Role Title: Herpetology Intern, Ctenotus Lizards Revision
Organisation: WA Museum
Internship Period: Semester 2 (July – October)
Location: Welshpool
In 2014 a new species of Australian skink was split from Ctenotus inornatus (Bar-shouldered Ctenotus) - Ctentous superciliaris - based on genetics and some obscure morphological features. The WA Museum herpetology collection has a few hundred Ctentous specimen jars that need sorting through, to pull out our C. superciliaris and check these morphological characters for their consistency.
The intern will be working closely with our Technical Officer (Dr Kailah Thorn) and Curator of Herpetology (Paul Doughty) in the Research and Collections facility at Welshpool. They will have the opportunity to learn how the facility is organised, how we identify and measure specimens, and how they are best stored to preserve the state collections.
If there are interesting patterns in the collected morphological data, the intern will have the opportunity to coauthor a small publication with WAM scientists on these findings after the internship project concludes.
The Western Australian Museum is the State’s premier cultural organisation, housing WA’s scientific and cultural collection. For over 120 years the Museum has been making the State's natural and social heritage accessible and engaging through research, exhibitions and public programs.