iNaturalist Australia site admin/curator (https://xitter.cf/t.co/kI6gaJlfGh), professional BioBlitzer, PhD student @unswbees, ALA Engagement Officer
Sydney
Joined October 2020
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After hundreds of hours of collecting, sorting, identifying and photographing seashells, my comprehensive field guide 'Seashells of North Haven Beach' is finally out. Available now at seashellsofnorthhavenbeach.c…, it's a must have for Australian beachcombers (I promise!)
Photographed one of my mega bucket list species on a recent trip to Kakadu NP, Leichhardt's Grasshopper (Petasida ephippigera). Found only across the Top End of the NT, this species is declining. I waited almost 5 years to see one after failing to find one in March 2020
ALT Leichhardt's Grasshopper (Petasida ephippigera) on host plant Pityrodia jamesii in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory.
New paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.202…
We compiled master plant species lists for 2 of the 5 oldest national parks: Royal (Australia) and Yosemite (USA) by combining herbarium vouchers + @inaturalist records + official expert park lists, extensively manually curating all records.
Second, the most complete picture of the plant biodiversity from each park relied on combining all three data streams: each had unique species that the other two didn't. Excitingly, @inaturalist records contributed 63 new species for Royal, and 20 for Yosemite
ALT Plant species newly recorded for Royal National Park (a-c) and Yosemite National Park (d-f) from Research Grade iNaturalist observations. a) Pleroma urvilleanum (Melastomataceae), introduced, photograph by Thomas Mesaglio, CC BY; b) Thelymitra improcera (Orchidaceae), native, photograph by Robert Humphries, CC BY-NC; c) Nymphaea alba (Nymphaeaceae), introduced, photograph by Russell Barrett, CC BY-NC; d) Hemitomes congestum (Ericaceae), native, photograph by Adam J. Searcy, CC BY; e) Erythranthe rubella (Phrymaceae), native, photograph by Brett Bell, CC BY-NC; f) Lotus corniculatus (Fabaceae), introduced, photograph by yhirama, CC BY-NC.
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
New research in @ConLetters from @AlexJB497, @MarsKlaassen, Richard Kingsford, @rohanclarke01, and I demonstrating the potential for HPAI H5N1 virus transmission via food-theft (kleptoparasitism) in seabirds: conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.c…
Pic: David Tipling
Check out our latest paper delving into cit sci data + IUCN Red Listing!
Citizen scientists can help save Australia's threatened species, a new paper co-authored by the ALA's Erin Roger reveals 📊🦘
Discover how giving them more direction could help enhance conservation efforts & improve extinction risk assessments. 🔗: spr.ly/6010mdgEs
New paper in @royalsocnsw: tinyurl.com/35jd4xxs. 2 years after our online photographic census of Australia's flora, +800 'unphotographed' species now have images on @inaturalist! Huge thanks to all observers (incl. dipping into old hard drives!) + experts IDing these images
Master species list for Wategora Reserve in western Sydney now published; I recorded 546 plant species (274 native) in 20 ha urban reserve from 300+ survey hours (2020-2023). Combined with historical surveys (1976-1992), total 727 species.
Check it out: tinyurl.com/4b43rwxz
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
Opinion piece: Can writing #ResearchPapers in the first person make them not only easier to read and understand, but also more impactful? In PNAS Front Matter: ow.ly/RHKu50S2Bzy #SciComm #ScienceCommunication #WritingStyle
ALT An hand using a pen to cross out the phrase, "The author."
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
This is an extraordinary bit of journalism documenting a corrupt and violent culture.
themonthly.com.au/issue/2024…
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
Calling all #iNaturalist users! Please tell us what motivates you to contribute your observations by responding to this survey: ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/S…. Users at ALL levels of participation are encouraged to respond. #communityscience #citizenscience
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
Our Big Flowering Plant Bang paper is now out in Nature!! So excited to have been part of this massive collaborative effort led by the @kewgardens team, involving 279 co-authors from 27 countries!
#angiosperms #phylogenomics
nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
Meet Australia's most recently named and described longhorn beetle: Excastra albopilosa! I was lucky enough to discover this remarkable species while camping @binnaburra in 2021. Have a read of the UQ News article for more detail and a link to the paper. #entomology #newspecies
Chance sighting by #UQ researcher leads to the discovery of new genus of longhorn beetle. It's believed the white fluffy exterior helps camouflage it from predators. @uqscience
📖brnw.ch/21wI4f5
Thomas Mesaglio retweeted
And here's the link to the @inaturalist observation! Such an incredible rediscovery! inaturalist.org/observations…
We need your help recording #MyrtleRust across Australia to track its spread. Hop onto @inaturalist, join Gum Tree Guardians, and upload your pics! All data feed into @atlaslivingaust for researchers to use.
More info here: spr.ly/6017X3RLP
@DavidPocock @_Alyssa_Martino
Check out inaturalist.org/projects/gum… for all Australian records of myrtle rust on iNaturalist, plus some fantastic journal posts written by @_Alyssa_Martino helping to explain the science behind the fungus, and how citizen science is crucial for documenting its distribution