Dr Sarah Catalano

• Biography/ Background

  PhD candidate in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Adelaide.  Awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award for postgraduate study (July 2010 - current)

   

  PhD supervisors:

  Prof Bronwyn Gillanders (University of Adelaide)

  A/Prof Ian Whittington (University of Adelaide, South Australian Museum)

  Prof Steve Donnellan (University of Adelaide, South Australian Museum)

   

  PhD project: Using mesozoan dicyemid parasites to infer the population structure of giant Australian cuttlefish, Sepia apama, in southern Australian waters.

   

  This project is supported by funding from the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, Norman Wettenhall Foundation, Sir Mark Mitchell Foundation, Lirabenda Endowment Fund, Nature Foundation SA and Nature Conservation Society of SA.

   

• Qualifications

  Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology with First Class Honours, The University of Adelaide, Australia (2006-2009)

  My Honours project was entitled: Parasite assemblage of the Arripidae in southern Australian waters.  I was supervised by A/Prof Ian Whittington (University of Adelaide & South Australian Museum) and Dr Kate Hutson (James Cook University, Townsville)

   

• Awards & Achievements

  2007: -Awarded a summer scholarship, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science

            -Environmental Biology Level II Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement

  2008: -Environmental Biology Level III Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement

  2009: -Playford Memorial Honours Scholarship

            -Unibooks Scholarship for Honours 2009

            -Michael Smyth Memorial Prize for best Honours thesis in Zoology 2009

  2010: -Awarded a summer scholarship, South Australian Research and Development Institute

  2011: -Awarded a Doreen McCarthy Bursary

            -Student prize for presentation at Australian Society of Parasitology Conference

            -Winner of the Royal Society of SA student prize for 2011

  2012: -JD Smyth Travel Award Recipient

            -Student prize for presentation at Australian Society of Parasitology Conference

            -Winner People's Choice Award Three Minute Thesis University Finals

            -Awarded The Russell Baudinette Travel Scholarship for 2012

  2013: -Awarded a Marc Dresden Student Travel Award, American Society of Parasitologists

           -Awarded a Researcher Exchange, Training and Travel Award

           -Meritorious Student Paper Award, American Society of Parasitologists Conference

           -Awarded an Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) Student Bursary to attend the

            Australian Society for Fish Biology (ASFB) Conference 

           -Awarded a John Glover Travel Award, ASFB Conference

           -Victorium Marine Science Consortium Award, ASFB Conference

           -Organising Committee Prize for Best Student Presentation, World Association for the

            Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology International Conference

  2014: -Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence

           -Winner of the Channel 9 Young Achiever Award - Flinders Ports Environmental Award

• Research Interests

  My research interest is in marine science, a field I have been attracted to, fascinated by and passionate about all my life. 

  In my Honours year, I discovered and documented the parasite assemblage of commercially and recreationally important Arripis spp, including the eastern Australian salmon, western Australian salmon and Australian herring. 

  For my PhD, I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with one of the most unique, stunning and iconic marine species in Australia, the giant Australian cuttelfish.

   

• Publications

   

  CATALANO, S.R. & Hutson, K.S. (2010).  Harmful parasitic crustaceans infecting wild arripids: a potential threat to southern Australian finfish aquaculture. Aquaculture 303: 101-104

  CATALANO, S.R., Hutson, K.S., Ratcliff, R.M. & Whittington, I.D. (2010).  Redescriptions of two species of microcotylid monogeneans from three arripid hosts in southern Australian waters. Systematic Parasitology 76: 211-222

  CATALANO, S.R., Hutson, K.S., Ratcliff, R.M. & Whittington, I.D. (2011). The value of host and parasite identification for arripid fish. Marine and Freshwater Research 62 (1): 72-82

  CATALANO, S.R. (2012).  A review of the families, genera and species of Dicyemida Van Beneden, 1876.  Zootaxa 3479: 1-32

  CATALANO, S.R. & Furuya, H. (2013).  Two new species of dicyemid (Dicyemida: Dicyemidae) from two Australian cephalopod species: Sepioteuthis australis (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) and Sepioloidea lineolata (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Sepiadariidae). Journal of Parasitology 99: 203-211.

  CATALANO, S.R. (2013).  First descriptions of dicyemid mesozoans (Dicyemida: Dicyemidae) from Australian octopus (Octopodidae) and cuttlefish (Sepiidae) species, including a new geographical record of Dicyemennea and confirmation of the existence of secondary nematogens. Folia Parasitologica 60: 306-320.

  CATALANO, S.R. (2013). Five new species of dicyemid mesozoans (Dicyemida: Dicyemidae) from two Australian cuttlefish species, with comments on dicyemid fauna composition relative to host size, calotte shape and host collection locality. Systematic Parasitology 86: 125-151.

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2013). Cephalopod secrets: marine parasites reveal all about their hosts. E-Science Magazine, Issue 6, 18-23.

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2013). Using the giant Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama) mass breeding aggregation to explore the life cycle of dicyemid parasites. Acta Parasitologica 58: 599-602.

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (In Press). Parasites as biological tags to assess host population structure: guidelines, recent genetic advances and comments on a holistic approach. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife.

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (In Press). Dicyemid fauna composition and  infection patterns in relation to cephalopod host biology and ecology. Folia Parasitologica 58: 599-602.

  Conference presentations

  CATALANO, S.R., Hutson, K.S. & Whittington, I.D. (2009). Picky parasites: patterns of infection in three important endemic fishes (Arripis spp.). Australian Society for Parasitology, Sydney, Australia

  CATALANO, S.R., Hutson, K.S. & Whittington, I.D. (2010). Bring back Sherlock Holmes! A closer look at three arripid species and their parasites.  International Congress for Parasitology, Melbourne, Australia

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2011). Dicyemid parasite diversity in southern Australian cephalopod species as a tool to explore species status in Sepia apama.  Australian Society for Parasitology, Cairns, Australia

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2012). The secret lives of dicyemid parasites: an insight into cephalopod host populations via morphological and molecular analyses of their dicyemid parasite fauna.  Australian Society for Parasitology, Launceston, Australia

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2013).  The secret lives of dicyemid parasites: an insight into cephalopod host populations via analyses of their dicyemid parasite fauna.  88th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists, Quebec City, Canada

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2013). Dicyemid parasites as biological tags.  Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand

  CATALANO, S.R., Gillanders, B.M., Whittington, I.D. and Donnellan, S.C. (2013). Dicyemid parasites as biological tags to assess the population structure of Sepia apama (giant Australian cuttlefish) in southern Australian waters.  24th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Perth, Australia

   

  Published Research Funding Reports

  Hutson, K.S., CATALANO, S.R. & Whittington, I.D. (2011). Metazoan parasite survey of selected macro-inshore fish of southeastern Australia, including species of commercial importance.  Final Report to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC, Project No. 2007/225).  James Cook University, Townsville. pp. 1-259.

  CATALANO, S.R. (2012). Dicyemid parasite diversity in South Australian cephalopod species as a tool to explore species status in Sepia apama (giant Australian cuttlfish). The South Australian Naturalist, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 6-8.

  CATALANO, S.R. (2013). Population structure and species status of the giant Australian cuttlfish (Sepia apama) in southern Australian waters as inferred from dicyemid parasite genetics. The South Australian Naturalist, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 30-33.

   

• Professional Associations

  Golden Key International Honour Society

  Australian Society for Parasitology

  Australian Society for Fish Biology

  Nature Conservation Society of South Australia

  Biology Society of South Australia (secretary 2011-2012)

  American Society of Parasitologists

   

  Media outreach

  -Scientific article entitled 'tiny cling-on may help cuttlefish' published in The Advertiser, December 2011

  -Involved in two episodes of 'Scope', a science television program for children.  Episodes aired on network 10 on Thursday 13th September 2012 (Episode 2/112 Mini Science) and Thursday 15th November 2012 (Episode 2/121 Cephalopods)

  -Article published on the South Australian Museum website 'Unlocked: Stories from our Scientists - team effort brightens future of Science'

  -Contributed to the University of Adelaide's 'Foot in the Door' event (March 2013)

  -Guest lecturer for third year marine biology course 'Frontiers in Marine Biology' (May 2013)

   

Entry last updated: Thursday, 3 Apr 2014