known,
the number of Australian endemic species is also well known
at 45% (DEH 2007). I have accepted the species numbers

World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of
Accepted min. Accepted max. Accepted Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic Threatened20 Threatened World Threatened
9,000 9,990 9,990 >10,000 828 8.3% ~900 45% 1,222 (~12.2%) 50 (6%) 4.1%
19 Birds Australia Checklist (Birds Australia 2009) is derived from Christidis and Boles (2008). http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/images/stories/birds/checklist2008_sm.pdf [Accessed13 March 2009].

Reptilia (reptiles)
Reptiles are also quite a well known group, however The number of Australian reptile species has increased
the estimate of the number of described species varies considerably in recent years and since the previous report,
considerably, ranging from 6,300 (Tangley 1997), through from 633 (DEH 2001) through 869 (DEH 2007) to 917 (ABRS
8,002 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002), 8,163 (IUCN 2004), 2009a). This is an increase of 48 species since 2006. ABRS
8,300 (EMBL Reptile Database21) to 8,734 (TIGR 2009). (2009a) also lists 189 described subspecies. Estimates for
I have accepted the figure of 8,734 from the TIGR Reptile the number of species yet to be described in Australia is
Database (TIGR 2009), the figure also accepted in The around 3.5% which takes the estimated number of species to
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2009b). This is around 950. Reptile species are well known and endemism
an increase of over 400 species since the previous report. is high, reported by Healey (2001) as round 89%. This figure
The figures include 168 amphisbaenians, 5,079 lizards, is here revised to 93%.
3,149 snakes, 313 turtles, 23 crocodiles and two tuataras.
There are 46 species and seven subspecies listed as
The only estimate I have received of the total number threatened in Australia (DEWHA 2009a). The list includes
of species is from the coordinator of the EMBL Reptile two species listed as Critically Endangered, 11 species and
Database22. He stated that the number of new species three subspecies as Endangered and 33 species and four
described each year was fairly constant at around 70 per subspecies as Vulnerable.
year, and estimated the total number of species at around
10,000.

Accepted min. Accepted max Accepted Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic Threatened23 Threatened World Threatened
6,300 8,734 8,734 ~10,000 917 10.5% ~950 93% 423 (4.8%) 46 (5.0%) 10.9%
21 EMBL Reptile Database (Aug. 2005)—http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/~uetz/. [NB This link is no longer operating and is replaced by the TIGR Reptile Database, (TIGR 2009)].
22 pers. comm. Peter Uertz, Coordinator, EMBL Reptile Database, Aug. 2005.
15
Amphibia (frogs, etc)
Amphibia are also quite a well known group, however the pers. comm.26). The estimate for the number of species yet
number of undescribed species is quite large with more to be described in Australia is around 1.5% (DEH 2007)
being discovered every year. The estimate of the number which takes the estimated number of species to around 230.
of described species varies from 4,950 (Groombridge Amphibia are very well known and endemism is extremely
and Jenkins 2002) through 5,743 (Frost 2004), 5,802 high, given by as around 93% by Wong (1999) and DEH
(AmphibiaWeb 2005), 6,347 (IUCN 2009b) to 6,515 (2007). This figure is here revised to 94%.
(AmphibiaWeb 2009). I have accepted the figure of 6,515
There are 31 threatened species and one subspecies listed
which is consistent with the most recent figures from
in Australia (DEWHA 2009a). Of these four are listed as
AmphibiaWeb which maintains an up-to-date estimate.
Extinct, two Critically Endangered, 14 Endangered and
A recent paper by Alain Dubois in the journal Alytes predicts
11 species and one subspecies as Vulnerable.
that there will be about 15,000 species of Amphibia in total
(Wake pers. comm.24). Recent molecular work has shown
considerable divergences between populations of ‘species’
(Wells pers. comm.25) and thus new species are likely to be
split off in the future resulting in further increases in numbers
both nationally and globally.
Australian amphibian species are quite well known and thus

the number of described species is stable at around 227—an
increase of just 8 species since the previous report (Doughty

4,950 6,515 6,515 ~15,000 227 3.5% ~230 94% 1,905 (~29.2%) 31 (13.7%) 1.6%
24 pers. comm. David B. Wake, University of California, Berkeley, May 2009.

25 pers. comm. Alice Wells, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, July 2009.
26 pers. comm. Paul Doughty, Western Australian Museum, March 2009.

Pisces (fishes including Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes28)
Fish are a less well known group, and the estimate of 4,696 with a further 200 species known but
the number of described species has varied considerably as yet unnamed, and this does not include
over time, ranging from 25,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins some of the island territories such as Norfolk,
2002), through 28,900 (FishBase 2005) up to the present Christmas and Cocos/Keeling which would add
estimate of 31,153 (FishBase 2009 based on Eschmeyer another approximately 300 species. The rate of
and Fricke 2009). I have accepted the figure of 31,153 which growth over the past 40 years is around 50 species
is consistent with the most recent figures from FishBase as a year (Hoese pers. comm.31). The number of known
of March 2009. Eschmeyer (pers. comm.29) estimated that species is therefore well over 4,900 and sure to be well
in 2005 there were probably around 35,000 species in total above 5,000 before long. Estimates for the number of
but in 200930 he stated that over 400 species are currently species yet to be described in Australia is around 15% which
published every year (Eschmeyer and Frong 2009) and that takes the estimated number of species to around 5,750.
the total number of species would be close to 32,000. He
Endemism in Australia is estimated to be 24% (Hoese et al.
estimated that there were probably around 40,000 species
2006). Approximately 47% of southern Australia’s fishes are
in total.
endemic to the region. In freshwater fishes endemism is There are 41 listed threatened fish species in Australia (three
Australian species of fish are also reasonably well known, high, given as 61% by Hoese et al. (2006). For all fishes in of which are undescribed). Two listed subspecies and two
however the number of described species continues to climb, Australia these authors list 4,107 marine, 443 estuarine and populations are also listed (DEWHA 2009a). One species
from 4,450–4,500 listed in the previous report (Chapman 258 freshwater species. is listed as Extinct in the Wild, one Critically Endangered,
2006) to 4,597 (Hoese et al. 2005, 2006) and recently to 17 Endangered, and 24 Vulnerable.

25,000 31,153 31,153 ~40,000 ~5,000 16.0% ~5,750 24% 1,275 (4.1%) 41 (0.8%) 3.2%
28 Encompasses Superclass Pisces as used by ABRS (Hoese et al. 2007), and includes a range of paraphyletic groups as recognised by others.
29 pers. comm. Bill Eschmeyer, Catalogue of Fishes, California Academy of Sciences, August 2005.
30 pers. comm. Bill Eschmeyer, Catalogue of Fishes, California Academy of Sciences, May 2009.
31 pers. comm. Doug Hoese, Australian Museum, Sydney, March 2009.
17
Agnatha (hagfish, lampreys, slime eels)
FishBase (2009) lists 74 species of hagfish and 42 species

of lamprey for the world. Hickman and Roberts (1994) gave
a figure of 70 species for the combined groups. I have
accepted the figure of 116 described species as cited by
FishBase.
ABRS (ABRS 2009a) lists five Australian species in three

genera with about another five species undescribed. Of
the five species listed for Australia in FishBase, three are
endemic to Australian waters and one other occurs only in
Australian and New Zealand waters.
There are no species listed as threatened in Australia

(DEWHA 2009a).

World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of World
Accepted min. Accepted max. Accepted Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic Threatened33 Threatened Threatened
70 116 116 unknown 5 4.3% ~10 60% 0 0 –

Cephalochordata (lancelets)
Very little information could be found on these animals. Three ABRS (ABRS 2009a) lists eight Australian species in two
estimates were found, however, for the number of described genera, with about four being endemic (Richardson 1998).
species worldwide: 20 (McCauley n.dat.), 23 (Groombridge
and Jenkins 2002) and 36 species (Ponder et al. 2002).
(DEWHA 2009a).
The Catalogue of Life 2009 Checklist (Bisby et al. 2009) lists
33 accepted and one provisionally accepted species. I have
accepted this figure.

20 36 33 unknown 8 24.2% ~8 50% 0 0 –
19
Tunicata or Urochordata (sea squirts, doliolids, salps)
Estimates of the number of described tunicates in the world The previous report listed 754 species for Australia
vary, with figures of 1,400–2,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins (Chapman 2006). In 2006, this figure was updated to 757
2002), 2,000 (Hickman et al. 2004), 3,000 (Brusca and (Kott 2006). About 50% of the Australian species are thought
Brusca 2003), and 4,900 for Ascideacea alone (Bouchet to be endemic.
2006). Sanamyan (pers. comm.35) states that there are
2,590 (±20) described species of ascidian. In addition
(DEWHA 2009a).
there are about 100 species of Thaliacea (Kott 2005)
and 70 species of Appendicularia36 making a total for the
Subphylum of about 2,760 species.

~1,400 >5,000 2,760 unknown 757 27.4% ~850 50% – 0 –
35 pers. comm. Karen Sanamyan, Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Institute of Geography, May 2009.
36 MEER Database http://www.meer.org/M20.htm [Accessed 30 June 2009].

Invertebrates Hemichordata (hemichordates)
Burdon-Jones (1998) stated that there are 94 described DEH (2007) lists 17 species for Australia with an estimated
species in 16 genera in the world, with many more 22 species in total. It would appear from the treatment by
undescribed, and 12 species in seven genera in Australia. Burdon-Jones (1998) that at least three species are endemic
Cameron (2008) lists 108 species for the world in three to Australia. I have accepted the most recent figures of 108
for the world (Cameron 2008) and 17(22) (DEH 2007) for
Classes, seven families and 18 genera. This is an increase
Australia. The Australian numbers have not increased since
of two over his 2004 list cited in the previous report.
the previous report.
Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) reported c. 90 or 100
species, whereas Brusca and Brusca (2003) gave only There are no listed threatened species for Australia (DEWHA
85 species and Bouchet (2006) gave 106. 2009a).

85 108 108 ~110 17 15.7% 22 ~25% 0 0 –
21
Echinodermata (starfish, sea cucumbers, etc)
Estimates of the number of described echinoderms in here is estimated by doubling known numbers for most
the world vary from about 6,100 (Tangley 1997, Miyajima Classes, and adding an extra 20–25% for the Ophiuroidea
2002) through 6,600 (Mooi pers. comm.40) to 7,000 (Wray and Holothuroidea which are ‘cryptic, diverse, relatively
1999, Groombridge and Jenkins 2002, Brusca and Brusca unstudied, and common in the deep sea’40.
2003, Mulcrone 2005, Bouchet 2006). Charles Messing’s
The number of Australian described species is placed at
Crinoid Web (Messing n.dat.) lists 540 for comatulids and
around 1,475 (O’Hara pers. comm. 200941). The Australian
~95 species of stalked crinoids giving a total of ~635 species
Faunal Directory (ABRS 2009a) and others (Ponder et al.
for Crinoidea. The World Asteroidea database (Mah 2009)
2002) predict that there may be up to 2,000 species in
gives a current figure of 1,859 species for the Asteroidea.
Australian waters. O’Hara (pers. comm.) states that the
The World Ophiuroidea database (Stöhr and O’Hara 2007)
number of species in the Australian Economic Exclusion
provides a figure of 2,139 for the Opiuroidea. Follo and
Zone is still a large unknown. I have seen estimates of
Fautin (2001) cited 940 for Echinoidea. The Tree of Life
endemism in Australia as high as 90% for southern waters
(Ker 2000), in a breakdown of Orders, listed 1,430 species
and 15% for tropical waters (Ponder et al. 2002), but working
of Holuthuroidea—I have found no more recent definitive
through the currently published species (Rowe and Gates
figures. Adding these figures up gives a total of 7,003.
1995), the figure comes out at around 31% for Australia as a
Estimating the total number of species is a difficult exercise. whole.
The main problems appear to be the unknown species
There are no listed threatened species.
of the deep waters, the difficulty in finding and identifying
very cryptic species and the enormous potential of
molecular studies to ‘discover’ new species39. The figure

6,100 7,003 7,003 ~14,000 1,475 21.1% ~2,000 31% 0 0 –
39 pers. comm. Rich Mooi, California Academy of Sciences, 17 June 2005 and 16 March 2009.
40 pers. comm. Rich Mooi, California Academy of Sciences, 17 June 2005.
41 pers. comm. Tim O’Hara, Museum of Victoria, March 2009.
42 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b), but note that they do list one ‘Near Threatened’ species.

Insecta (insects)
Estimates of the number of described insects in the world have estimated that there could be as many as 100 million insect taxonomists broadly concur from this that
vary from about 720,000 (May 2000) through 751,000 beetles alone (Tangley 1997), but this would appear to be a although there may be up to five million species
(Tangley 1997), 800,000 (Nieuwenhuys 1998, 2008), gross over-estimate. In the table below, I have attempted to of insect in the world, there are probably less than
948,000 (Brusca and Brusca 2003), 950,000 (IUCN 2004) document the numbers for each of the Orders. This leads to 10 million (Nielsen and Mound 2000).’
to more than 1 million (Myers 2001a). Groombridge and a figure between 965,000 and 1,015,000 so I have adopted
Based on the table below, the number of described species
Jenkins (2002) provide the figure of 963,000 for insects a figure here of ~1 million as a mid point. This is consistent
in Australia would appear to be around 62,000 with the total
plus myriapods. Estimates for the total numbers of insects with previous estimates, but a little higher than the previous
number of species varying from about 195,000 to 215,000.
vary widely from around 2 million (Nielsen and Mound report for the number of described species for the world. I
I have accepted the figure of nearly 205,000 given by Yeates
2000), 5–6 million (Raven and Yeates 2007) to around have been unable to get individual estimates for the total
et al. (2003) and Raven and Yeates (2007). The difference
8 million (Hammond 1995, Groombridge and Jenkins 2002). number of species by Order except for a few Orders, and
between the numbers is due to the variation in estimates for
Calculations based on extrapolations from species of have thus accepted the figure of about 5 million as given by
Coleoptera of 80,000 and 100,000 (Yeates et al. 2003).
Coleoptera and Lepidoptera in New Guinea by Novotny et al. Grimaldi and Engel (2005) and Raven and Yeates (2007).
(2002) produced a figure of between 3.7 and 5.9 million for This is higher than the 4 million given in the previous report Little appears to have been written on endemism in
the total number of arthropods in the world. Some workers which was based on May (2000). As stated by Miller et al. Australian insects, however Ridsdill-Smith (2004) stated that
(2002): ‘up to 70% of insects are endemic to Australia.’
‘Current evidence from the major museum collections
There are eight listed threatened species of insect in
of sorted and labeled insect species, whether
Australia and one undescribed subspecies. Three are listed
described or undescribed, does not
as Critically Endangered, four as Endangered, and one
support larger estimates, and
as Vulnerable with the subspecies listed as Endangered
(DEWHA 2009a).
23
Insecta (insects) continued
Australia
World Descr./ Descr./
Order Accepted Reference World Estimate Accepted Reference Australia Estimate Reference
Archaeognatha 470 Hallan (2003) 10 ABRS (2009a) 14 Yeates et al. (2003)
Blattodea 3,684–4,000 Hallan (2003), ABRS (2009a) 534 ABRS (2009a) 587 Yeates et al. (2003)
Coleoptera 360,000–~400,000 CSIRO43, Oberprieler44 1,100,000 22,901 Yeates et al. (2003) 80,000–100,000 Yeates et al. (2003), Oberprieler45
Dermaptera 1,816 Hallan (2003) 91 ABRS (2009a) 121 Yeates et al. (2003)
Diptera 152,956 Thompson 2008 240,00046 7,482 ABRS (2009a) 30,000 Yeates et al. (2003), Austin et al. (2004)
Embioptera 200–300 ABRS (2009a), Wikipedia47 2,000 26 ABRS (2009a) 28 Yeates et al. (2003)
Ephemeroptera 2,500–<3,000 Wikipedia48, ABRS (2009a) 113 ABRS (2009a) 333 Yeates et al. (2003)
Grylloblattaria 24 Hallan (2003) 0 0
Hemiptera 80,000–88,000 Discover Life49, Hallan (2003) 5,150–~6,000 ABRS (2009a) 11,580 Yeates et al. (2003)
Hymenoptera 115,000 Hymenoptera Online Database50 >300,000 9,155 ABRS (2009a) 44,000 Yeates et al. (2003), Austin et al. (2004)
Isoptera 2,600–2,800 Wikipedia51, Hallan (2003) 4,00051 26352 ABRS (2009a) 455 Yeates et al. (2003)
Lepidoptera 174,250 Lepidoptera Taxome Project53 300,000–500,00054 10,586 Yeates et al. (2003) 20,000 Yeates et al. (2003)
Mantodea 2,200 Encyclopedia Britannica55 105 ABRS (2009a) 114–160 Yeates et al. (2003), ABRS (2009a)
Mecoptera 481 Hallan (2003) 30 ABRS (2009a) 30 Yeates et al. (2003)
Megaloptera 250–300 Hallan (2003), ABRS (2009a) 26 ABRS (2009a) 26 Yeates et al. (2003)
Neuroptera ~5,000 ABRS (2009a) 553–>600 ABRS (2009a) 800 Yeates et al. (2003)
Odonata 6,500 Trueman & Rowe (2008) 321 ABRS (2009a) 330 Yeates et al. (2003)
Orthoptera 24,380 Eades & Otte (2009) 1,835 Yeates et al. (2003) 2,800 Yeates et al. (2003)
Phasmatodea (Phasmida) 2,50056–3,300 ABRS (2009a), Hallan (2003) 105 ABRS (2009a) 115–150 Yeates et al. (2003), ABRS (2009a)
Phthiraptera >3,000–~3,200 Smith & Page (1997), ABRS (2009a) 465 ABRS (2009a) 648 Yeates et al. (2003)
Plecoptera 2,274 Hallan (2003) 192 ABRS (2009a) 196 Yeates et al. (2003)
Psocoptera 3,200–~3,500 Hallan (2003), ABRS (2009a) 293 ABRS (2009a) 293 plus many more ABRS (2009a)
Siphonaptera 2,525 ABRS (2009a) 84 ABRS (2009a) 92 Yeates et al. (2003)
Strepsiptera 596 Kathirithamby (2002) 42 ABRS (2009a) 58–159 Yeates et al. (2003), ABRS (2009a)
Thysanoptera ~6,000 ABRS (2009a) 750 ABRS (2009a) ~1500 ABRS (2009a)
Trichoptera 12,627 Trichoptera World Checklist57 719 ABRS (2009a) 800 Yeates et al. (2003)
Zoraptera 28 Hallan (2003) 1 ABRS (2009a)58 1 –
Zygentoma (Thysanura) 370 Mendes (2002) 36 ABRS (2009a) 38 Yeates et al. (2003)
TOTAL 965,431–1,015,897 61,868–62,765 ~194,959–215,141

720,000 >1,000,000 ~1,000,000 ~5,000,000 ~62,000 6.2% ~205,000 up to 70% 626 (0.06%) 8 (0.01%) 1.2%
43 CSIRO: Beetle Research. http://www.csiro.au/science/Beetle-Research.html [Accessed 18 March 2009]. 52 At least 348 species now recognised, but many as yet to be formally described (ABRS 2009a).
44 Oberprieler et al. (2007) and pers. comm., November 2008. Oberprieler’s figures included 62,000 and 220,000 53 Taxonomy of the Lepidoptera: the scale of the problem. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/lepnos.html [Accessed
for the number of described and estimated species of Curculionoidea weevils respectively with 4,188 described 18 March 2009].
for Australia out of an estimated 20,000 species. 54 Moth and butterfly (Lepidoptera]. research at CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/science/ps1e7.html [Accessed
45 Oberprieler et al. (2007) and pers. comm., November 2008. 18 March 2009].
46 Wikipedia (2009): Diptera. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diptera [Accessed 18 March 2009]. 55 Encyclopedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/362942/mantid [Accessed
47 Wikipedia (2009): Embioptera. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embioptera [Accessed 18 March 2009]. 18 March 2009].
48 Wikipedia (2009): Ephemeroptera. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayfly [Accessed 18 March 2009]. 56 Many species may have been described twice as males and females can be vastly different (Kevan 1982 from
ABRS 2009a).
49 Discover Life (2009): Hemiptera. http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20o?search=Hemiptera [Accessed 18 March
2009]. 57 Trichoptera World Checklist http://entweb.clemson.edu/database/trichopt/ [Accessed 18 March 2009].
50 Hymenoptera Online Database http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/ [Accessed on 18 March 2009]. 58 The one species described for Australia occurs only on Christmas Island.
51 Wikipedia (2009): Termite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termite [Accessed 18 March 2009]. 59 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).
25
Arachnida (spiders, scorpions, etc)
Estimates of the number of described arachnids vary from Pseudoscorpionida (>3,300 species61), Ricinulei (57 species the number of described species of Araneae. Estimates for
60,000 (Myers 2001a, Brusca and Brusca 2003) through (Amrine 2005)), Schizomida (>23062), Scorpionida (1,764 the total number of the described Australian Arachnid fauna
70,000 species (Nieuwenhuys 1999), 74,000 (Groombridge (Rein 2009)), Solifugae (1,095 (Savary 2006)) and Uropygi varies from 5,666 (DEH 2001) through 5,711 (DEH 2007) to
and Jenkins 2002), 75,000 (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo (286 (Fox 2006)). Summation of these figures gives a total 6,615 (this publication) and for the total number of Arachnid
1995, May 2000), 98,000 (Chapman 2006) to 102,248 (this of over 102,248 described species, considerably higher than fauna from 20,937 (using Halliday’s number for the Acarina)
report). There do not seem to be many estimates for the the estimates cited above, with estimates of the total number through 22,838 (this publication) to 27,837 (using the
total numbers of spiders in the world, however Coddington of species varying between 160,000 and about 1 million ABRS figure for the Acarina) and 27,960 (previous report).
and Levi (1991) predicted that there may be as many (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995). Hawksworth and Harvey (pers. comm.64) agrees that this is a good summary
as 170,000 species. Perhaps the best way to determine Kalin-Arroyo (1995) accepted a working figure of 750,000 of current knowledge. No estimates of the percentage of
the number of described arachnid species is to make a Australian endemics has been found.
species.
breakdown of the various Orders. Spiders are probably the
There are no species of spider listed as threatened for
best known, and Nieuwenhuys (2008) gives 40,462 species Halliday et al. (2000) conducted an extensive literature
Australia (DEWHA 2009a).
while Platnick (2008) lists 40,700 described species in The survey of mites in Australia and concluded that there were
World Spider Catalog. One of the largest of the arachnid about 2,700 described species and by extrapolating from
groups includes the mites and ticks (Acarina) and here recent revisions estimated that the total mite fauna in
the numbers vary greatly. Hickman et al. (2004) estimated Australia may be in the order of 7,800. They then further
40,000 described species with a total of 500,000 to 1 million. suggested that this may be a gross under-estimation as
Halliday et al. (2000) estimated that there were 48,200 many of the lesser known groups are likely to include many
described species of Acarina and a total fauna of about more species. Their final estimate for the total Australian mite
0.5 million. Walter et al. (1996) on the Tree of Life website species was in excess of 20,000 species.
estimated 45,000 described species and suggested that
that may only be about 5% of the total species alive today. ABRS (ABRS 2009a) reports numbers of described and
Other estimates from the 1960s and 1970s (see Halliday estimated Australian species as shown in the following table,
et al. 2000) varied from 17,500 to 30,000. Other Orders except for the number of 10,000 for the estimated Araneae
include Amblypygi (136 (Harvey 2003)), Opiliones (around which comes from Raven (pers. comm.63) who stated that
5,000 species (Myers 2001a), 6,400 (Pinto-da-Rocha et al. the figure of 20,000 in Yeates et al. (2003) was a gross over-
2007)), Palpigradi (c. 78 (Harvey 2003), to 80 species60), estimate. Raven also supplied an updated figure of 3,300 for
60 Wikipedia (2000): Palpigradi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpigradi [Accessed 23 March 2009].

61 Wikipedia (2000): Pseudoscorpion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscorpiones [Accessed 23 March 2009].
62 Wikipedia (2005): Schizomida. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizomida [Accessed 23 March 2009].

Order World Described World Estimated Australian Described Australian Estimated
Acarina 48,200 ~100,000–500,000 2,851 20,000
Amblypygi 136 150 5 10
Araneae 40,700 80,00065 3,300 10,000
Opiliones 6,400 10,000 199 500
Palpigradi <80 unknown 3 3
Pseudoscorpionida ~3,300 unknown 161 600
Ricinulei 57 unknown 0 0
Scorpionida 1,764 ~2,400 43 150
Schizomida >230 unknown 53 75
Solifugae 1,095 unknown 0 0
Uropygi 286 unknown 0 0
TOTAL ~102,248 ~200,000–600,000 6,615 31,338
Australian Threatened
World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Australia Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of World
60,000 102,248 102,248 200,000–600,000 6,615 6.5% 31,338 unknown 18 (0.02%) 0 0%
63 pers. comm. Robert Raven, Queensland Museum, March 2009.

64 pers. comm. Mark Harvey, Western Australian Museum, July 2009. With reference to Harvey (2002), Harvey (2007), Harvey (2009).
65 Raven and Yeates (2007) reporting a pers. comm. from N.I.Platnick (2004).
27
Pycnogonida (sea spiders)
There are around 1,340 described species of Pycnogonida in just under 50% are identified as endemic. This figure will
the world (Arango pers. comm.67). Bamber and Nagar (2009) increase with the addition of the newly described species.
list 1,308 species (as of early April 2009), but this does not
No species are identified as threatened in Australia at this
include the recently described Australian species.
stage (DEWHA 2009a).
A recent study by Arango at the Queensland Museum
(Arango pers. comm.67) has identified 215 species for
Australia, and predicts that this number will increase rapidly
with many newly discovered species. Examining the species
listed in the Australian Faunal Directory (ABRS 2009a),

1,300 1,340 1,340 unknown 215 16.0% unknown ~50% 0 0 –
67 pers. comm. Claudio Arango, Queensland Museum, April 2009.


Myriapoda (millipedes, centipedes)
Brusca and Brusca (2003) gave an estimate of 11,460 Chilopoda (centipedes) Pauropoda (centipede-like arthropods)
described species of Myriapoda in the world. Estimates of the number of described species of Chilopoda The number of described Pauropoda of the world is between
vary from 2,500 (Hoffman 1982, Myers 2001c) through 2,800 500 (Brusca and Brusca 2003) and 715 (ABRS 2009a),
Yeates et al. (2003) estimated the total number of described
(Brusca and Brusca 2003) to about 5,000 (Nieuwenhuys with 18 species described for Australia (55% of which are
myriapod species in Australia at 2,539. This is lower than the
2008). I have accepted the figure of 3,149 in 429 genera endemic), but with an estimated total number of >500 (ABRS
ABRS estimate of 2,800 (DEH 2007).
for the world as cited in Chilobase (Bonato et al. 2006). 2009a). I have accepted the ABRS figure of 715 for the
There are no myriapod species listed as threatened in ABRS (2009a) lists 131 species of Chilopoda for Australia world.
Australia (DEWHA 2009a). and a number have been added recently (Edgecombe pers.
comm.69). Yeates et al. (2003) provided an estimate of about Symphyla (glasshouse symphylans)
446 for total species in Australia. Calculations from ABRS Although little information could be obtained on this group,
(2009a) and Edgecombe (pers. comm.69) lead to a figure of it would appear that there are about 200 described species
around 81.4% endemism. of Symphyla in the world (ABRS 2009a). Brusca and Brusca
(2003) estimated that there are 160 species and Hallan
Diplopoda (millipedes) (2003) gave 208 species.
Estimates of the number of described species of Diplopoda
ABRS (2009a) listed 26 species for Australia, of which 24 are
vary from 5,000 (Nieuwenhuys 2008) through 8,000 (Myers
endemic, and estimates about 150 species in total. Yeates
2001b, Brusca and Brusca 2003), 10,000 (Geoffroy 2001)
et al. (2003) provided a figure of 29 described species with
to 12,000 (Sierwald and Bond 2007). I have accepted the
200 for the total number of species.
figure of 12,000 as given by Sierwald and Bond (2007) as
this appears to be ‘very solid’ (Mesibov pers. comm.70).
Geoffroy (2001) estimated the total number of species at
betweeen 80,000 and 90,000. These figures appear to be
based on Hoffman (1980) and are regarded as probably an
under-estimate (Mesibov pers. comm.70). Mesibov (2008 and
pers. comm.70) provides figures of 366 species for Australia
and an estimate of around 2,000 in total. Endemism in the
230 species listed in ABRS (2009a) is 91.3%.
69 pers. comm. Greg Edgecombe, Natural History Museum, London, UK, March 2009.
70 pers. comm. Bob Mesibov, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, Tasmania, March 2009.
29
Myriapoda (millipedes, centipedes) continued

Chilopoda 2,500 5,000 3,149 unknown 140 4.0% 446 81.4% 0
Diplopoda 5,000 12,000 12,000 80,000–90,000 366 2.9% 2,000 91.3% 0
Pauropoda 500 715 715 unknown 18 2.5% >500 55.5% 0
Symphyla 160 208 208 unknown 29 13.9% 150 92.3% 0
Total 8,160 17,923 16,072 ~90,000 553 3.4% ~3,100 86.0% 15 (0.1%) 0 0%

Crustacea (crabs, lobsters, etc)
47,000 described species based on the detailed breakdown The estimated total number of world species is 150,000
given by Bouchet (2006), and adding the approximate 2,000 (May 2000, Groombridge and Jenkins 2002) with a range of
non-marine species (including 1,608 Ostracoda). One of the 75,000 to 200,000 (Hammond 1995, Hawksworth and Kalin-
big increases since the previous report appears to be with Arroyo 1995). Brusca and Brusca (2003) stated that there
the Ostracoda where Bouchet gives 6,400 marine species could be from 5–10 times the number of described species,
plus 1,608 non-marine species as opposed to 5,650 given giving a figure of 300,000–600,000 for their estimate.
by Abele (1982) and 10,000–15,000 by Martin and Davis
In 2007, DEH gave an estimate 7,130 described species for
(2001). The recently published checklist of Brachyuran
Australia and a total number of 9,500 species. The number
Crabs (Ng et al. 2008) gives a figure of 6,793 (species and
given by ABRS (2009a) is 6,467 excluding barnacles and a
subspecies) for the crabs. It would appear, however, that
further 799 species are now known for the Australian fauna.
there are very few accepted subspecies in the list so 6,793 This brings the total number of accepted described species
is fairly close to the number of species. Wilson (2008) states to 7,266.
that there are about 950 described species of freshwater
The estimated number of described species of Crustacea in isopod crustaceans with another possible 1,400 species Overall endemism is unknown, however a count of the
the world varies from 25,000 (Nieuwenhuys 2008), 30,000 remaining to be described out of a total of about 10,300 in all Decapoda produced a figure of 25.9% endemism for
(Myers 2001d), >30,000 (Ponder et al. 2002), 38,732 (Hallan habitats. Further information on individual taxa can be found Australia; and some 69% of Branchiopoda are endemic.
2003), 40,000 (with 38,000 marine species) (Hawksworth in Crustacea.net coordinated by the Australian Museum
Nine crustacea are listed as threatened species in
and Kalin-Arroyo 1995, May 2000, Groombridge and Jenkins (Lowry et al. 1999 onwards). The World List of Marine,
Australia—two are listed as Critically Endangered, three as
2002), 44,950 marine species (Bouchet 2006), 52,000+ Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans lists 5,300 Endangered and four as Vulnerable (DEWHA 2009a).
(Martin and Davis 2001, Wikipedia72) to 68,171 (Brusca and species of marine and freshwater isopod crustaceans from
Brusca 2003). I have accepted a figure of approximately 10,659 names (Schotte et al. 2009).

25,000 68,171 47,000 150,000 7,266 15.5% ~9,500 unknown 606 (1.3%) 9 (0.1%) 1.5%
72 Wikipedia (2009): Crustacean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crustacean [Accessed 19 May 2009].

73 pers. comm. Peter Davie, Queensland Museum, March 2009.
31
Onychophora (velvet worms)
The number of described species of Onychophora would In Australia, ABRS (DEH 2007, ABRS 2009a) estimated that
appear to be around 165, with estimates varying from there are about 71 described species with perhaps another
about 70 (Hickman et al. 2004), 100 (Groombridge and nine undescribed species. It appears that all 71 are endemic
Jenkins 2002), 110 (Brusca and Brusca 2003, Hallan 2003, to Australia (ABRS 2009a).
Peripatus Web75), about 120 (Monge-Najera 2000), 155
There are no species of Onychophora listed as threatened
(Wikipedia76) to about 200 (Geoffroy and Ruhberg 2006).
for Australia (DEWHA 2009a).
Reid in the Australian Faunal Directory (ABRS 2009a) states
that there are 75 species in the Peripatidae and 90 in the
Peripatopsidae, making a total world described fauna of
165 species. This is the figure I have used here, even though
it is considerably higher than many of the other estimates.
Estimates for the total fauna include about 200 (Geoffroy
2001), 220 (Brusca and Brusca 2003) and 300 (Wikipedia84).

70 200 165 ~220 71 43.0% ~80 100% 9 (5.5%) 0 0%
75 Peripatus.gen.nz Web site: Onychophora http://www.peripatus.gen.nz/Taxa/Arthropoda/Onychophora.html [Accessed 19 May 2009].

76 Wikipedia (2009): Onychophora. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychophora [Accessed 15 May 2009].

Hexapoda (proturans, springtails)
The three Classes covered here include Protura, Collembola Collembola Diplura
and Diplura. Yeates et al. (2003) estimated the total number ABRS (2009a) identifies 357 described species of which ABRS (2009a) identifies 28 species for Australia and 800
of species in Australia at between about 2,000 and 3,000, about 78 are introduced, and an estimated total fauna of for the world. There is little further information currently
with 382 species described. By far the greatest number of about 2,000 species. Bellinger et al. (2009) state that there available. Yeates et al. (2003) gave a figure of 38 for
these are the Springtails—Collembola. In the previous report are about 7,900 described species in the world, however estimated number of species for Australia.
this group was inadvertantly omitted. Greenslade (ABRS 2009a) suggests that this figure may
include many synonyms. Janssens (pers. comm.78), one Protura
of the managers of the Website Collembola.org (Bellinger Szeptycki (2007) listed 31 described species for Australia
et al. 2009), suggests a more conservative figure of c. 7,500. one of which appeared dubious, whereas ABRS (2009a)
Hallan (2003) gives a figure of 6,000 species. Hopkin (1997) lists 32—four of which are probably introduced. Szeptycki
suggested the total number of species in the world is about (2007) listed 748 species for the world. Twenty-five of the
50,000. 31 species listed by Szeptycki (2007) are endemic.
There are no species currently listed as threatened in

World Descr./ World Australia Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of World
Accepted Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic Threatened79 Threatened Threatened
Collembola ~7,500 50,000 279 34.7% ~2,000 6.1% 0 0 –
Diplura 800 unknown 28 3.5% 38 92.8% 0 0 –
Protura 748 unknown 31 4.1% 32 80.6% 0 0 –
ALL HEXAPODA ~9,048 52,000 338 3.7% ~2,070 ~17.6% 0 0 –
78 pers. comm. Frans Janssens, Collembola.org, University of Antwerp, Belgium, May 2009.
33
Mollusca (molluscs, shellfish)
Estimates of the number of described species of molluscs Estimates for Australia are approximately 8,700 described
in the world vary from nearly 50,000 living species (Tangley species out of a total of about 12,250 (DEH 2007).
1997, Hickman et al. 2004) through 52,525 marine species
Endemism of about 90% is reported in the 2001 Australian
(Bouchet 2006), ?70,000 (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo
State of the Environment Report (DEH 2001), however
1995), 70,000–75,000 (with possibly more than 100,000)
Ponder et al. (2002) reported that only about 10% of tropical
(Groombridge and Jenkins 2002), 81,000 (IUCN 2009b),
species (i.e. about 2/3 of all Australian species) and 95% of
93,195 (Brusca and Brusca 2003), 110,000 (Hallan 2003) to
temperate species are endemic, making a total of about 38%
120,000 (Ponder et al. 2002). Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo
endemism.
(1995), Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) and Rosenberg
(pers. comm.80) estimated a possible total of around 200,000 There are 14 listed threatened mollusc species in Australia
species, and May (2000) provided an estimate of about (one undescribed) and one undescribed subspecies
120,000. I have accepted a figure for the world of c. 85,000 (DEWHA 2009a). Ten (plus the subspecies) are listed as
described species based on 52,525 marine (Bouchet Critically Endangered and four as Endangered.
2006), and 24,000 terrestrial molluscs and 7,000 freshwater
molluscs (Lydeard et al. 2004), with a total world estimate of
200,000 species (Rosenberg pers. comm.80).

50,000 120,000 ~85,000 ~200,000 ~8,700 10.2% ~12,250 38% 978 (1.2%) 14 (0.2%) 1.4%
80 pers. comm. Gary Rosenberg, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Sept. 2008.

Annelida (segmented worms)
(2001e) reported about 10,000 species of Polychaeta, According to DEH (2007), the number of described Australian
3,000 species of Oligochaeta and about 500 species of species is about 2,300 out of an estimated total of about
Hirudinea, and a total of about 13,500 species. Wilson 4,230. Adding up the species in each Order, however, gives
and Capa (pers. comm.82) report around 8,350 species in a figure of about 2,192 made up of 1,139 polychaetes (ABRS
1,093 genera for Polychaeta, although figures for a number 2009a, Wilson and Capa pers. comm.82), 22 Myzostomida
of families are approximate. The figures I have used are (ABRS 2009a), 10 Pogonophora (which should now be
c. 8,432 polychaete species, from Beesley et al. (2000) included in the Polychaete family Siboglinidae)84, 962
who give a detailed breakdown by family; 147 species of oligochaetes85 and 59 Hirudinea (ABRS 2009a). Many of
Pogonophora from the Catalogue of Life (Bisby et al. 2009); these figures do, however, appear to be quite fuzzy. The
7,684 Oligochaeta from Blakemore (2008 and pers. comm.86) percentage of endemics is unknown, but it is reported that
and 500 Hirudinea from Myers (2001i)—making a total of southern Australia has about 67% endemism (Poore 1995).
16,763. Glasby (pers. comm.83) suggests that higher figures Blakemore (pers. comm.86) states that there are probably
Estimates for the number of described species of Annelida often given for Polychaetes (i.e. around 13,000) are more around 2,000 endemic species of megadriles in Australia, of
related to names than species and don’t take into account which 650 are currently described.
in the world vary from 12,000 (Tangley 1997, Bouchet 2006)
synonymy, whereas the lower figures (around 8,000) are
through 12,070 (Hallan 2003), 13,000 (with only about There is one listed threatened worm species in Australia,
more accurate for the number of species.
8,000 reliable species) (Hutchings and Fauchald 2000), listed as Vulnerable (DEWHA 2009a).
13,500 (Myers 2001e), 15,000 (May 1998, Hickman et al. An estimate for the total number of species is between
2004), c. 16,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002), 16,600 25,000 and 30,000 (Snelgrove et al. 1997 as reported by
(Brusca and Brusca 2003) to 16,763 (this report). Myers Ponder et al. 2002).

12,000 16,763 16,763 25,000–30,000 2,192 13.1% ~4,230 67% 6 (0.04%) 1 (0.05%) 16.7%
82 pers. comm. R.Wilson, Museum of Victoria and M.Capa, Australian Museum—made up of 981 described, 144 known undescribed and 14 Antarctic species, April 2009.
83 pers. comm. Chris Glasby, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, April 2009.
84 pers. comm. R.Wilson, Museum of Victoria and M.Capa Australian Museum—who state that most of these are probably new, undescribed species, April 2009.
85 650 native (and 75 exotic) (terrestrial) megadriles—ref. Rob Blakemore pers. comm. (2009) and 270 microdriles (ABRS 2009a).
86 pers. comm. Rob Blakemore, Tasmania, Sept. 2008.
35
Nematoda (nematodes, roundworms)
Estimates for the number of described species of Nematoda times’ their estimate of 25,000 (Brusca and Brusca 2003). living nematodes. Estimates for the total number of species
vary from around 12,000 (Myers 2001f, Hickman et al. 2004) Baldwin et al. (2000) stated that ‘Although 4,000–5,000 are around 30,000 (DEH 2007). I have found no published
through 20,000 (Hodda 2000), 20,000–25,000 (Groombridge marine nematode species have been named and described, estimates for the percentage of endemics.
and Jenkins 2002), fewer than 25,000 (Baldwin et al. full surveys of marine habitats probably will reveal many
There are currently no listed threatened species of nematode
2000), 25,000 (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995, Brusca millions of previously unknown species’. They also provided
in Australia (DEWHA 2009a).
and Brusca 2003), over 80,000 of which over 15,000 are references to estimates for the total number varying from
parasitic (Wikipedia88). Bouchet (2006) accepted a figure 100,000 (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995) to as many as
of 12,000 for marine species based largely on Hugot et al. 10 million.
(2001). Estimates for the total numbers of species, however, Estimates for the numbers of described Australian species
are much larger, ranging from 400,000 (Hawksworth vary from 1,200 (ABRS 2005) to about 2,060 (DEH 2007).
and Kalin-Arroyo 1995, Groombridge and Jenkins 2002) The current version of the Australian Faunal Directory
through about 500,000 (Myers 2001f, Hickman et al. 2004) (ABRS 2009a) lists just 358 species, but I am informed that
to 500,000–1 million (Baldwin et al. 2000) and ‘several this is very incomplete and includes mostly just the free-

12,000 >80,000 <25,000 ~500,000 ~2,060 8.2% ~30,000 unknown 0 0 –
88 Wikipedia (2009): Nematode. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematode [Accessed 19 May 2009].


Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms)
Estimates for the number of described species of DEH (2007) reports figures of 56 described species for
Acanthocephala in the world vary from more than 500 Australia out of a total of about 160.
(Hickman et al. 2004), 842 (Hallan 2003), over 1,000 (of
There are no listed threatened species of Acanthocephala for
which 600 are marine) (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002,
Bouchet 2006), 1,100 (Brusca and Brusca 2003) to 1,150
(Wikipedia90).
Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) suggested that only a low

to moderate proportion of the group is known, suggesting
perhaps a total of around 1,500 species.

~500 1,150 1,150 ~1,500 56 4.9% ~160 unknown 0 0 –
90 Wikipedia (2009): Acanthocephala. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthocephala [Accessed 19 May 2009].

37
Platyhelminthes (flat worms)
Estimates for the number of described species of flat I found one obscure estimate of the total number of species and in free-living marine forms and high in parasites of
worms in the world are around 20,000 (Hawksworth at over 80,000. marsupials, reptiles and frogs, and in free-living freshwater
and Kalin-Arroyo 1995, Groombridge and Jenkins 2002, forms (Wells pers. comm.92).
Brusca and Brusca 2003), although Hallan (2003) gives an Estimates for the number of described Australian species
vary from 1,506 (DEH 2001) to 1,593 (DEH 2007) with There are no listed threatened species of Platyhelminthes,
unsubstantiated figure of 25,000. Myers (2001g) reported
however The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN
3,000 species of Turbellaria, 9,000 species of Trematoda estimates for total species of around 10,000 (DEH 2007)
2009b) lists one Extinct species of Turbellaria.
and 5,000 species of Cestoda, while Ponder et al. (2002) and 10,806 (DEH 2001) although these estimates appear
provided a figure of 3,000–4,000 Monogenea which would high (Wells pers. comm.92). The Australian Faunal Directory
give a total of 20,000–21,000 species. I have accepted the (ABRS 2009a) lists just 465 species, however this is very
lower of these (20,000) in line with the majority of reports. incomplete as not all Classes have been covered. Endemism
About 15,000 of these are marine species (Bouchet 2006). is likely to be low in parasitic forms in birds, marine fishes

20,000 25,000 20,000 (~80,000) 1,593 8% ~10,000 unknown 0 0 –
92 pers. comm. Alice Wells, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, July 2009.

Cnidaria (jellyfish, sea anenomes, corals)
Estimates for the number of described species of Cnidaria in 2,200 (DEH 2007), made up of around 1,043 species of
the world vary from 9,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002, Anthozoa, 51 species of Scyphozoa, nine of Cubozoa and
Hickman et al. 2004) through 9,500 (Hallan 2003), 9,795 perhaps around 600 species of Hydrozoa (Ponder et al.
(Bouchet 2006), 10,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002) to 2002), making a total of around 1,705 described species and
10,000–11,000 (Brusca and Brusca 2003). I have accepted around 2,200 species in total.
the figure of 9,795 as it appears to be the most thoroughly
There are no listed threatened species of Cnidaria in
researched and reliable. I am not sure if these include the
Australia (DEWHA 2009a) but 231 Anthozoa and five
Myxozoa, which are included here under the Protoctista and
Hydrozoa are listed in The IUCN Red List of Threatened
of which there are about 1,200 species (Adl et al. 2007).
Species for the world.
I have accepted that these were most likely not included by
Bouchet in his publication.
The number of described Australian species reported

varies from 1,270 (DEH 2001) to 1,705 (DEH 2007) with
estimates of the total Australian fauna consistent at about

9,000 11,000 9,795 unknown 1,705 17.4% ~2,200 unknown 236 (2.4%) 0 0%
39
Porifera (sponges)
Estimates for the number of described species of Porifera in in Australia with the total number of species in Australian
the world vary from 5,500 (Myers 2001h, Brusca and Brusca waters at about 3,500. The Australian Faunal Directory
2003, Bouchet 2006) through 5,000–10,000 (Groombridge (ABRS 2009a) has now updated this figure to 1,476. Ponder
and Jenkins 2002), 6,000 (ABRS 2009a), to 10,000 (Hallan et al. (2002) stated that about 45% of species on the Great
2003, Ramel 2009a). ABRS (2009a) also estimates that the Barrier Reef are endemic.
figure of 6,000 described species is perhaps only about one-
There are currently no listed threatened Porifera species in
third of the total number of extant species. I have accepted
the figure of 6,000 as given by ABRS (2009b).
Described species in Australia number between 1,320

and 1,476. Hooper and Wiedenmayer (1994) provided
figures of 1,320–1,335 with 56% endemic and DEH (2001,
2007) estimated that there were 1,416 described species

5,500 10,000 ~6,000 ~18,000 1,476 24.6% ~3,500 56% 0 0 –

Other Invertebrates
A difficulty in listing this group is determining what belongs unpublished paper by her and Reinhardt Kristensen listed Ponder et al. (2002) stated that about 87% of the Australian
here, and what belongs in the Protoctista (see later). 46 marine species for Australia in 1998, and that her PhD species of Entoprocta are endemic. Other endemism figures
(submitted in 2004) identified 182 terrestrial species of which are largely determined from ABRS (2009a).
Estimates for the number of described species in the
69 have been published in the literature. About 56% of the
various phyla in the world are given in the next table and There are two species of Nemertea (ribbon worms) listed
182 species are endemic. She suggested that there are at
are compiled from Groombridge and Jenkins (2002), Brusca as Vulnerable in The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,
least 500 species in total for Australia.
and Brusca (2003), Hickman et al. (2004) and Bouchet but no species are currently listed as threatened in Australia
(2006). Those for Australia are from ABRS (2009a) with the Most estimates for the world total of described species of (DEWHA 2009a).
exception of the Rotifera supplied by Shiel (pers. comm.96). Mesozoa are around 90–106, whereas ABRS (2005) stated
The Phylum Monoblastozoa listed in the following table that there are 100 described species for Australia. I have
is, according to Meeûs and Renaud (2002), of doubtful contacted several researchers around Australia, and all
existence, and Hickman et al. (2002) stated that the Phylum have the view that there is probably no-one in Australia
Chaetognatha was not supported by molecular evidence. who knows the number of described species in Australia.
They have, however, been included in the table. Guidetti Similarly, the figure of 100 for the Loricifera reported by
and Bertolani (2005) listed 980 species of tardigrade for the Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) does not fit with figures of
world, of which 147 were marine. Bouchet (2006) stated around 10 reported by other researchers, or 28 supplied by
that there were 212 marine species making a new total of Kristensen (pers. comm.98).
1,045 species in total.
Other figures that differ from those given in the cited papers
Information for Australia on Tardigrada (water bears) was are 1,200 described species out of a worldwide total of
supplied by Claxton (pers. comm.97). She reported that an 5,000–10,000 in Nemertea (Ponder et al. 2002).
96 pers. comm. Russell Shiel, University of Adelaide, Nov. 2008.

97 pers. comm. Sandra Claxton, New South Wales, Aug. 2008.
98 pers. comm. Reinhardt Kristensen, University of Copenhagen, June 2009.
41
Other Invertebrates continued
World World Australia
Hickman Brusca and Groombridge Bouchet Descr./ World Descr./ Australia Australia Australia
Phylum Common name et al. Brusca99 and Jenkins (marine only) Accepted Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic
Placozoa 1 1 1 – 1 – 0 0 0 0
Monoblastozoa – 1 – – 1 – – – – –
Mesozoa (Rhombozoa, Orthonectida) mesozoans accepted? 90 ~90 106 106 – 100 94% 100 –
Ctenophora comb jellies <100 100 ~100 166 166 200 10 6% 60 –
Nemertea (Nemertina) ribbon worms 650 900 ~900 1180–1230 1,200 5,000–10,000 81 7% 281 65%
Rotifera rotifers ~1,800 1,800 ~2,000 50 marine 2,180100 – 683 31% 1,300 45%
Gastrotricha gastrotrichs ~400 450 ~400 390–400 400 – 45 11% 45 –
Kinorhyncha kynorhinchs 75 150 ~150 130 130 – 8 6% 8 –
Nematomorpha horsehair worms 250 320 ~240 5 marine 331101 ~2,000 32 10% 32 –
Entoprocta (Kamptozoa) kamptozoans 150 150 ~150 165–170 170 170 16 9% >16 87%
Gnathostomulida gnathostomulids >80 80 ~80 97 97 – 8 8% 8 –
Priapulida priapulans 18 16 17 8 marine 16 – 2 12% 2 –
Loricifera loriciferans few 10 ~100 18 marine 28102 >100 4 14% 6 50%
Cycliophora cycliophorans ?1 1 accepted? 1 1 – 0 0 0 –
Sipuncula peanut worms ~330 320 ~150 144 144103 – 48 33% 48 –
Echiura spoon worms 140 135 ~140 176 176 – 13 7% 13 54%
Tardigrada water bears 300–400 800 ~750 212 marine 1,045104 – 112 (228) 11–22% ~500 56%
Phoronida phoronids ~10 20 16 10 10 – 6 60% 6 –
Ectoprocta (Bryozoa) moss animals ~4,000 4,500 ~4,000 5,700 5,700 ~5,000 1,000 18% ~2,500 50%
Brachiopoda lamp shells ~325 335 ~350 550 550 – 58 11% 70 ~70%
Pentastomida tongue worms ~90 ~130105 accepted? – 100 – 10 10% 10 –
Chaetognatha arrow worms – 100 ~70 121 121 – 19 16% 10 0%
TOTAL ~8,820 ~10,409 ~9,704 9,229–9,294 12,673 ~20,000 2,255–2,371 18.7% ~5,015 unknown
99 Brusca and Brusca (2003) treat the Placozoa, Monoblastoza, Rhombozoa and Orthonectida as phyla of 102 pers. comm. Reinhardt Kristensen, University of Copenhagen, 8 Aug. 2005, June 2009—includes four species
uncertain relationships. from Australian caves, and two species from waters between Australia and New Caledonia.
100 1,570 Monogonata, 461 Bdelloidea (Segers 2008) plus at least 70 (maybe as high as 190) marine species 103 Bisby et al. (2009).
(Russell Shiel pers. comm. 2009). Fontaneto et al. (2006) state that 148 species have been found in saltwater 104 Guidetti and Bertolani (2005) list 980 species of which 147 are marine. Bouchet (2006) states that there are
only—both marine and inland saltwater lakes. Another species was described in Fontaneto et al. (2008). 212 marine species, making a new total of 1,045 species.
101 326 freshwater species (Poinar 2008) plus five marine species (Bouchet 2006); and an estimated total of about 105 Included under Crustacea.
2,000 species (Poinar 2008).

Plants Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)
Estimates for the number of described species of flowering species in their work for Target 1 of the Global Plant Strategy
plants in the world vary from 223,300 (Scotland and Wortley (CBD 2009b). I have accepted the figure of 352,000 as the
2003) through 248,000 (Tangley 1997), 258,650 (Thorne most likely, given the number of known published species
2002, IUCN 2004), about 270,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins and the rate of description over recent years, particularly in
2002) to about 315,903 (Kier et al. 2009). The latter figure areas of Asia (e.g. New Guinea) and in tropical Central and
was calculated using range equivalents of vascular plants for South America. I believe figures in the low 300,000s are too
all 90 regions of the world and representing ‘a conservative low, and figures in the 400,000s too high.
estimate on the number of species of vascular plants known
Australian figures for flowering plants have varied from
to science today’ (Croft pers. comm.106). The IUCN (2004)
15,638 (Walter and Gillett 1998, Williams 2001, Groombridge
and Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) estimated that the
and Jenkins 2002) through 18,140 (DEH 2007) to 18,821
total flora was about 320,000 species. IUCN (2009b) are
(Sjöström and Gross 2006). Sjöström and Gross (2006)
now using the figures from Thorne (2002) citing the figure
reported a total of 18,821 species including 1,997 introduced
of 258,650. There have been 9,932 new species (excluding
species, thus giving a total of 16,824 native species. A count
new combinations and nom. nov.) added to the International
carried out as part of this report produced a figure of 18,448
Plant Names Index (IPNI 2009) over the past five years
native species on the Australian mainland and 18,706 when
(Nicolson pers. comm.107). For this report, I have accepted
the offshore islands were included. Since the previous report,
the figure of 258,650 used in the previous report, plus the
there have been many new taxa described, and a lot of work
additional 9,932 species published since then. This gives
on developing and improving the Australian Plant Census
a new figure of 268,600 when rounded to the nearest one
(CHAH 2009a) and the Australian Plant Name Index (ANBG
hundred.
2009). This has led to considerably higher numbers than
Govaerts (2002) estimated that there are 422,127 species those cited in the previous report. Confusion does arise with
of flowering plants based on the first volumes of his World knowing whether some species are introduced or native,
Checklist of Seed Plants, whereas Bramwell (2002), using and whether some species I have regarded as endemic may
different methods, estimated a total of 421,968 species. not also occur in neighbouring Malesian regions including
In 2001, Prance (2001) estimated that there are between Papua New Guinea. I do, however, believe that the figures
300,000 and 320,000 species, whereas more recently Paton cited here of 18,448 and 18,706 (±1.0%) are realistic. The
et al. (2008) have estimated that there are around 352,000 Australian Plant Name Index also lists around another 824
106 pers. comm. Holger Croft, University of California, San Diego, April 2009.
107 pers. comm. Nicola Nicolson, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, April 2009.
43
Magnoliophyta (flowering plants) continued
species as phrase or manuscript names108—i.e. known but In the previous report (Chapman 2006), I provided a figure of
as yet unpublished species, and over 2,793 introduced and 91% endemism, with about 91.7% when the offshore islands
naturalised species. When all these are included, the total were excluded. Since that report, many new species have
number of native species is 19,530 with 22,210 including been described, most being endemics. In addition many new
native and naturalised species. species have been added as phrase names awaiting formal
description. If we assume most of these are good species,
The estimates of 15,638, as cited by several authors, appear
calculated endemism in the Australian flora is 93.25% or
to have all been sourced from the Australian National Botanic
93.8% when offshore islands are excluded109. These figures
Gardens (ANBG 2004) which referred to figures estimated in
are based on counts carried out for this project using the
1990. I expect that other estimates of around 22,000–25,000
Australian Plant Census (CHAH 2009a), What’s Its Name
include as many as 3,000 introduced species. The total
(Australian National Herbarium et al. 2005), published hard- There are 1,202 listed threatened species of flowering
number of native Australian flowering plants species would
copy and online volumes of the Flora of Australia (ABRS plant in Australia, of which 52 are undescribed. There
now appear to be somewhere between 20,000 and 21,000 or
2009b), the Australian Plant Name Index (Chapman 1991), are also 104 listed infraspecific taxa of which four are
possibly slightly higher.
the electronic Australian Plant Name Index (ANBG 2009) and undescribed (DEWHA 2009b). These lists include 37 species
Estimates for endemism vary from about 85% (Williams the Census of Australian Vascular Plants (Hnatiuk 1990). The and two infraspecific taxa listed as Extinct; 72 species
2001), 90% (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002) to 92% (Wong total number of endemic species needs to be recalculated (six undescribed) and seven infraspecific taxa (one
1999). Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) cited a figure of once the new Australian Plant Census of Australian vascular undescribed) listed as Critically Endangered; 475 species
14,074 endemic species out of their total of 15,638, giving plant species is completed, and as most species still to (34 undescribed) and 48 infraspecific taxa (one undescribed)
an endemism of 89%. In 1998, Conservation International be described are likely to be endemics, the percentage of listed as Endangered; and 618 species (12 undescribed) and
provided a figure of 14,458 endemic species (Wong 1999). endemism is expected to increase from these figures. 47 infraspecific taxa (two undescribed) listed as Vulnerable.
World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Australia Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of World
Accepted min. Accepted max. Accepted Estimate Accepted110 Percent. Estimate Endemic Threatened111 Threatened Threatened
223,300 315,903 ~268,600 352,000 18,706 7.0% ~20,000–21,000 93.25% 7,904 (2.9%) 1,202 (6.4%) 15.2%
108 Manuscript and phrase names are not included in the tables on numbers of species.
109 NB These figures do not take into account introduced and naturalised species which would drop the figure down to about 82%.
110 Does not include 824 undescribed species that have been given either manuscript or phrase names.

Gymnosperms (Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta, Gnetophyta and Ginkgophyta)
There are a number of contrasting recent estimates for the No estimates for the total number of Gymnosperms has been
number of described species of Gymnosperms in the world. found, but it is unlikely to much greater than 1,050.
Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) gave a figure of 846 while
Figures for the Australian Gymnosperms include:
Christopher Earle in The Gymnosperm Database (Earle
Coniferophyta 44 (39 of which are endemic) (Hill 1998a);
2009) listed 956 species, the IUCN (2009b) gives a total of
and Cycadophyta 76 (all of which are endemic) (Hill 1998b,
980 species based on Donaldson (2003), Farjon (2001) and
CHAH 2009a). No estimate of the total gymnosperm flora of
Mabberley (1997) and Paton et al. (2008 and pers. comm.112)
Australia has been found, but it is unlikely to be much higher
list 1,001 species.
than the presently known figure.
Hill and Stevenson (2004) in their World List of Cycads
There are 17 listed threatened species in Australia and
listed 275 known species of Cycad. The International
one threatened subspecies. These include seven species
Plant Names Index (IPNI 2009) has added another eight
and one subspecies listed as Endangered and ten
species since 2004 making 283 species in total. The World
species listed as Vulnerable (DEWHA 2009b).
Checklist of Selected Plant Families (RBG, Kew 2009) lists
65 species of Ephedra (compared with 35 given in Earle
(2009)), 41 species of Gnetum, one species of Welwitschia
and one Ginkgo. Paton (pers. comm.112) states that there
are 630 species of Coniferales (rather than the 1,016 listed
in Paton et al. (2008)). This gives a total of 1,021 species of
Gymnosperm—the figure I have accepted here.

846 1,021 1,021 ~1,050 120 11.7% ~120 96% 323 (31.6%) 17 (14.2%) 5.3%
112 pers. comm. Alan Paton, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, May 2009.
45
Ferns and Allies
Ferns and fern allies here have been taken to include the (2002) for known species, and an estimate of 15,000 based
true ferns (Filicinophyta/Polypodiopsida), the club mosses, on the figures of Swale (2000) and Bostock (pers. comm.114).
spike mosses, quillworts (Lycophyta, Lycopodiophyta/ I am now inclined to believe that the ‘Species in Checklist’ of
Lycopodiopsida, Selaginellopsida, Isoetopsida), spike Hassler and Swale (2002) really refers to names, whereas
horsetails (Sphenophyta/Sphenopsida) and whisk ferns their ‘Species estimate’ refers to accepted species. I have
(Psilophyta/Psilopsida) as recognised by various authors. thus now accepted a figure of c. 12,000 which they cite on
Estimates for the numbers of described taxa include 13,025 their CD-ROM (Hassler and Swale 2001).
from Groombridge and Jenkins (2002), who report numbers
of c. 1,000 Lycophyta, c. 12,000 Filicinophyta, 10 Psilophyta Bostock (pers. comm.114) suggests that for Australia
and 15 Sphenophyta. Other estimates include 12,838 in (including Tasmania) there are 454 species of ferns
the Checklist of Ferns and Fern Allies (Hassler and Swale (excluding hybrids and intergrades but including
2002)—the figure accepted by IUCN (2009b). Interestingly, nothospecies i.e. Drynaria × dumicola). This increases
they also estimate a total number of species as between by 25 if Lord Howe Island is included, by a further nine
10,614 and 12,001 which is less than the described number of additional species when Norfolk Island is included, by
eight more for Christmas Island, and two more when There are 41 listed threatened species and one listed variety
species they include in the Checklist. Previous estimates from
in Australia. Nine are listed as Extinct, two as Critically
Swale (2000) were for between 10,000 and 15,000 species. Macquarie Island is covered. There have been two new
Endangered, 16 as Endangered and 14 species and one
Bostock (pers. comm.114) suggests that there could be species published since 1998. In addition there are about
variety as Vulnerable (DEWHA 2009b).
somewhere about 15,000 species worldwide, however there is 36 naturalised species. It is estimated that about 33.8%
considerable uncertainty associated with hybridisation. In the are endemic. Bostock (pers. comm.114) suggests a figure of
previous report I accepted the figures of Hassler and Swale about 525 as the total fern flora for Australia.
World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Australia Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of
10,000 15,000 ~12,000 ~15,000 498 4.2% ~525 33.8% 139 (1.2%) 41 (8.2%) 29.5%
114 pers. comm. Peter Bostock, Queensland Herbarium, June 2009.


Bryophyta (mosses, liverworts, hornworts)
Estimates for the Bryophyta are complicated somewhat by variation in reported numbers for the liverworts—ranging
the definition of the group (i.e. Phylum or Division). In some from 5,000 to 9,000. On the Discover Life website (Buck et
cases the category is circumscribed to include only the al. 2009) it states that there are between 7,500 and 9,000
mosses, in others to include the hornworts, and liverworts, species with over 7,500 currently listed. After a thorough
etc; hence the discrepancy in some of the cited numbers. count of the number of species in each genus, Stotler and
Here, I am using it in the broader sense to include the true Crandall-Stotler (2009) have now arrived at a figure of
mosses (Bryopsida), the hornworts (Anthocerotopsida) and c. 5,000 (Stottler pers. comm.117). I have accepted c. 11,000
the liverworts (Marchantiopsida). for mosses (Crandall-Stotler 2008), c. 5,000 for liverworts
(Stotler & Crandall-Stotler 2009) and 236 for hornworts
Estimates of the number of described species vary from
(Konrat et al. 2009 and Söderström and Hagborg pers.
13,370 (Paton et al. 2008) through 15,000 (Hallingbäck and
comm.118), totalling c. 16,236 species.
Hodgetts 2000), 16,000 (IUCN 2009b) to 23,000 (Helzner
2002). The University of Auckland (2009) provides figures of I have not found a published estimate for the total number of
c. 10,000 for mosses, 6,500–7,000 for liverworts and c. 100 species for bryophytes, however Groombridge and Jenkins
for hornworts, giving an estimate of 16,600–17,100 in total. (2002) suggested that the proportion of the groups known
Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) also provided estimates is moderate to high for the mosses and moderate for both
of 6,000 for liverworts and 600 for hornworts. De Luna et al. the hornworts and liverworts. Crandall-Stotler (2008) states
(2003) as part of the The Tree of Life project also provided that there are up to 15,000 species of moss recognised.
an estimate for mosses of 10,000 species. Crosby et al. Wikipedia119 suggests that there may be as many as 10,000
(1999) gave a figure of 12,754 for the mosses but many of liverworts, however given that the number of published
these are synonyms. Crosby (pers. comm.116) is currently species is much lower than previously thought, this number
working on a new edition of the Checklist of Mosses and is more likely to be closer to the lower end of the Discover
suggests that the final number of accepted species of Life estimate of 7,500. This would make a total somewhere
mosses will be close to 11,000. There is considerable around 22,600 for the bryophytes. This agrees with
116 pers. comm. Marshall Crosby, North Carolina, May 2009.

117 pers. comm. Ray Stotler, University of Southern Illinois, June 2009. There are still some genera for which numbers are not known so this is an approximation.
118 pers. comm. Lars Söderström, Department of Biology, NTNU, Norway, and Anders Hagborg, Field Museum, Chicago, June 2009.
119 Wikipedia (2009): Marchantiophyta. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchantiophyta [Accessed 16 May 2009].
47
Bryophyta (mosses, liverworts, hornworts) continued
comments from McCarthy (pers. comm.120) and Cargill (pers. with the remainder on offshore islands or in the Australian There are two threatened bryophyte species listed as
comm.121) who suggest that the number would be much Antarctic Territory. There are an estimated 222 endemic Vulnerable for Australia (DEWHA 2009b).
lower than the figure of 25,000 used in the previous report. species of moss (Klazenga pers. comm.122) (22.7%
I am accepting the numbers in the lower line of the table
endemism) and between 200 and 250 endemic species
In Australia there are 976 species of moss (Klazenga pers. which are an amalgam of Paton et al.’s (2008) estimate for
of liverworts and hornworts123 (23–28% endemism). DEH
World Described/Accepted species and Helzener (2002) for
comm.122) and 871 accepted species of liverworts and (2007) estimated the number of Australian species described
Accepted Maximum and my numbers derived from numerous
hornworts (McCarthy 2003, 2006). Of the 976 species of at around 1,950, with about 2,500 species in total, but this
estimates.
moss in Australia, 923 occur on the Australian mainland, would appear to be a little high.
World Australia Australian Threatened

World Descr./ World Descr./ Descr./ World Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of
Liverworts 5,000 9,000 ~5,000 ~7,500 841 16.8% – – – –
~23–28%
Hornworts 100 600 236 ~250 30 12.7% – – – –
Mosses 10,000 12,754 ~11,000 ~15,000 976 8.9% – 22.7% 82 1 1.2%
ALL BRYOPHYTA 13,370 23,000 ~16,236 ~22,750 1,847 11.4% ~2,200 25% 82 (0.4%) 1 (0.05%) 1.2%
120 pers. comm. Patrick McCarthy, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, May 2009.
121 pers. comm. Christine Cargill, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Canberra, June 2009.
122 pers. comm. Niels Klazenga, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, May 2009.
123 pers. comm. Patrick McCarthy, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, Sept. 2005.

Plant Algae (including green algae, red algae, glaucophytes)
Following more recent treatments, and the arrangements in about 80% complete’). Since 2005, the database has been
AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry 2009), I have treated the algae considerably improved and updated and is now much closer
of the previous report as plant algae (the red algae, green to completion in these groups.
algae and glaucophytes—included here) and chromistan
‘algae’ under Chromista. Some species are treated under Estimates for total numbers are mostly non-existent,
Protoctista. Both Chromista and Protoctista are treated later although Metting (1996) includes figures for Rhodophyta of
in this report. from 5,500–20,000, 20,500 for Charophyta and in the order
of 13,000–100,000 for Chlorophyta. When compared to more
The number of plant algae for the world is largely taken recent figures for published species, many of these numbers
from AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry 2009). The total for appear to be on the high side.
the world is 12,272 made up of five Glaucophyta, 6,097
Rhodophyta, 2,125 Charophyta, and 4,045 Chlorophyta. The numbers for Australia are derived from Entwisle
As of 2005 the AlgaeBase database (Guiry et al. 2005) and Huisman (1998) and Cowan (2006). I have reported
had only completed about 70% of taxa (with Rhodophyta the numbers by Class following the classification used
and Phaeophyta 95% complete; and Chlorophyta with 95% by AlgaeBase. The total for Australia is between 3,236 The percentage endemism within Australia is unknown.
marine and 50% freshwater complete ‘being deficient in the and 3,545 made up of one Glaucophyta, 1,040–1,099
area of small freshwater greens, including the desmids. For Charophyta, 654─904 Chlorophyta (Entwisle and Huisman There are two threatened species listed for Australia
the Haptophyta, Euglenophyta, Chrysophyta, Prasinophyta 1998), and 1,541 Rhodophyta (Cowan 2006). (DEWHA 2009b)—one listed as Extinct in the Wild and one
and Cryptophyta and other small phyla/classes we reckon as Endangered.
World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ World Australia Descr./ Australia Australia Australia World Australia as percentage of
12,205 12,272 12,272 unknown 3,236–3,545 26─29% ~3,000 unknown 9 (0.07%) 2 (0.06%) 22%
49
Plant Algae (including green algae, red algae, glaucophytes) continued
World Australia
Phylum Class (AlgaeBase126) (Entwisle & Huisman 1998)127
Charophyceae 294 30–89
Klebsormidiophyceae 65 10
Charophyta
Mesostigmatophyceae 8 –
Zygnematophyceae 1,758 1,000
Bryopsidophyceae 520 150
Chlorophyceae 2,238 279–479
Incertae sedis 3 –
Nephroselmidophyceae 23 –
Pedinophyceae 22 5
Chlorophyta128
Pleurastrophyceae 4 –
Prasinophyceae 135 43
Trebouxiophyceae 170 –
Ulvophyceae 930 177–227
Zygnemophyceae 0 –
Glaucophyta129 Glaucocystales 5 1
Bangiophyceae 134 12–16
Composopogonophyceae 63 –
Rhodophyta130 Florideophyceae 5,878 1,079–1,274
Rhodellophyceae 4 –
Stylonematophyceae 18 –
126 AlgaeBase (Guiry & Guiry 2009).

127 Many of these figures would appear to be estimates only and not accepted species.
128 Corliss (2000) gives ~3,800, and Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) give ~16,000—compared to the AlgaeBase figure here of 3,913.
129 Corliss (2000) gives 15.
130 Corliss (2000) gives 4,250, and Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) give ~4,000—compared to the AlgaeBase figure here of 6,072.

Fungi Fungi (excluding taxa treated under Chromista and Protoctista)
In the previous report the lichens were included as a Estimates for the number of fungi in the world vary and (1995) and Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) estimated that
separate group; however, in this edition I have included figures of 45,173 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002), 46,983 there may be as many as 1.5 million species. Rossman
the lichens, or more correctly the lichen-forming fungi, (McNeely et al. 1990), 69,000 (Tangley 1997), 72,000 (2003) provided further strong supporting evidence for a
under the fungi. Because a lot of publications still (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995, Brusca and Brusca figure of around 1.5 million. Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo
maintain the use of lichens as a separate group, I have 2003), 97,330 (Kirk et al. 2008), over 300,000 (Rossman (1995) reported estimates varying between 200,000 and
included a separate table for lichen-forming fungi at the 2003) and 405,000 (Adl et al. 2007) have been found. In 2.7 million. Adl et al. (2007) provide some huge numbers
end of this section. In line with recent research, some of the 10th edition of the Dictionary of the Fungi, Kirk et al. for the fungi—estimating ‘n’ million fungi plus another
what have in the past been called micro-fungi are now (2008) provide figures for the number of fungi in their 1.5 million Zygomycota; however the numbers they gave for
regarded as more correctly placed under Chromista table 4 of 64,056 Ascomycota, 31,503 Basidiomycota, known extant species are much higher than given by other
and Protoctista. These include such groups as the slime 706 Chytridiomycota and 1,065 Zygomycota but in the text researchers and thus these estimates would appear to be
moulds, downy mildews, etc. They are thus treated under there are additional figures of 179 for Blastocladiomycota, gross over-estimations.
those groups in this report. 169 for Glomeromycota, more than 1300 for Microsporidia
In Australia the number of accepted and described fungi
and 20 for Neocallimastigomycota, for a total of 98,998.
is estimated as 11,846: Ascomycetes (7,187) of which
The figure of 300,000 by Rossman (2003) although very high
3,488 are lichenised and a further 1,648 are anamorphs
appears to have been based on some thorough searching of
(asexual states) for which the teleomorph (sexual state)
names in the literature and accords with a figure of 120,000
is not known from Australia; Basidiomycota (3,730)
described species by 1931 as identified by Reed and Farr
of which seven are lichenised; Blastocladiomycota
(1993). I have accepted the figure of 98,998 as compiled
(9); Chytridiomycota (15); Glomeromycota (28);
from the Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition) as this would
Neocallimastigomycota (2); Zygomycota (119); and
appear to be the most reliable and thoroughly researched of
626 species not placed to Phylum (based on counts
all the varying numbers. More than 1,500 of these species
from Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi131 for the
are marine (Hyde et al. 1998), and many more are likely to
macrofungal Basidiomycota and draft catalogue treatments
be found in that environment.
of other groups by May pers. comm.132). For the two
Brusca and Brusca (2003) suggested that their figure of most diverse groups of fungi, the Ascomycota and the
72,000 is only about 5–10% of the total number of species, Basidiomycota, known Australian species form very similar
while Hawksworth (1991), Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo proportions of the known world species at 11.2% and
131 Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/research_and_conservation/fungi/cat [Accessed June 2009].

132 pers. comm. Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, June 2009.
51
Fungi (excluding taxa treated under Chromista and Protoctista) continued
11.8% respectively. The Microsporidia have only recently Ramsey 2005) with about 90% thought to be endemic There are only three species listed as threatened in the
been treated as true fungi (Kirk et al. 2008) and May (pers. (Williams 2001). May (pers. comm.134) suggested that there world—two are lichen-forming fungi (IUCN 2009b), none are
comm133) estimates 130 described species for Australia. are about 10,000 species of basidiomycete macrofungi listed for Australia (DEWHA 2009b).
in Australia in total, and about 1,200–2,400 ascomycete
Previous estimates for the total number of described I am accepting the numbers in the lower line of the table
macrofungi, while ACIL Consulting (2002) suggested a total
Australian fungi varied from 5,672 (Chapman 2006, DEH which are an amalgam of Groombridge and Jenkins (2002)
for the microfungi of between 150,000 and 240,000. ACIL
2007) to about 12,500 species (Pascoe 1990, Williams estimate for World Described/Accepted species and
Consulting did not give a detailed breakdown, and many
2001). Rossman (2003) for Accepted Maximum and my numbers
of these will have now been treated under Chromista and
derived from numerous estimates.
Estimates for the total number of fungal species in Australia Protoctista in this report. I have followed the figures given in
vary from around 50,000 (DEH 2007) to about 250,000 the 2006 State of the Environment Report (DEH 2007).
(Pascoe 1990, May and Grgurinovic 1995, Williams 2001,
Australia Australia
World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ Descr./ Australia Australia Percent. World Australia
Accepted min. Accepted max. Accepted World Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic Threatened135 Threatened
Ascomycota 64,056 7,187136 11.2%
Basidiomycota 31,503 3,730137 11.8% 10,000
Blastocladiomycota 179 9 5.0%
Chytridiomycota 706 <2,000138 15 2.1%
Glomeromycota 169 28 16.6%
Microsporidia >1,300 130
Neocallimastigomycota 20 2 10.0%
Zygomycota 1,065 119 11.2%
Unplaced to Phylum 626
ALL THE ABOVE GROUPS 45,173 300,000 98,998 1,500,000 11,846139 11.9% 50,000 unknown 3 (>0%) 0 (0%)
133 pers. comm. Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, July 2009. 137 Includes seven lichen-forming fungi—see table.
134 pers. comm. Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, 2005. 138 Adl et al. (2007).
135 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b). 139 Includes 3,495 lichen-forming fungi—see table.
136 Includes 3,488 lichen-forming fungi—see table.

Lichen-forming fungi
The numbers for the lichen-forming fungi listed below are

included under the Fungi (see previous).
Estimates for the number of lichens vary from about 10,000

(IUCN 2004) through 13,500 to 17,000 (Deacon 2005
and n.dat.) to over 20,000140. I have accepted a figure of
c. 17,000 as it appears one of the most common numbers
cited and is the figure given in Biodiversity: the UK Action
Plan (Anon. 1994).
Estimates for the number of described species in Australia

are around 3,495 (McCarthy 2009) out of a total of
perhaps 4,500 species (pers. comm. McCarthy141) of
which 1,191 (34%) are thought to be endemic (McCarthy
2009). Seven of the lichenised fungi are Basidiomycota the
remainder are Ascomycota.

10,000 20,000 17,000 ~25,000 3,495 20.6% ~4,500 34% 2 (0.01%) 0 0%
140 BC Biodiversity: Lichens. http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/lichens.html.

141 pers. comm. Patrick McCarthy, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, July 2009.
53
Others Prokaryota (Bacteria [Monera] of previous report144)
The other groups are difficult to determine and The estimates of numbers of Prokaryota in the world (and Estimates of the total number of species (described and
characterise. Many are generally included among the in Australia) are complicated by many factors. It is generally undescribed) vary from 50,000 to 3 million (Hawksworth and
protists—a loose assemblage of primarily single-celled, believed that many species cannot be cultivated or identified, Kalin-Arroyo 1995) with generally accepted figures varying
both autotrophic and heterotrophic, eukaryotic organisms using existing techniques. The Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria) from 400,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002) to 1 million
of which the colourless forms were previously called have been treated separately. (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995).
protozoa (Brusca and Brusca 2003, Hallegraeff pers.
comm.143). It is often difficult to know what constitutes The estimated number of described bacteria species in the Figures for Australia are virtually non-existent other than
a species in many groups, and to determine in what world varies from 3,000–4,000 (Hawksworth and Colwell an estimate of 40,000 for the total number of species in
Kingdom the various phyla should be placed or whether 1992) through 4,000 (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995), Australia by Saunders et al. (1996). These authors also gave
(as in the case of Chromista etc) they form a Kingdom of 4,760 (McNeely et al. 1990), 5,432 (Euzéby 2004), 7,643 a figure of 0.1% described which would indicate a figure of
their own. Molecular phylogenetic and cladistic studies (Euzéby 2009) to 10,000 (Groombridge and Jenkins 2002). about 40 species. This appears to be a gross under-estimate
have resulted in major reorganisations of eukaryotic I have accepted the figures of Euzéby (2009). Shimura for the number of described species. No further information
groups of organisms (see Meeûs and Renaud 2002). (2004) provided a figure of 8,500 species, but from Euzéby has become available since the previous report (Chapman
Many species previously included with algae or fungi have (2004) it is obvious that these are names, and as stated 2006).
now been split from those groups and are included in this
by Euzéby (2009) of the 9,435 currently validly published
report under the Chromista, Cyanophyta or Protoctista.
species names, these apply to just 7,643 currently accepted
The green algae, red algae and glaucophytes, etc treated
species names.
under the ‘Others’ section in the previous report, have
been included under plant algae in this report. The
fungi that were treated under the ‘Others’ section in the
previous report, have been placed in a separate section
of their own, excluding the chromistan and protoctistan
fungi which are treated separately.

3,000 10,000 7,643 400,000–1,000,000 ~40 0.5% 40,000 unknown 0 0 –
143 pers. comm. Gustaaf Hallegraeff, School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, July 2009.
144 Change recommended by J.P.Euzéby, Société de Bactériologie Systématique et Vétérinaire (SBSV), France (pers. comm.).

Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria)
The Cyanophyta are an important group in Australia, Guiry 2009) lists 2,664 species in the Class. I have accepted Entwisle and Huisman (1998) provided an estimate for the
although comparatively little is known of them. the figure from AlgaeBase which is lower than the figure I blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) in Australia of 270 made
cited in the previous report (Chapman 2006). up of 10 Chamaesiphonales; 60 Chroococcales and 200
Watanabe et al. (2004) gave the number of described
Nostocales/Oscillatoriales.
species in the world at about 3,234. Groombridge and Actual diversity is very difficult to determine, but the total
Jenkins (2002) reported that there are about 1,000 genera. number of species of cyanobacteria in Australia is unlikely to
Hoek et al. (1995) gave 150 genera and about 2,000 species exceed 500 (McCarthy pers. comm.).
for the Class Cyanophyceae, whereas AlgaeBase (Guiry and
World (AlgaeBase) Metting (1996) Australia

Order Descr./Accepted Estimate (Entwisle & Huisman 1998)
Chroococcales 711 60
Nostocales 686 1000
200
Oscillatoriales 584 1000
Pseudanabaenales 325 –
Stigonemetales 3 –
Synechococcales/Chamaesiphonales 355 10
TOTAL 2,664 unknown 270
Australia Australia Threatened

3,234 3,234 2,664 unknown 270 10% ~500 unknown 0 0 –
55
Chromista (including some species previously included under either algae or fungi)
Again, it is difficult to estimate the number of species of et al. 2005) but with little certainty of where it is placed within I have found no comprehensive list of Australian species of
chromistans, partly due to varying circumscriptions of the the group. Some authors (e.g. GBIF 2009b) still retain it in the Chromista. For the species previously regarded as algae
group. Summaries for the various classes and phyla, where Protoctista under the Phylum Sarcomastigophora. Both Corliss I have relied largely on AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry 2009),
available, are given in the accompanying table. (2000) and Adl et al. (2007) reported figures of 400 published but not all species there have distribution records, so where
species of Opalinea, while Patterson (pers. comm.149) other data are available, I have cited those in preference. Scott
Estimates for the number of described species of chromistan suggests that there are about 300 species worldwide. and Marchant (2005) list 187 species of diatoms in the Class
‘algae’ (i.e. chromistan species previously regarded as Bacillariophyceae for the Australian Antarctic Territory.
algae) are difficult to determine due to the circumscriptions Few estimates of the total number of chromistan ‘algae’ have
of different authors, and the separation into Plantae and been found, however Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo (1995) Estimates for the total number of species of chromistan
Chromista by some but not others. The biggest deficiency gave a figure of 400,000 (for all algae) with cited estimates ‘algae’ in Australia have been taken largely from Entwisle and
is in the Bacillariophyta (diatoms) where AlgaeBase (Guiry ranging from 150,000 to 1 million, while Biodiversity: the UK Huisman (1998). Patterson (pers. comm.149) states that there
and Guiry 2009) records just 5,530 species ‘but no clarity on Action Plan (Anon. 1994) suggested that there could be up to are about 20 species of Opalinea in Australia. It would appear
what is what’ (Guiry pers. comm.147). Guiry (pers. comm.) 10 million species of diatoms. Michael Guiry (pers. comm.147), that most of the Australian species occur as parasites of the
goes on to estimate that there are about 20,000 published the manager of AlgaeBase (http://www.algaebase.org), reports intestines of frogs. May (pers. comm.150) provided the figures
species of diatoms. Hallegraeff (pers. comm.148) states that that there are about 20,000 described species of diatoms for chromistan species previously regarded as fungi.
diatoms exhibit prominent morphological diversity of characters with about another 80,000 undescribed species. The data
but molecular sequencing is now indicating that they have from AlgaeBase indicate that a figure of 400,000 is too high, DEH (2001) and ABRS (2004) reported that there are
been overclassified. I have used the figure of 23,605 for the and I have settled on a figure of about 200,000 (assuming 10,000–12,000 species known for Australia, but ABRS (2004)
world for the chromistan ‘algae’ based on the numbers in 100,000 species of diatom) which is at the lower end of the suggested that ‘this is certainly an underestimate’. I have
AlgaeBase—see table below. Chromista species previously range reported by Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo (1995). For followed the figures of Entwisle and Huisman (1998), but using
regarded as fungi (chromistan ‘fungi’) are also not well known. Opalinea, Adl et al. (2007) provided an estimate of about the higher of their estimates in most cases.
Kirk et al. (2008) report 1,039 species for the world. Recently, 500 species. I have no estimates for the total number of world
Class Opalinea has been moved into the Chromista (Nishi Chromista species previously regarded as fungi.

Chromistan ‘algae’ 23,605 44,000 ~23,605 200,000 2,044 8.7% <14,000 unknown 6 (0.03%) 0 0%
Opalinea 300 400 400 500 ~12 3.0% ~20 unknown – 0 –
Chromistan ‘fungi’ 1,039 1,039 1,039 unknown 74 7.0% unknown unknown – 0 –
TOTAL 24,944 45,439 ~25,044 ~200,500 ~2,130 8.5% >15,000 unknown 6 (0.02%) 0 0%
147 pers. comm. Michael Guiry, AlgaeBase, June 2005. 151 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).
148 pers. comm. Gustaaf Hallegraeff, School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, July 2009. 152 Scott and Marchant (2005).
149 pers. comm. David Patterson, Encyclopedia of Life, July 2009. 153 Cowan (2006).
150 pers. comm. Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, July 2009. 154 Data for Diatoms in AlgaeBase are not complete—pers. comm. Michael Guiry (AlgaeBase) who provided the
figures of about 20,000 with about a further 80,000 undescribed.

Chromistan ‘algae’ (species previously included in the algae)
Australia
World Descr./Accepted World Estimate Australia Descr./Accepted Estimate
AlgaeBase AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry Entwisle & Huisman
Phylum Class (Guiry & Guiry 2009) Corliss (2000) Adl et al. (2007) Adl et al. (2007) 2009) unless otherwise noted (1998)
Bacillariophyceae 4,256 187152
Bacillariophyta Coscinodiscophyceae 933 57153
(diatoms) Fragilariophyceae 339
ENTIRE GROUP ~20,000154 10,000─20,000 10,000─20,000 200,000 1,300155 13,000
Cryptophyta Cryptophyceae 127 14 50
(cryptomonads) ENTIRE GROUP 127 ~200 70 200 14 50
Haptophyta (incertae sedis) 123 10 –
Haptophyta Pavlovophyceae 15 1 4
(yellow brown algae) Prymnesiophyceae 273 42 155
ENTIRE GROUP 411 500 350 <400 53 159
Aurearenophyceae 1 – – – 0 –
Bicosoecophyceae 21 ~40 72 100 3156 16162
Bodonophyceae 28 – – – 1156 –
Bolidophyceae 2 – – – 0 –
Chrysophyceae 374 ~1,250 1,000 2,000 80157 300
Dictyochophyceae 44 ~200 15 30 4 20
Eustigmatophyceae 35 – 15 30 4 –
Pelagophyceae 10 – 12 20 0 –
Heterokontophyta
Phaeophyceae (Fucophyceae) 1,778 <1,600 1,500─2,000 2,000 451158 308–318
(golden and brown algae)
Phaeothamniophyceae 26 – 25 40 1 –
Pinguiophyceae 6 – 5 20 1159 10
Raphidophyceae 23 <36 20 40 2 –
Schizocladiophyceae 4 – – – 0 –
Synchromophyceae 1 – – – 0 –
Synurophyceae 284 – 200 350 60160 40
Tribophyceae/Xanthophyceae 430 – 600 800 70161 25
ENTIRE GROUP 3,067 3,126 3,464–3,964 5,430 677 790–800
TOTAL ~23,605 ~13,826–23,826 ~13,884–24,384 ~206,030 2,044 ~13,999–14,009
155 Data for diatoms in Australia is very sketchy. In the absence of other information, I have used the lower of the 159 AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry 2009) list only one species from Australia.
figures cited by Entwisle and Huisman (1998), (1,300) but actual number of published species of diatoms in 160 Many of the Australian non-marine distribution records in AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry 2009) are based on Day
Australia is likely to be much lower. et al. (1995).
156 GBIF (2009b). 161 Entwisle and Huisman (1998) do not include this Class, however McCarthy & Orchard (2007) list 70 species for
157 McCarthy and Orchard (2007) give a figure of 80 published species of which two are endemic. Australia.
158 AMANI (Cowan 2006). 162 pers. comm. David Patterson, Encyclopedia of Life, February 2009.
57
Chromista (including some species previously included under either algae or fungi) continued
Opalinea
World Descr./Accepted World Estimate Australia Estimate
Phylum Class Corliss (2000) Adl et al. (2007) Adl et al. (2007) Patterson (pers. comm.162)
Opalinea 400 400 500 ~20
Incertae sedis TOTAL 400 400 500 ~20
Chromistan ‘fungi’ (species previously included in the fungi)

World Australia
Phylum Kirk et al. (2008) (May pers. comm.163)
Hyphochytriomycota 24 1
Labyrinthista 56164 0
Oomycota (water moulds and downy mildews) 956 73
Incertae Sedis 3 0
TOTAL 1,039 74
163 pers. comm. Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, July 2009.
164 Adl et al. (2007) give a figure of 40 and an estimate of <100 for the Labyrinthulomycetes.

Viruses
The main problem in estimating the number of species to 5,000 (Anon. 1994), with estimates of the total number
of viruses is knowing just what constitutes a species in at about 400,000 (varying from 50,000 to 1 million)
the group. In general, virus species are taken as being a (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995). I have accepted the
collection of isolates with similar characteristics (ICTV 2002). official numbers from the International Committee on the
There are many more virus names than there are ‘species’. Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV 2008).
There are about 2,000–2,500 species currently recognised
by the ICTV, but there are more than 40,000 to 50,000 The only figure I have been able to find for Australia is a
recorded virus names. Most publications do not differentiate list of 178 plant viruses (Büchen-Osmond 1988). I have
between virus species and virus names (Büchen-Osmond not come across a similar list for animal viruses so,
pers. comm.165). A full list of virus species can be found at extrapolating, one obtains a figure of about 400 species
http://www.ictvonline.org/virusTaxonomy.asp?version=2008. in total. Büchen-Osmond (pers. comm.165) suggests that
Many viruses occur in the marine areas of the world, but very 10–20% of the total would occur in Australia at one time or
few of these are as yet specified (Büchen-Osmond pers. another, with less than 5% Australia/Australasia specific.
comm.165). Those figures suggest about 200–400 Australian species
with somewhat less than 50% of those endemic. These
Estimates for the number of described species of viruses
figures are very inaccurate and should not be relied upon.
range from about 2,000 (Mayo et al. 2005) through 2,085
(ICTV 2008), 4,000 (Hawksworth and Kalin-Arroyo 1995) There are no species of virus listed as threatened.
World Descr./ World Descr./ World Descr./ Australia Descr./ World

Accepted min. Accepted max. Accepted World Estimate Accepted Australia Percent. Australia Estimate Australia Endemic Threatened166
2,000 5,000 2,085 400,000 200–400 9.6–19.2% unknown 40–50% –
165 pers. comm. Cornelia Büchen-Osmond, ICTVdB Management (retired), Columbia University, April 2009.
59
Protoctista (mainly Protozoa—others included under fungi, algae, Chromista, etc)
The main problem in estimating numbers of Protoctista Since the previous report a paper has been published that and collections for Australia prior to 2005. I have used
is in identifying the inter-relationship between different gives some detailed figures for the protists (Adl et al. 2007), that unpublished list to determine some of the numbers
treatments—see following table. There is considerable and I have relied heavily (but not exclusively) on the figures in the table below, but again, I have found difficulties in
overlap between what some authors include under given therein for this report. The Dictionary of the Fungi fitting the numbers from various sources into the different
Protoctista and what others include as algae, fungi or (10th edition) (Kirk et al. 2008) includes 1,165 Protoctista that classifications. It is also obvious that the list contains a
Chromista. Trying to sort out relationships between the were previously included as fungi. number of nomenclatural synonyms and orthographic
treatments of different authors has not been easy, but the variants that have not been combined. With the Patterson
The following table has beeen created from information in list there are many undescribed species, and it is clear that
following table is used to enable comparisons with the
Corliss (2000), Groombridge and Jenkins (2002), Brusca the list is far from complete for some groups. It is, however,
previous report. For the summary, I have used the data from and Brusca (2003), and Adl et al. (2007). Groombridge and a good starting point. May (pers. comm.168) reports that
this table along with data from a number of other sources. Jenkins (2002) estimated that there are 80,000 described there are 192 Australian species of fungoid protoctista
The order of arrangement in the summary table below is Protoctista with an estimated total of 600,000 species, (predominantly Mycetozoa, and a few Plasmidiophorales).
however these figures include non-protoctistan taxa such as
to allow for comparisons only and is not meant to imply a
the diatoms, Chlorophyta, and some fungal groups.
taxonomic classification. A lot more work needs to be done
to determine accurate numbers for the Protoctista, and the Figures for the number of Australian species have been
numbers given here are very rough and not to be relied hard to find, however there are estimates for the total
upon. Estimates for the number of Protoctista range from number of species in Australia of 65,000 (Saunders et al.
>20,000 (Anon. 1994) through 30,800 (Tangley 1997) to 1996) and 80,000 (ACIL Consulting 2002). See Scott and
34,000 (Adl et al. 2007), but these often depend on what Marchant (2005) for information on Antarctic marine protists.
groups are included or excluded. Patterson (pers. comm.167) prepared a list of known species
167 pers. comm. David Patterson, Encyclopedia of Life, February 2009.

168 pers. comm. Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, July 2009.
169 The arrangement does not follow the classification used in Adl et al. (2007) which is a more modern classification than the others, but has been modified to allow comparisons with the earlier publications. I apologise to the authors for
the liberties I have taken and mistakes made in doing this.
170 Included as Choanomonada and Mesomycetozoa in the Amoebozoa.
171 Rhizaria (excl. Foraminifera)—includes Cercozoa: <500 (n × 103); Haplosporidia: 31 (n × 102); Acantharia: 160 (<200); Polycistinea 700–1000 (1,500); Nucleohelea 160–180 (200); Actinophyryidae 5 (<10).
172 Excavata (includes Fornicata) 146 (<200); Preaxostyla 96 (<120); Jakobida 10 (200); Heterobosea 80 (200); Euglenozoa 1,520 (2,000).

Names as used by Numbers
Corliss (2000) Adl et al. (2007)
(except for species included Groombridge and Brusca and Brusca (estimates in brackets)
Groombridge and Jenkins (2002) under Fungi, Algae or Chromista) Brusca and Brusca (2003) Jenkins (2002) Corliss (2000) (2003) See other species under Algae169
Archaeoprotista (Amitochondriates) Archamoebae (Karyoblastea) Diplomonadida accepted? 10 ~100 –
Discomitochondria
(flagellates, zoomastigates) Neomonada (under Diplomonadida) accepted? 30 – 120 (300)170
Rhizopoda (amastigote amoebae
and cellular slime moulds) Rhizopoda (Amaeobozoa) Rhizopoda (amoebas) ~200 5,000 ~200 >3,006 (~13–23,000)
Myxomycota Peronosporomycetes 676 (103–104),
(Plasmodial slime moulds) Mycetozoa Excluded (fungi?) ~500 900 – Mesomycetozoa 47 (thousands)
Granuloreticulosa ~40,000
(Foraminifera and reticulomyxids) Foraminifera (Granuloreticulosa) Granuloreticulosa ~4,000 ~5,000 (incl. many fossils) >10,000 (15,000)
Xenophyophora (Xenophyophores) (under Foraminifera) (under Granuloreticulosa) 42 – – –
(under Actinopoda) Heliozoa (under Actinopoda) – ~4,000 – –
Actinopoda (incl. Polycistina
= Radiolaria, Phaeodaria, Rhizaria171 (excl. Foraminifera)
Actinopoda (Radiolarians) Radiozoa (Radiolaria) Heliozoa, Acantharia) ~4,000 1,700–4,000 ~4,240 1556–1876 (thousands)
Percolozoa Excluded (fungi?) – 100 – –
Euglenozoa Euglenida – 1,600 1,600 –
(under Euglenozoa) Kinetoplastida (trypanosomes) – – 600 –
Excavata (except Parabasala) 172
– – – 1,852 (2,720)
Dinozoa Dinoflagellata ~4,000 ~2,000 4,000 2,000 (<3,000)
Metamonada (under Dinoflagellata) 300 –
Dinomastigota (Dinoflagellates)
Parabasilida (Trihomonads
Parabasala and Hypermastigotes) 400 ~300 466 (500)
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) Apicomplexa Apicomplexa ~5,000 ~5,000 ~5,000 6,000 (1.2–10 million)
Haplospora (under Apicomplexa) 33
Plasmodiophora (under Apicomplexa) 29
Paramyxa (under Apicomplexa) 6
Ciliophora (Ciliates) Ciliophora Ciliophora ~10,000 7,800 12,000 3,500 (30,000)
61
Protoctista (mainly Protozoa—others included under fungi, algae, Chromista, etc) continued
Summary Table173
World Descr./ World Australia Descr./ Australia Australia Australia
Other names and inclusions Accepted Estimate Accepted Percent. Estimate Endemic
Amoebozoa
(incl. cellular slime moulds, excl. fungoid protists) ~3,006 13,000–23,000 ~305 10.1% – –
Apicomplexa (parasitic protists) ~5,000 >1,000,000 unknown unknown – –
Ciliata (protists with cilia) ~4,000 ~30,000 151174 3.8% – –
Flagellata (protists with flagella) ~2,200 ~3,300 675 25.9% – –
Foraminifera (foraminiferans incl. Radiolaria >13,500 >18,000 >23 0.2% – –
Fungoid protists Mycetozoa, Myxomycota, Plasmodiophoromycota 1,165 thousands 192 16.5% – –
TOTAL ~28,871 >1,000,000 >1,346 4.7% ~65,000 unknown
173 Numbers are approximate only, and have often been hard to place into a category.
174 Scott and Marchant (2005) list 151 species for the Australian Antarctic Territory. I have no figures for the rest of Australia.

Acknowledgements
63
Many people have been very helpful in supplying information Claudia Arango, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
to me without hesitation. I would like to acknowledge their Pam Beesley, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
assistance. In particular, I would like to thank the ABRS staff, Simon Bennett, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Helen Thompson, Pam Beesley, Patrick McCarthy and Alice Per der Place Bjørn, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Wells for responding to all my queries. This information was Rob Blakemore, Tasmania, Australia.
extremely helpful in finding relevant sources and references.
Peter Bostock, Queensland Herbarium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
People I would like to thank for assistance, with either
Philippe Bouchet, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
edition, include:
Cornelia Büchen-Osmond, ICTVdB Management (retired), Columbia University. Currently in Canberra,
Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Maria Capa, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Christine Cargill, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Gerry Cassis, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sandra Claxton, New South Wales, Australia.
Marshall Crosby, North Carolina, USA.
Peter J.F. Davie, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Paul Doughty, Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Greg Edgecombe, Natural History Museum, London, UK.
William N. Eschmeyer, Catalogue of Fishes, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA.
Jean P. Euzéby, Société de Bactériologie Systématique et Vétérinaire, France.
Murray Fletcher, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
Rainer Froese, Fishbase, Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften, Kiel, Germany.
Chris Glasby, Natural Sciences, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Cheryl Grgurinovic, Biosecurity Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Caroline Gross, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.

Colin Groves, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Rolf Oberprieler, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Michael Guiry, AlgaeBase, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. David Patterson, Encyclopedia of Life, Woods Hole, Massachusets, USA.
Penelope Gullan, University of California, Davis, California, USA. Alan Paton, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.
Anders Hagborg, The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA. John Pogonoski, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Gustaaf Hallegraeff, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Winston Ponder, Australian Museum (retired), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Mark S. Harvey, Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australian, Australia. Robert Raven, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Vernon Heywood, Reading University, Reading, UK. Tony Rees, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Donald Hobern, Atlas of Living Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Gary Rosenberg, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Frans Janssens, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Karen Sanamyan, Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Institute of Geography, Kamchatka, Russia.
Paul Kirk, CABI, London, UK. Russell Shiel, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Niels Klazenga, Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium of Victoria, Lars Söderström, Department of Biology, NTNU, Norway.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Roy Stotler, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA.
Matt von Konrat, The Field Museum, Chicago, USA. Helen Thompson, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra,
Holger Kreft, University of San Diego, California, USA and University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Reinhardt Kristensen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Simon Tillier, EDIT, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Patricia Mather, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brian J. Tindall, Germany.
Tom May, National Herbarium of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Peter Uetz, Coordinator EMBL Reptile Database, Germany.
Patrick McCarthy, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, David B. Wake, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, California, USA.
Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Alice Wells, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Bob Mesibov, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Tasmania, Australia. George D.F. Wilson, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Scott Miller, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA. Robin Wilson, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Rich Mooi, Californian Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA. David K. Yeates, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Nicola Nicolson, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Library Staff, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
Tim O’Hara, Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Library Staff, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
65
References

Abele, L.G. (1982). The Biology of Crustacea. Volume ABRS—Australian Biological Resources Study (2009a). AmphibiaWeb (2005). AmphibiaWeb. Information on
1. Systematics, the Fossil Record, and Biogeography. Australian Faunal Directory. http://www.environment.gov. amphibian biology and conservation. Berkeley, California:
NY: Academic Press. au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/home AmphibiaWeb. http://www.amphibiaweb.org/ [Accessed
[Accessed 18 March 2009]. 15 June 2005].
ABRS—Australian Biological Resources Study (1998).
The Global Taxonomy Initiative: Shortening the Distance ABRS—Australian Biological Resources Study (2009b). Flora
AmphibiaWeb (2009). AmphibiaWeb. Information on
between Discovery and Delivery. Canberra: Australian of Australia. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources
amphibian biology and conservation. Berkeley, California:
Biological Resources Study, Environment Australia, Study—various published volumes as well as Flora of
Australia Online. http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online- AmphibiaWeb. http://www.amphibiaweb.org/ [Accessed
Department of the Environment and Heritage.
resources/flora/index.html [Accessed 10 April 2009]. 13 March 2009].
Algae Subprogram. http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/ ACIL Consulting (2002). Integrated research priorities for Amrine, J. (2005). Synopsis of the Described Ricinulei of the
abrs/sub-programs/algae/index.html [Accessed 28 June algae, protists and fungi with a focus on microorganisms. World. Austin, TX: Department of Entomology, Texas A&M
2005—no longer available July 2009, but available via A Summary Report for the Australian Biological Resources University. http://insects.tamu.edu/research/collection/
Internet Archive: Way Back Machine at http://web.archive. Study. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/ hallan/acari/Ricinulei1.htm [Accessed 20 June 2005].
org/web/20060911153744/http://deh.gov.au/biodiversity/ publications/other/acil/pubs/abrs-acil.pdf [Accessed
abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/stats-est.html [Accessed 4 July 2009]. ANBG—Australian National Botanic Gardens (2004).
6 July 2009]. Australian Flora and Vegetation Statistics. http://www.
Adl, S.M., Leander, B.S., Simpson, A.G.B., Archibald, J.M.,
Anderson, O.R., Bass, D., Bowser, S.S., Brugerolle, G., anbg.gov.au/anbg/australian-flora-statistics.html [Accessed
Farmer, M.A., Karpov, S., Kolisko, M., Lane, C.E., 21 August 2005].
Australian Faunal Directory: Estimated Numbers of the
Australian Fauna. http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/ Lodge, D.J., Mann, D.G., Meisterfeld, R., Mendoza, L.,
ANBG—Australian National Botanic Gardens (2009).
online-resources/fauna/afd/stats-est.html [Accessed 15 Moestrup, Ø., Mozley-Standridge, S.E., Smirnov, A.Y. and
Australian Plant Name Index. Electronic version at
June 2005—no longer available July 2009, but available Spigel, F. (2007). Diversity, Nomenclature, and Taxonomy
of Protists. Systematic Biology 56: 684–689. http://www.anbg.gov.au/apni/index.html. [Accessed
via Internet Archive: Way Back Machine at http://web. 10 April 2009].
archive.org/web/20050719011413/http://www.deh.gov.au/ ALA—Atlas of Living Australia (2009). Atlas of Living
biodiversity/abrs/sub-programs/algae/index.html [Accessed Australia. Canberra. http://www.ala.org.au/ [Accessed Anon. (1994). Biodiversity: the UK Action Plan. London: Her
6 July 2009]. 14 July 2009]. Majesty’s Stationery Office.
67
Austin, A.D., Yeates, D.K., Cassis, G., Fletcher, M.J., BirdLife International (2004). State of the world’s birds 2004: Bonato, L., Chagas Jnr, A., Dioguardi, R., Edgecombe,
La Salle, J., Lawrence, J.F., McQuillan, P.B., Mound, L.A., indicators for our changing world. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife G.D., Lewis, J.F., Minelli, A., Pereira, L.A., Shelley, R.M.,
Bickel, D.J., Gullan, P.J. Hales, F.F. and Taylor, G.S. (2004). International. Uliano, M. and Zapparoli, M. (2006). Chilobase: a web
Insects ‘Down Under’―Diversity, endemism and evolution resource for Chilopoda taxonomy. http://chilobase.bio.
of the Australian insect fauna: examples from select orders. BirdLife International (2005). More birds slipping towards unipd.it/docs/chilobase.php [Accessed 25 March 2009].
Australian Journal of Entomology 43: 216–234. extinction. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. http://
Bouchet, P. (2006). The Magnitude of Marine Biodiversity.
www.birdlife.net/news/news/2005/06/red_list_update.html Chapter 2 in Duarte, C.M. (ed.). The Exploration of Marine
Australian Biological Resources Study: see ABRS.
[Accessed 15 June 2005—no longer available 2009]. Biodiversity: scientific and technological challenges.
Australian National Herbarium (ANH), Australian National Bilbao: Fundación BBVA. Available online at http://www.
Botanic Gardens (ANBG) and Australian Biological BirdLife International (2008). State of the world’s birds 2004:
marinebarcoding.org/userfiles/File/bouchetmagnitude.pdf
Resources Study (ABRS) (2005). What’s Its Name? http:// indicators for our changing world. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife
[Accessed 16 March 2009].
www.anbg.gov.au/win/index.html [Accessed 24 Aug. 2005]. International.
Bramwell, D. (2002). How many plant species are there?
Baldwin, J.G., Nadler, S.A. and Wall, D.H. (2000). Birds Australia (2009). Birds. Checklist. Melbourne: Birds Plant Talk 28: 32–34.
Nematodes: Pervading the Earth and Linking all Life. Australia. http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/birds/checklist.
Brusca, R.C. and Brusca, G.J. (2003). Invertebrates. 2nd edn.
pp. 176–191 in Raven, P.H. and Williams, T. (eds) Nature html [Accessed on 13 March 2009]. Sunderland MA: Sinauer Assoc.
and Human Society: The Quest for a Sustainable World.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Bisby, F.A., Roskov, Y.R., Orrell, T.M., Nicolson, D., Büchen-Osmond, C. (1988). Viruses of Plants in Australia.
Paglinawan, L.E., Bailly, N., Kirk, P.M., Bourgoin, T., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/Aussi/ausiname.htm
Bamber, R.N. and Nagar, A.E. (2009). PycnoBase: Baillargeon, G. (eds) (2009). Species 2000 & ITIS [Accessed 29 June 2005].
Pycnogonida World Database http://www.marinespecies.
Catalogue of Life: 2009 Annual Checklist. Digital resource: Buck, W.R., Goffinet, B., Engel, J.J., Konrat, M. von and
org/pycnobase/index.php [Accessed 9 April 2009].
www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2009/. Reading, Pickering, J. (2009). Discover Life: Marchantiophyta.
Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. and Glasby, C.J. (2000). UK: Species 2000 [Accessed 14 April 2009]. http://www.discoverlife.org/mp20o?search=
Polychaetes and Allies: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Marchantiophyta [Accessed 21 May 2009].
Australia Vol. 4A. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. Blakemore, R.J. (2008). Cosmopolitan Earthworms―an
Eco‑Taxonomic Guide to the Peregrine Species of the Burdon-Jones, C. (1998). Hemichordata in Wells, A.
Bellinger, P.F., Christiansen, K.A. and Janssens, F. (2009). and Houston, W.W.K. (eds) (1998). Zoological
World 3rd edn. Japan: VermEcology.
Checklist of the Collembola of the World 1996–2009. Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 34 Hemichordata, Tunicata,
http://www.collembola.org [Accessed 25 March 2009]. Cephalochordata. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing.

Cameron, C.B. (2008). A comprehensive list of extant Chapman, A.D. (1991). Australian Plant Name Index. Corliss, J.O. (2000). Biodiversity, Classification, and Numbers
Hemichordata with links to images. Updated Nov. 2008. Australian Flora and Fauna Series Nos 12–15. Canberra: of Species of Protists. pp. 130–155 in Raven, P.H. and
https://www.webdepot.umontreal.ca/Usagers/cameroc/ Australian Government Publishing Service. 3056 pp. Also Williams, T. (eds). Nature and Human Society: The
MonDepotPublic/Cameron/Species.html [Accessed available as an online searchable database http://www. Quest for a Sustainable World. Washington, DC: National
16 March 2009]. cpbr.gov.au/apni/index.html [Accessed 6 July 2009].
Academy Press.
CBD—Convention on Biological Diversity (2009a). Global Chapman, A.D. (2006). Numbers of Living Species in
Crandall-Stotler, B. (2008). Bryophytes. http://bryophytes.
Taxonomy Initiative. http://www.cbd.int/gti/ [Accessed Australia and the World. 61pp. Canberra: Australian
Biological Resources Study. ISBN (printed): 978 0 642 plant.siu.edu/bryojustified.html [Accessed 9 Jun. 2009].
6 July 2009].
56849 6l ISBN (online): 978 0 642 56850 2. http://www. Crosby, M. et al. (1999). A Checklist of Mosses. Missouri
CBD—Convention on Biological Diversity (2009b). Plant environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/other/ Botanical Garden. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/tropicos/
Conservation Report, A review of progress in implementing species-numbers/2006/index.html.
most/checklist.shtml [Accessed 15 May 2009].
the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Montreal,
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. (2008). Systematics and
Canada: Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat. Curtis, T.P., Sloan, W.T. and Scannell, J.W. (2002). Estimating
Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Melbourne: CSIRO
http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/cop/cop-09/information/ Publishing. prokaryotic diversity and its limits. Proceedings of the
cop-09-inf-25-en.pdf [Accessed 10 May 2009]. National Academy of Sciences 99(16): 10494–10499.
Coddington, J.A. and Levi, H.W. (1991). Systematics and
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/99/16/10494
CHAFC—Council of Heads of Australian Faunal Collections evolution of spiders (Araneae). Annual Review of Ecology
[Accessed 17 June 2005].
(2007). Online Zoological Collections of Australian and Systematics 22: 565–592.
Museums (OZCAM). http://www.ozcam.gov.au/about.php Day, S.A., Wickham, R.P., Entwisle, T.J. and Tyler, P.A.
Connor, S. (2009). The Independent: 23 May 2009.
[Accessed 5 July 2009]. (1995). Bibliographic Checklist of Non-Marine Algae in
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/a-seahorse-
CHAH—Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (2009a). the-size-of-a-pea-and-the-other-bizarre-species-new-to- Australia. Flora of Australia Supplementary Series. No. 4.
Australian Plant Census (APC). http://www.chah.gov. science-1689776.html [Accessed 27 May 2009]. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study.
au/chah/apc/index.html [Accessed 15 April 2009]. Convention on Biological Diversity: see CBD. Deacon, J. (2005). Fungal Biology. Blackwell Publishing.
CHAH—Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (2009b). Cowan, R.A. (2006). Australian Marine Algal Name Index. Focal Topic: The Biology of Lichens available at http://www.
Australia’s Virtual Herbarium (AVH). http://www.chah.gov. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, and biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/jdeacon/FungalBiology/
au/avh/ [Accessed 4 July 2009]. Murdoch University, Perth. (Accessed July 2009]. lichen.htm [Accessed 4 July 2009.]
69
Deacon, J. (n.dat.). The Microbial World: Lichens. http://www. De Luna, E., Newton, A.E. and Mishler, B.D. (2003). Euzéby, J.P. (2009). LPSN: List of Prokaryotic names with
biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/jdeacon/microbes/lichen. Bryophyta. Tree of Life Web Project. http://tolweb.org/tree? Standing in Nomenclature. http://www.bacterio.cict.fr/index.
htm [Accessed 4 July 2009]. group=Bryophyta&contgroup=Embryophytes%20Efrain%20 htm [Accessed on 20 April 2009].
De%20Luna,%20Angela%20E.%20Newton,%20and%20Br
DEH—Department of the Environment and Heritage (2001). ent%20D.%20Mishler [Accessed 25 June 2005]. Farjon, A. (2001). World Checklist and Bibliography of
Australia State of the Environment Report. Melbourne: Donaldson, J. (ed.) (2003). Cycads. Status Survey and Conifers. 2nd edn. World Checklists and Bibliographies, 3.
CSIRO and Canberra: Department of the Environment and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Heritage. http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2001/index. Group. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN.
FishBase (2005). FishBase. A Global Information System
html [Accessed 4 July 2009].
Eades, D.C. and Otte, D. (2009). Orthoptera Species File on Fishes. http://www.fishbase.org/home.htm [Accessed
DEH—Department of the Environment and Heritage (2007). Online. Version 2.0/3.5. http://Orthoptera.SpeciesFile.org 15 June 2005].
State of Environment Report. Indicator BD-01 The number [Accessed 18 March 2009].
FishBase (2009). FishBase. A Global Information System
of fauna and flora species described in Australia compared Earle, C.J. (ed.) (2009). The Gymnosperm Database. http://
on Fishes. http://www.fishbase.org/home.htm [Accessed
with previous years and estimated total number of species. www.conifers.org/index.html [Accessed 15 April 2009].
12 March 2009].
http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/ Entwisle, T.J. and Huisman, J. (1998). Algal Systematics in
indicator/92/index.html [Accessed 2 April 2009]. Australia. Australian Systematic Botany 11: 203–214. Follo, J. and Fautin, D. (2001). ‘Echinoidea’ (Online),
Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.
DEWHA—Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage Eschmeyer, W.N. and Fricke, R. (eds) (2009). Catalog of
Fishes. Online version dated 13 Mar. 2009 http://research. edu/site/accounts/information/Echinoidea.html [Accessed
and the Arts (2009a). EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna.
calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain. 15 March 2009].
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/
asp [Accessed 7 June 2009].
publicthreatenedlist.pl?wanted=fauna [Accessed 12 March Fontaneto, D., De Smet, W.H. and Ricci, C. (2006). Rotifers in
2009]. Eschmeyer, W.N. and Frong, J.D. (2009). Species of Fishes saltwater environments, re-evaluation of an inconspicuous
by family/subfamily. Online version dated 13 Mar. 2009 taxon. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 86: 623–656.
DEWHA—Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage http://research.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/
and the Arts (2009b). EPBC Act List of Threatened Flora. catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp [Accessed 7 June 2009]. Fontaneto, D., Segers, H. and Melone, G. (2008). Marine
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/ Euzéby, J.P. (2004). BIOS—Bacteriology Insight Orienting rotifers from the Northern Adriatic Sea, with description
publicthreatenedlist.pl?wanted=flora [Accessed on System. http://www-sp2000ao.nies.go.jp/english/bios/ of Lecane insulaconae sp. nov. (Rotifera: Monogononta:
19 May 2009]. [Accessed 28 June 2005]. Lecanidae). J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 88: 253–258.

Fox, R. (2006). Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine. Thelyphonus. Global Biodiversity Information Facility: see GBIF. Halliday, R.B., O’0, B.M. and Baker, A.S. (2000). Global
Whip Scorpion. http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/ Diversity of Mites pp. 192–203 in Raven, P.H. and
Govaerts, R. (2002). How many species of seed plants are
thelyphonus.html [Accessed 27 March 2009]. Williams, T. (eds). Nature and Human Society: The
there? Taxon 50: 1085–1090.
Quest for a Sustainable World. Washington, DC: National
Frost, D.R. (2004). Amphibian Species of the World: an Grimaldi, D. and Engel, M.S. (2005). Evolution of the Insects. Academy Press.
Online Reference. Version 3.0 (22 Aug. 2004). Electronic Cambridge Evolution Series 1. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press. Hallingbäck, T. and Hodgetts, N. (2000). Mosses, Liverworts,
Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/
and Hornworts: Status Survey and Conservation Action
herpetology/amphibia/index.html. New York: American Groombridge, B. and Jenkins, M.D. (2002). World Atlas of Plan for Bryophytes. (IUCN/SSC Bryophyte Specialist
Museum of Natural History [Accessed 15 June 2005]. Biodiversity. Prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Group, (eds)). Cambridge, UK: IUCN.
Monitoring Centre. Berkeley, USA: University of California
Gaston, K.J. and Blackburn, T.M. (1997). How many birds are Hammond, P.M. (1992). Species inventory pp. 17–39 in
Press.
there? Biodiversity and Conservation 6: 615–625. Groombridge, B. (ed.). Global biodiversity: Status of the
Guidetti, R. and Bertolani, R. (2005). Tardigrade taxonomy: earth’s living resources. London: Chapman and Hall.
GBIF—Global Biodiversity Information Facility (2009a). ECAT. an updated check list of the taxa and a list of characters for
Electronic Catalogue of Names of Known Organisms. their identification. Zootaxa 845: 1–46. Hammond, P.M. (1995). The current magnitude of biodiversity
http://www.gbif.org/prog/ecat [Accessed 6 July 2009]. pp. 113–128 in Heywood V.H. (ed.). Global biodiversity
Guiry, M.D., Nic Dhonncha, E. and Rindi, F. (2005). assessment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
GBIF—Global Biodiversity Information Facility (2009b). Global AlgaeBase version 3.0. World-wide electronic publication,
Biodiversity Information Facility Data Portal. http://www.gbif. National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www. Harvey, M.S. (2002). The neglected cousins: what do we
org/ [Accessed 17 July 2009]. algaebase.org [Accessed 28 June 2005]. know about the smaller arachnid orders? The Journal of
Arachnology 30: 357–372.
Geoffroy, J.-J. (2001). Diplopoda // Chilopoda // Pauropoda Guiry, M.D. and Guiry, G.M. (2009). AlgaeBase. World-
wide electronic publication, National University of Harvey, M.S. (2003). Catalogue of the Smaller Arachnid
// Symphya // & also Onychophoras. Centre International
Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org [Accessed on Orders of the World—Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida,
de Myriapodologie. http://www.mnhn.fr/assoc/myriapoda/ Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae. Collingwood, Vic.
15 July 2009].
[Accessed 20 June 2005]. CSIRO Publishing.
Hallan, J. (2003). Biology Catalog: Synopsis of the Described
Geoffroy, J.-J. and Ruhberg, H. (2006). World Checklist of Taxa of the World. Austin, Texas: Texas A&M University. Harvey, M.S. (2007). The smaller arachnid orders: diversity,
the Onychophora. http://www.mnhn.fr/assoc/myriapoda/ http://insects.tamu.edu/research/collection/hallan/ descriptions and distributions from Linnaeus to the present
ONYLIST.HTM [Accessed 30 March 2009]. 0SYNOPT1.htm [Accessed 19 March 2009]. (1758 to 2007). Zootaxa 1668: 363–380 (2007).
71
Harvey, M.S. (2009). Pseudoscorpions of the World, version Helzner, C. (2002). Bryophyta. http://www.personal.psu.edu/ Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. and Allen, J.R. (2005).
1.2. Western Australian Museum, Perth. http://www. users/c/a/cah288/Bryophyta_CynthiaHelzner_BIOL110H. Australian Faunal Directory: Superclass Pisces. Canberra:
museum.wa.gov.au/arachnids/pseudoscorpions/ htm [Accessed 25 June 2005]. ABRS. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/
Hickman, C.P. and Roberts, L.S. (1994). Biology of Animals, online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Pisces. [Accessed 13
Hassler, M. and Swale, B. (2001). Checklist of World Ferns.
6th edn Dubuque, Iowa, USA: Wm.C.Brown Publishers. March 2009].
CD-ROM.
Hickman, C.P., Roberts, L.S., Larson, A. and l’Anson, H. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Allen, G.R., Paxton, J.R., Wells, A.
Hassler, M. and Swale, B. (2002). Checklist of the Ferns and
(2004). Integrated Principles of Zoology. 12th edn Boston, and Beesley, P.L. (2006). Zoological Catalogue of Australia
Fern Allies. http://homepages.caverock.net.nz/~bj/fern/ MA: McGraw Hill. 872 pp. Volume 35, Parts 1–3. Melbourne/Canberra, Australia:
[Accessed 27 June 2005].
Hill, K. (1998a). Pinophyta. Flora of Australia 48: 545–596. CSIRO Publishing and ABRS.
Hassler, M. and Schmitt, B. (2009). Checklist of Ferns and Melbourne: ABRS/CSIRO Australia.
Hoffman, R.L. (1980). Classification of the Diplopoda:
Lycophytes of the World. http://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.
Hill, K. (1998b). Cycadophyta. Flora of Australia 48: 597–661. Geneva: Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle.
de/~db111/flora/ferns/index.php [Accessed 26 May 2009]. Melbourne: ABRS/CSIRO Australia.
Hoffman, R.L. (1982). Chilopoda. pp. 681–688 in Parker, S.
Hawksworth, D.L. (1991). The fungal dimension of Hill, K. and Stevenson, D.W. (2004). World List of Cycads. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms.
biodiversity: magnitude, significance, and conservation. Sydney: Royal Botanic Gardens. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.
New York : McGraw-Hill. Vol. 2.
Mycological Research 95: 641–655. gov.au/PlantNet/cycad/wlist.html [Accessed 15 May 2009].
Hnatiuk, R. (1990). Census of Australian Vascular Plants, Hooper, J.N.A. and Wiedenmayer, F. (1994). Porifera in
Hawksworth, D.L. and Colwell, R.R. (1992). Biodiversity
Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11. Canberra: Wells, A. and Houston, W.W.K. (eds). Zoological Catalogue
amongst microorganisms and its relevance. Biodiversity
Australian Government Publishing Service. 650 pp. of Australia, Vol. 12. Melbourne: CSIRO Australia.
and Conservation 1: 221–345.
Hodda, M. (2000). Nematodes of the Murray-Darling river Hopkin, S.P. (1997). Biology of the Springtails (Insecta:
Hawksworth, D.L. and Kalin-Arroyo, M.T. (1995). Magnitude
system and coastal freshwaters of southeastern Australia Collembola). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
and Distribution of Biodiversity pp. 107–191 in Heywood, V.
http://www.ento.csiro.au/science/nematode.html [Accessed
(ed.) (1995). Global biodiversity assessment. Cambridge, 7 April 2009]. Hugot, J.P., Baujard, P. and Morand, S. (2001). Biodiversity in
UK: Cambridge University Press. helminths and nematodes as a field of study: an overview.
Hoek, C. van den, Mann, D.G. and Jahns, M.M. (eds) (1995).
Nematology 3: 199–208.
Healey, J. (ed.) (2001). Biodiversity. Issues in Society Algae. An Introduction to Phycology. Cambridge, UK:
Vol. 145. Rozelle, NSW: The Spinney Press. Cambridge University Press.

Hutchings, P.A. and Fauchald, K. (2000). Class Polychaeta: IUCN (2009a). Mammals on the IUCN Red List—IUCN Red Konrat M. von, Söderström L., Hagborg, A. and Gog, L.
Definition and general description. pp. 1–3 in List Status. http://www.iucnredlist.org/mammals/redlist_ (2009). Early Land Plants Today (ELP) http://www.early-
Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. and Glasby, C.J. (eds). status [Accessed 10 March 2009]. land-plants-today.org/ [Accessed 21 June 2009].
Polychaetes and Allies: the Southern Synthesis.
IUCN (2009b). Numbers of threatened species by major Kott, P. (2005). Catalogue of Tunicata in Australian Waters.
Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing.
groups of organisms (1996–2008). http://www.iucnredlist. Canberra: ABRS. http://www.environment.gov.au/
Hyde, K.D., Gareth-Jones, E.B., Leaño, E., Ponting, A.D. org/documents/2008RL_stats_table_1_v1223294385.pdf biodiversity/abrs/publications/electronic-books/tunicates.
and Vrijmoed, L.L.P. (1998). Role of fungi in marine [Accessed 12 March 2009]. html [Accessed 13 March 2009].
ecosystems. Biodiversity and Conservation 7: 1147–1161.
Kathirithamby, J. (2002). Strepsiptera. Twisted-wing parasites. Kott, P. (2006). Australian Faunal Directory. Subphylum
ICTV—International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses Version 24 Sept. 2002 (under construction). http://tolweb. Tunicata. Canberra: ABRS. http://www.environment.gov.au/
(2002). The Universal Virus Database of the International org/Strepsiptera/ [Accessed 17 March 2009]. biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Tunicata
Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. http://www.ncbi.nlm. [Accessed 13 March 2009].
Kerr, A.M. (2000). Holothuroidea. Sea cucumbers.
nih.gov/ICTVdb/index.htm [Accessed 28 June 2005].
Version 01 December 2000. http://tolweb.org/ Lydeard, C., Cowie, R.H., Ponder, W.F., Bogan, A.E.,
ICTV—International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses Holothuroidea/19240/2000.12.01 in The Tree of Life Web Bouchet, P., Clark, S.A., Cummings, K.S., Frest, T.J.,
(2008). Virus Taxonomy 2008. http://www.ictvonline. Project. http://www.tolweb.org/Holothuroidea [Accessed Gargominy, O., Herbert, D.G., Herschler, R.,
org/virusTaxonomy.asp?version=2008 [Accessed 16 March 2009]. Perez, K.E., Roth, B., Seddon, M., Strong, E.E. and
21 April 2009]. Thompson, F.G. (2004). The Global Decline of Nonmarine
Kier, G., Kreft, H., Lee, T.M., Jetz, W., Ibisch, P.L.,
IPNI—International Plant Names Index (2009). International Nowicki, C., Mutke, J. and Barthlott, W. (2009). A global Mollusks. Bioscience 54(4): 321–330.
Plant Names Index. http://www.ipni.org/ London, UK: Royal assessment of endemism and species richness across Lowry, J.K. et al. (1999 onwards). ‘Crustacea, the Higher
Botanic Gardens, Kew. [Accessed 10 May 2009]. island and mainland regions. Proceedings of the National Taxa: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and
Academy of Sciences 106(23): 9322–9327. Information Retrieval.’ Version: 2 October 1999.
IUCN (2004). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Summary Statistics. http://www.redlist.org/info/tables/ Kirk, P., Cannon, P.F., Minter, D.W. and Stalpers, J.A. (2008). http://crustacea.net/ [Accessed 20 June 2005].
table1.html [Accessed 15 June 2005—no longer available Dictionary of the Fungi 10th edn. CABI, UK.
Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The Plant-Book. A portable dictionary
July 2009].
Kirschner, J. and Kaplan, Z. (2002). Taxonomic manuscripts of the higher plants. 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press,
in relation to global red lists. Taxon 51(1): 155–158. Cambridge.
73
Mah, C.L. (2009). World Asteroidea database. Available McCarthy, P.M. (2003). Catalogue of Australian Species of Meeûs, T. de and Renaud, F. (2002). Parasites within the new
online at http://www.marinespecies.org/asteroidea Liverworts and Hornworts. Flora of Australia Supplementary phylogeny of eukaryotes. Trends in Parasitology 18(6):
[Accessed 16 March 2009]. Series. No. 21. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources 247–251.
Study.
Martin, J.W. and Davis, G.E. (2001). An Updated Mendes, L.F. (2002). Taxonomy of Zygentoma and
McCarthy, P.M. (2006). Checklist of Australian Liverworts
Classification of the Recent Crustacea. Natural History Micrcoryphia: historical overview, present status and goals
and Hornworts. Australian Biological Resources Study,
Museum of Los Angeles County. Science Series 39: for the new millennium. Proc. Xth International Colloquium
Canberra. Version 6 April 2006. http://www.anbg.gov.
1–124. http://www.nhm.org/research/publications/ au/abrs/liverwortlist/liverworts_intro.html [Accessed on Apterygota, České Budějovice 2000: Apterygota at the
CrustaceaClassification.pdf [Accessed 19 May 2009]. 14 April 2009]. Beginning of the Third Millennium. Elsevier GmbH.
May, R.M. (1998). How many species are there on earth? McCarthy, P.M. (2009). Checklist of the Lichens of Australia Mesibov, B. (2008). Millipedes of Australia. http://www.
Science 241(4): 1441–1449. http://infoserver.ciesin.org/ and its Island Territories. Australian Biological Resources qvmag.tas.gov.au/zoology/millipedes/index.html [Accessed
docs/002-253/002-253.html [Accessed 15 June 2005]. Study, Canberra. Version 23 March 2009. http://www.anbg. 17 March 2009].
gov.au/abrs/lichenlist/introduction.html [Accessed 16 April
May, R.M. (2000). The Dimensions of Life on Earth. 2009]. Messing, C.G. (n.dat.). Charles Messing’s Crinoid Pages
pp. 30–45 in Raven, P.H. and Williams, T. (eds) Nature http://www.nova.edu/ocean/messing/crinoids/index.html
McCarthy, P.M. and Orchard, A.E. (eds) (2007). Algae of
and Human Society: The Quest for a Sustainable World. [Accessed 16 March 2009].
Australia: Introduction. Canberra: ABRS; Melbourne:
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
CSIRO. Metting, F.B. (1996). Biodiversity and application of
May, T. and Grgurinovic, C. (1995). Fungal Conservation in McCauley, D.W. (n.dat.). Urochordata and Cephalochordata. microalgae. Journal of Industrial Microbiology 17: 477–489.
Australasia. Fungi and Conservation Newsletter No. 3: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/c/l/clm278/ Miller, S.E., Novotny, V. and Basset, Y. (2002). Case studies
6. IUCN. http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/iucnsscfungi/__data/ the%20cephalocordata.html [Accessed 15 June 2005—no of Arthropod Diversity and Distribution pp. 407–413 in
page/507/FAC4.pdf [Accessed 28 June 2005]. longer available 2009].
Chazdon, R.L. and Whitmore, T.C. (eds). Foundations of
Mayo, M.A., Maniloff, J., Desselberger, U., Ball, L.A. and McNeely, J.A., Miller, K.R., Mittermeier, R. and Tropical Forest Biology. Classic papers with commentaries.
Fauquet, C.M. (eds) (2005). Virus Taxonomy: VIIIth Report Werner, T.B. (1990). Conserving the World’s Biological Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Diversity. International Union for Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland; Wildlife Miyajima, K. (2002). The Biodiversity Crisis. Winnipeg,
2nd edn. Academic Press.
Research Institute, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation Canada: University of Winnipeg. http://io.uwinnipeg.
International, and the World Bank, Washington D.C. ca/~simmons/CHAP5598/ [Accessed 29 Aug. 2005].

Monge-Najera, J. (2000). The Onychophora of Mexico in Myers, P. (2001g). Platyhelminthes, Animal Diversity Web. Nishi, A., Ishida, K. and Endoh, H. (2005). Reevaluation of the
Artropodos de Mexico, Volume 2. Universidad Nacional http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/ Evolutionary Position of Opalinids based on 18S rDNA and
Autonoma de Mexico UNAM, Mexico. information/Platyhelminthes.html [Accessed 23 June 2005]. α- and β-Tubulinb Gene Phylogenies. Journal of Molecular
Mulcrone, R. (2005). Echinodermata, Animal Diversity Web. Myers, P. (2001h). Porifera, Animal Diversity Web. http:// Evolution 60(6): 695–705.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/ animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ Novotny, V., Basset, Y., Miller, S.E., Weiblen, G.D.,
information/Echinodermata.html. [Accessed 17 June 2005]. Porifera.html [Accessed 24 June 2005]. Bremer, B., Cizek, L. and Drozd, P. (2002). Low host
Myers, P. (2001a). Insecta, Animal Diversity Web. http:// Myers, P. (2001i). Hirudinea, Animal Diversity Web. http:// specificity of herbivorous insects in a tropical forest. Nature
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ 416: 841–844.
Insecta.html [Accessed 17 June 2005]. Hirudinea.html [Accessed 6 April 2009].
Oberprieler, R., Marvaldi, A.E. and Anderson, R.S. (2007).
Myers, P. (2001b). Diplopoda, Animal Diversity Web. http:// Ng, P.K.L., Guiot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. (2008). Systema Weevils, weevils, weevils everywhere. Zootaxa 1668:
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ Brachyurorum: Part 1. An Annotated Checklist of the Extant 491–520.
Diplopoda.html [Accessed 17 June 2005]. Brachyuran Crabs of the World. The Raffles Bulletin of
Zoology 17: 1–286. http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s17/ Pascoe, I.G. (1990). History of systematic mycology in
Myers, P. (2001c). Chilopoda, Animal Diversity Web. http://
s17rbz.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2009]. Australia pp. 259–264 in Short, P.S. (ed.). History of
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/
Chilopoda.html [Accessed 17 June 2005]. Systematic Botany in Australasia. South Yarra, Australia:
Nielsen, E.S. and Mound, L.A. (2000). Global Diversity
Australian Systematic Botany Society.
Myers, P. (2001d). Crustacea, Animal Diversity Web. http:// of Insects: The Problems of Estimating Numbers. pp.
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ 213–222 in Raven, P.H. and Williams, T. (eds). Nature Paton, A.J., Brummit, N., Govaerts, R., Harman, K.,
Crustacea.html [Accessed 17 June 2005]. and Human Society: The Quest for a Sustainable World. Hinchcliffe, S., Allkin, B. and Lughadha, E.N. (2008).
Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Towards Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant
Myers, P. (2001e). Annelida, Animal Diversity Web. http://
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ Nieuwenhuys, E. (1998). The spider. http://www.xs4all. Conservation: a working list of all known plant
Annelida.html [Accessed 23 June 2005]. nl/~harhiem/The_spider.pdf [Accessed 17 June 2005]. species—progress and prospects. Taxon 57(2): 1–10.
Myers, P. (2001f). Nematoda, Animal Diversity Web. http:// Nieuwenhuys, E. (2008). The spider. http://www.xs4all. Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Michado, G. and Giribert, G. (eds)
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/InfoNed/The_spider.html [Accessed (2007). Harvestmen—The Biology of Opiliones. Boston,
Nematoda.html [Accessed 23 June 2005]. 1 June 2009]. MA: Harvard University Press.
75
Platnick, N.I. (2008). The world spider catalog, version 9.5. Ramel, G. (2009b). What is a Lichen? Earthlife Web. Rossman, A.Y. (2003). A Strategy for an All-Taxa Inventory of
American Museum of Natural History, online at http:// http://www.earthlife.net/lichens/lichen.html [Accessed Fungal Biodiversity. Chapter 14. pp. 169–194 in
research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/index.html 4 June 2009]. Peng, C.-I. and Chou, C.H. (eds). Biodiversity and
[Accessed 25 March 2009]. Ramsey, D. (2005). Rainforest Fungi. http://rainforest- Terrestrial Ecosystems. Inst. Botany, Acad. Sinica
Poinar Jr., G. (2008). Global diversity of hairworms australia.com/fungi.htm [Accessed 28 June 2005]. Monograph Series No. 14. 1994. http://www.ars.usda.gov/
(Nematomorpha: Gordiaceae) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia Services/docs.htm?docid=9426 [Accessed 6 July 2009].
Raven, P.H. and Yeates, D.K. (2007). Australian biodiversity:
595: 79–82. http://www.springerlink.com/content/ threats for the present, opportunities for the future. Rowe, F.W.E. and Gates, J. (1995). Echinodermata in
ww12j590g701067r/fulltext.pdf [Accessed 14 April 2009]. Australian Journal of Entomology 46: 177–187. Wells, A. and Houston, W.W.K. (eds). Zoological Catalogue
Ponder, W., Hutchings, P. and Chapman, R. (2002). Overview RBG—Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2009). World Checklist of Australia. Vol. 33: Melbourne: CSIRO Australia.
of the Conservation of Australian Marine Invertebrates. of Selected Plant Families. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/ Saunders, D., Beattie, A., Eliott, S., Fox, M., Hill, B.,
Canberra: Environment Australia. http://www.amonline.net. home.do [Accessed 6 July 2009].
Pressey, B., Veal, D., Venning, J., Maliel, M. and Zammit,
au/invertebrates/marine_overview/index.html [Accessed
Reed, C.F. and Farr, D.F. (1993). Index to Saccardo’s C. (1996). Chapter 4: Biodiversity in Australia: State of the
23 June 2005—no longer available July 2009].
Sylloge Fungorum Volumes I–XXVI IN XXIX 1882–1972. Environment 1996. Canberra: http://www.environment.
Poore, G.C.B. (1995). Biogeography and diversity of Darlington, Maryland: Reed Herbarium. gov.au/soe/1996/publications/report/pubs/chap04.pdf
Australia’s marine biota in Zann, L.P. State of the Rein, J.O. (2009). The Scorpion Files. Norwegian University [Accessed 6 July 2009].
Marine Environment Report for Australia: The Marine of Science and Technology. http://www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-
Environment—Technical Annex 1. Great Barrier Savary, W. (2006). The Arachnid Order Solifugae. http://www.
files/ [Accessed 25 March 2009].
Reef Marine Park Authority for the Department of the solpugid.com/index.htm [Accessed 27 March 2009].
Environment, Sport and Territories. Richardson, B.J. (1998). Cephalochordata in Wells, A.
Schotte, M., Kensley, B.F. and Shilling, S. (2009). World list
and Houston, W.W.K. (eds) (1998). Zoological
Prance, G.T. (2001). Discovering the plant world. Taxon 50: Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 34 Hemichordata, Tunicata, of Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Crustacea Isopoda.
345–359. Cephalochordata. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. Washington D.C., USA: National Museum of Natural
History Smithsonian Institution [Accessed 15 May 2009].
Ramel, G. (2009a). The Phylum Porifera. Earthlife Web. Ridsdill-Smith, J. (2004). Entomology and the Australian
http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/porifera.html [Accessed Entomological Society. Australian Journal of Entomology Scotland, R.W. and Wortley, A.H. (2003). How many species
19 May 2009]. 43: 211–215. of seed plants are there? Taxon 52: 101–104.

Scott, F.J. and Marchant, H.J. (eds) (2005). Antarctic Marine Stöhr, S. and O’Hara, T. (2007). World Ophiuroidea database. Trueman, J.W.H. and Rowe, R.J. (2008). Odonata.
Protists. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org/ Dragonflies and damselflies. Version 20 March 2008. http://
and Australian Antarctic Division. ophiuroidea [Accessed 16 March 2009]. tolweb.org/Odonata/ [Accessed 17 March 2009].
Segers, H. (2008). Global diversity of rotifers (Rotifera) in Stotler, R. and Crandall-Stotler, B. (2009). The Genera of University of Auckland (2009) Bryophytes Overview in New
freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595: 49–59. Liverworts. http://bryophytes.plant.siu.edu/general.html Zealand Plants: Ngaa Taonga o te Ngahere http://www.
[Accessed 12 June 2009]. sbs.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/science/about/departments/sbs/
Shimura, J. (2004). Bacteriology Insight Orienting System
(BIOS) in Bisby, F.A., Froese, R., Ruggiero, M.A. and Swale, B. (2000). Checklist of World Ferns. http://homepages. newzealandplants/ [Accessed 15 May 2009].
Wilson, K.L. (eds). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of caverock.net.nz/~bj/fern1.htm [Accessed 27 June 2005].
Life, Annual Checklist 2004: Indexing the world’s known Walter, D.E., Krantz, J. and Lindquist, E. (1996). Acari. The
species. CD-ROM, Los Baños, Philippines: Species 2000. Szeptycki, A. (2007). Catalogue of the World Protura. Krakow, Mites. Tree of Life website. http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Ac
Poland: Wydawnictwa Instytutu Systematyki I Ewolucji ari&contgroup=Arachnida [Accessed 20 June 2005].
Sierwald, P. and Bond, J.E. (2007). Current status of the Zwierzat Polskiej Akademii Nauk. http://www.isez.pan.
myriapod class Diplopoda (millipedes): taxonomy diversity krakow.pl/journals/azc_i/pdf/50B(1)/01.pdf [Accessed Walter, K.S. and Gillett, H.J. (eds) (1998). 1997 IUCN Red list
and phylogeny. Annual Review of Entomology 52: 25 March 2009]. of threatened plants. Compiled by the World Conservation
401–420. Monitoring Centre. lxiv + 862 pp. Gland, Switzerland and
Tangley, L. (1997). How many species are there? US News
Sjöström, A. and Gross, C.L. (2006). Life history characters Cambridge, UK: IUCN–The World Conservation Union.
and World Report Aug. 18, 1997. http://www.usnews.
and phylogeny are correlated with extinction risk in the com/usnews/culture/articles/970818/archive_007681.htm Walton, D.W. (ed.) (1988). Zoological Catalogue of Australia
Australian angiosperms. Journal of Biogeography 33: [Accessed 6 July 2009]. Vol. 5. Mammalia. Canberra: Australian Government
271–290. Publishing Service.
Thompson, F.C. (2008). The Diptera Site. The BioSystematic
Smith, V. and Page, R. (1997). Phthiraptera. Lice. Version Database of World Diptera. Status Report Version 10.5 Ward, B.B. (2002). How many species of prokaryotes are
07 March 1997 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/ released 6 May 2008. http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/diptera/ there? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Phthiraptera/ [Accessed 18 March 2009]. names/Status/bdwd_105.htm [Accessed 17 March 2009]. 99(16): 10234–10236. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/
Snelgrove, P.V.R., Blackburn, T.H., Hutchings, P.A.A., Thorne, R.F. (2002). How many species of seed plants are full/99/16/10234 [Accessed 17 June 2005].
Alongi, D.M., Grassle, J.F., Hummel, H., King, G., Koike, I., there? Taxon 51: 511.
Lambshead, P.J.D., Ramsing, N.D. and Solis-Weiss, V. Watanabe, M.M. et al. (2004). BIOS—Bacteriology Insight
(1997). The importance of marine sediment biodiversity in TIGR (2009). TIGR Reptile Database. http://www.reptile- Orienting System. http://www-sp2000ao.nies.go.jp/english/
ecosystem processes. Ambio 26: 578–584. database.org/ [Accessed 13 March 2009]. bios/ [Accessed 28 June 2005].
77
Wikipedia (2005 onwards). Wikipedia. The Free Wilson, D.G.F. (2008). Global diversity of Isopod crustaceans Wray, G.A. (1999). Echinodermata. Spiny-skinned animals:
Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (Crustacea; Isopoda) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595: sea urchins, starfish, and their allies. Tree of Life Web site:
[Accessed 21 May 2009]. 231–240. http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Echinodermata [Accessed
Williams, J. (ed.) (2001). Extracts from State of the 17 June 2005].
Woese, C.R. (1998). Default Taxonomy. Proceedings of the
Environment Report 2001 (Theme Report: Biodiversity).
Canberra: Department of the Environment and Heritage. National Academy of Sciences 95: 11043–11046. Yeates, D.K., Harvey, M.S. and Austin, A.D. (2003). New
http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2001/publications/theme- Wong, A. (1999). Australia’s Biodiversity—A Summary. Hobart, Estimates for Terrestrial Arthropod Species-Richness
reports/biodiversity/index.html [Accessed 4 July 2009]. in Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum
Tasmania: The Wilderness Society. http://www.wilderness.
Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds) (2005). Mammal Species org.au/articles/biodivsum [Accessed 6 July 2009]. Monograph Series Number 7: 231–242.
of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference.
3rd edn. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Notes
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
79
Notes
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................
................................................ ................................................ ................................................

© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as
permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part
may be reproduced by any process without prior
written permission from the Commonwealth.
Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction
and rights should be addressed to the
Director
Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia
or posted at
http://www.ag.gov.au/cca
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this
publication are those of the author and do
not necessarily reflect those of the Australian
Government or the Minister for the Environment,
Heritage and the Arts.
While reasonable efforts have been made to

ensure that the contents of this publication
are factually correct, the Commonwealth does This publication is available online at:
not accept responsibility for the accuracy or www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/other/species-numbers/2009/index.html
completeness of the contents, and shall not
be liable for any loss or damage that may be
For additional hard copies please contact:
occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of,
or reliance on, the contents of this publication. Community Information Unit
Photos Pelargonium australe (cover) Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
B.Kuchlmayr. All other photographs are Ground Level
2nd edition (this edition) copyright Arthur D. Chapman and are John Gorton Building
ISBN (printed) 978 0 642 56860 1 available under a Creative Commons Parkes ACT 2600
ISBN (online) 978 0 642 56861 8 licence on the website
Freecall 1800 803 772 (within Australia)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman
Fax +612 6274 1970
1st edition Publisher Australian Biological Resources Study Email [email protected]
ISBN (printed) 978 0 642 56849 6 (ABRS) Online
ISBN (online) 978 0 642 56850 2 ABRS253JUN/09 form www.environment.gov.au/about/publications/order-form.html
2nd edition
Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World
australia’s nature
there is more
still to be discovered…
BIO0023.0908
View publication stats

Chapman 2009 NumbersofLivingSpecies Oz World DEH

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapman 2009 NumbersofLivingSpecies Oz World DEH

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapman 2009 NumbersofLivingSpecies Oz World DEH

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World 2nd edn.

Book · September 2009

Arthur David Chapman

Biota FAPESP (Brazil) View project

Data Quality of Museum and Herbarium Collections View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Foreword 1 Insecta (insects) 23 Plants 43 Viruses 59

Understanding of the global significance of Australia’s

 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

1 Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://www.gbif.org

 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

For Australia a figure of 147,579 accepted described species

5 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

7 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

TOTAL 2005 excl.

10 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

12 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australian mammal species are quite well known and thus

Australia Australian Threatened

Australia Australian Threatened

14 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australia Australian Threatened

Australian amphibian species are quite well known and thus

Australia Australian Threatened

24 pers. comm. David B. Wake, University of California, Berkeley, May 2009.

16 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australia Australian Threatened

FishBase (2009) lists 74 species of hagfish and 42 species

ABRS (ABRS 2009a) lists five Australian species in three

There are no species listed as threatened in Australia

Australia Australian Threatened

33 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

18 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australia Australian Threatened

34 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

Australia Australian Threatened

20 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australia Australian Threatened

38 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

Australia Australian Threatened

22 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

24 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

60 Wikipedia (2000): Palpigradi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpigradi [Accessed 23 March 2009].

26 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

63 pers. comm. Robert Raven, Queensland Museum, March 2009.

Australia Australian Threatened

67 pers. comm. Claudio Arango, Queensland Museum, April 2009.

28 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australia Australian Threatened

71 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009b).

30 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

Australia Australian Threatened

72 Wikipedia (2009): Crustacean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crustacean [Accessed 19 May 2009].

Australia Australian Threatened

75 Peripatus.gen.nz Web site: Onychophora http://www.peripatus.gen.nz/Taxa/Arthropoda/Onychophora.html [Accessed 19 May 2009].

32 | Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

| Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

| Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

| Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World

| Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World