Taxonomy is described sometimes as a science and sometimes as an art, but really it's a battleground.
- Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything -

Project approvals are often delayed by 'taxonomic bottlenecks' caused by records of many new species, few local experts and/or a lack of formal guidance on new species.

Phoenix's team of internationally-recognised taxonomists offers extensive experience in invertebrate species systematics and biology and fast turnaround times that effectively eliminate costly project delays.

We provide in-house taxonomic expertise in technical and identification services for the majority of short-range endemic invertebrates (SRE), including terrestrial (surface-dwelling) invertebrates and subterranean fauna, specifically for the following groups:

Dr Volker Framenau is one of the leading arachnologists in Australia. As former Curator of SRE Terrestrial Invertebrates at the Western Australian Museum, Volker developed significant expertise in local SRE taxa, in particular mygalomorph spiders, schizomids and millipedes.

Our services include:

• Taxonomy of Arachnida: (all orders except Acari), Myriapoda, Crustacea, Insecta.
• Sample handling and specimen lodgement: we can sort bulk-bottled material straight from the field and handle specimen lodgement to the Western Australian Museum (labelling, preparation of electronic data for lodgement and the lodgement itself).
• Express service: Available for projects with tight timelines (additional fees apply), our express service prioritises your samples and reduces processing time from an average four weeks to a maximum of two weeks (conditions apply).
• Reporting: For all specimens submitted for identification, including taxonomic background, identifications and interpretation of distributional data (i.e. assessment of SRE status).
• Photography: We use state-of-the-art photographic equipment to provide high-quality microscopic images for your reporting needs (see samples here). Phoenix can also take high quality photos of live specimens for your report if live animals are supplied.
• Taxonomic and systematic research: We offer taxonomic and systematic research, for example, scientific descriptions of species or genera in peer-reviewed journals as part of environmental offset packages.

For more information contact Anna Leung on anna.leung@phoenixenv.com.au
or (08) 6323 5410.