Honour as newly discovered species is named after WA Chief Scientist

Science and Innovation Minister John Day today announced a new species of sponge discovered in the Perth Canyon off Rottnest Island has been named after Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia.

"The species, Manihinea lynbeazleyae, has been named after Professor Beazley to acknowledge her dedicated advocacy of science in this State and her strong support of sponge research and the work of the Western Australian Museum," Mr Day said.

"Professor Beazley's distinguished career has placed her at the forefront of scientific fields in WA, including biology, zoology and neuroscience.

"As the State's chief scientist, Professor Beazley provides the Government with advice on the future direction of science and innovation in WA."

Professor Beazley was appointed Chief Scientist of Western Australia in 2006.  In 2009 she was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Manihinea lynbeazleyae was discovered in the Perth Canyon near Rottnest Island in 2005 when the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) 'Voyage of Discovery Expedition', in which scientists from the WA Museum participated, conducted the first survey to collect sponges and other invertebrates from the canyon and deeper waters off the south and South-West of WA.

The Perth Canyon is rich in marine life, is a renowned feeding area of pygmy blue whales, and has a span and depth larger than that of the Grand Canyon in the USA.

The Minister said that, prior to the expedition, no surveys had been conducted which targeted the sponge fauna in waters deeper than 30m off the State's South-West.

"In the space of 10 minutes, a total weight of 31kg of sponges was collected with 44 sponge species detected," he said.

"This included the sponge to be named after Professor Beazley, which was identified by Dr Jane Fromont from the WA Museum, in collaboration with Dr Andrzej Pisera, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences.

"The WA Museum is one of the State's premier centres of excellence in marine science and undertakes research in this field to assess the biodiversity of an area and to detect any changes that might occur; this knowledge is vital for the management and protection of marine habitats."