ABRS Online Resources
The Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) provides online delivery of taxonomic and biological information on species known to occur in Australia.
ABRS Fauna Online includes:
- Australian Faunal Directory which encompasses information from the Zoological Catalogue of Australia.
- Centipedes of Australia is a dichotomous key that allows you to identify any of Australia's centipedes. Based on the easily seen characteristics of specimens, and aided by superb graphics, you can track the identity of your centipede to order, family, genus and species. You can then check its distribution. This is a joint project between CSIRO Entomology and ABRS.
- Nematodes a powerful electronic key and information package that enables quick and accurate identification of Australian nematode species.
- POLiKEY is an interactive key and information system for polychaete families and higher taxa. It contains 104 polychaete taxa, comprising 17 higher-level taxa, 82 families and five subfamily groups.
- Species Bank is an online database which aims to expand the wildlife experience of the Australian Community by describing and illustrating many of these lesser known species, in a way that highlights their way of life, their interactions with each other and ourselves, and their importance as a natural part of the environment we all share.
- Guide to the Marine Zooplankton of south eastern Australia is an interactive tool that provides a comprehensive, fully illustrated means of identifying the major zooplankton from the seas of south eastern Australia
ABRS Flora Online delivers information from the Flora of Australia Online, Australian Marine Algal Name Index, Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territories and Checklist of Australian Liverworts and Hornworts. It also links to ABRS collaborative projects such as the Census of Freshwater Algae in Australia and Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi. This online information is available free of charge.
ABRS Glossaries available:
- Algae — for use with Algae of Australia
- Ferns, Gymnosperms and Allied Groups — for use with Flora of Australia volume 48
- Fungi — for use with Fungi of Australia
- Lichens — for use with Flora of Australia Lichen volumes
- Mosses — for use with Flora of Australia Moss volumes
- Protists — for use with Antarctic Marine Protists
- Vascular Plants — for use with Flora of Australia and Species Plantarum
Citation makes recommendations on how to cite ABRS Online Resources.
Links to other databases and relevant sites.
Catalogue of Tunicata in Australian Waters, a free publication which is also incorporated into the online Australian Faunal Directory. Currently Australia’s Tunicate fauna includes 755 described species in 108 genera.
Software (Lucid and Delta) for downloading and using for ABRS interactive keys and online databases.
Tutorial gives an overview and examples of searching for data in the two main ABRS Online Resources — Australian Faunal Directory and Flora of Australia Online. More detailed user instructions can be found within each of these systems. The tutorial also provides a brief introduction to two other portals of interest to ABRS — GBIF and OZCAM .