| Discipline | Biology |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publication details | |
| History | 1939–present |
| Standard abbreviations | |
| ISO 4 | West. Aust. Nat. |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0508-4865 |
| Links | |
The Western Australian Naturalist (also known as the Naturalist), is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Western Australian Naturalists' Club. It publishes original research on topics related to the natural history of Western Australia.
It was established in 1947. [1] [2]
Similar publications emanated from groups that were established in other Australian states, the South Australian being a part of the Royal Society in that state [3] and the Victorian publication was established as early as the 1880s. [4]
The editor from 1947 to 1980 was Dom Serventy.
At times the publication and contents of the issues of the Naturalist were noted in the local newspaper The West Australian. [5]
The history of the club was first published in the Naturalist in 1964 [6] [ full citation needed ] and subsequently expanded and published separately at a later date. [7]
George Seddon in his work Sense of Place wrote: [8]
there are three good local inexpensive journals that should be in every school and public library: The Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia , the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society and The Western Australian Naturalist [...].
The Naturalist was the location of:
- the original description of the short necked tortoise Pseudemydura umbrina
- the details of the rediscovery of the noisy scrub bird Atrichornis clamosus
- the further description and habits of the frog Myobatrachus gouldii
- the further elaborations of the behaviours of the giant ghost bat Macroderma gigas
At various stages offprints have been made of articles on subjects that had not had publication elsewhere, [9] [10] [11] or items from The Naturalist have been included in compiled volumes. [12]
