Written by Andrew Baird Two of the key features of the Project Phoenix approach to resolving the taxonomy and systematics of reef corals are firstly, the use of topotypes to serve as molecular archetypes of each species and anchors in phylogenies and secondly testing all the nominal species - not just those considered valid in … Continue reading Crosbie et al 2026 – 16 nominal species of Acropora raised from the dead
Author: ahbaird
The Maldives beyond Soneva
By Charlotte Dale After a week at Soneva Fushi [link], Charlotte boarded the Carpe Novo to continue the search for Maldivian topotypes and interesting Acropora species across Baa, Raa and North Ari Atolls with OceanLife Scuba Expeditions. The trip was organised by marine biologist Amanda Delaforce, who spreads her time between the Queensland Parks and … Continue reading The Maldives beyond Soneva
Assessing Coral Diversity in the Maldives
A collaboration between Soneva Fushi Resort, Soneva Conservation & Sustainability and Project Phoenix by Andrew Baird Andrew Baird and Charlotte Dale have recently returned from a collecting trip on Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. The Maldives are an important but poorly sampled area within the Indian Ocean and the coral fauna an important piece of … Continue reading Assessing Coral Diversity in the Maldives
The Lee Kong Chan Natural History Museum in Singapore
By Andrew Baird I have just returned from a thoroughly enjoyable and productive trip to the Lee Kong Chan Natural History Museum in Singapore. The visit was hosted by my close friend and long-term collaborator Dr Danwei Huang and the National University of Singapore (Fig. 1) The primary aim of the trip was to search … Continue reading The Lee Kong Chan Natural History Museum in Singapore
The corals of north-Western Australia
Andrew Baird 03/10/2026 Walking along the coastline of Roebuck Bay, north-Western Australia you feel a long way from anywhere. However, the area around Broome including King’s Sound to the north is the type location for 12 nominal species, including the elusive Montigyra kenti Matthai 1928, sampled in the 1890s and not seen since, the much-misunderstood … Continue reading The corals of north-Western Australia
Acropora glauca (Brooke 1893)
Andrew Baird Acropora glauca was described by Brook (1893) based on a single sample purchased from Captain Beckett with a type location of “West Australia (WA)”. The holotype is curated in the Natural History Museum in London (Fig. 1). The Corals of the World (CoTW) website suggests that A. glauca occurs throughout the Indo-Pacific, from … Continue reading Acropora glauca (Brooke 1893)
The Swinders
The Swindlers deliver an irresistible blend of folk-rock and rhythm and blues. This six-piece Townsville band captivates audiences with powerful original songs inspired by the comedy and tragedy of life in North Queensland alongside crowd-pleasing covers from Nick Cave to T. Rex. Andrew Baird – vocals Andrew’s musical inspirations include Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison. … Continue reading The Swinders
