We provided a major step forward towards a robust DNA-based bioassessments for
subterranean biodiversity and further emphasise the need for the eDNA community to work together in facilitating a global BRL.
Guzik et al. (2026)
Our review on the conceptual and technical application of eDNA to subterranean ecosystems.
Sacco et al. (2022)
We demonstrate that eDNA can be successfully used to detect subterranean fauna, including the Blind Cave Eel which is listed under Commonwealth conservation legislation.
White et al. (2020)
We identified the western part of the Australia as a region of extremely rich biodiversity for subterranean fauna with a projected 4140 stygobitic and troglobitic species. A significant subterranean fauna is also likely to occur across the eastern part of the continent.
Guzik et al. (2010)
Thornhill, J., White, N. E., Korbel, K. L., Saccò, M., Guzik, M. T. (Submitted) Taxonomy-independent eDNA approaches in groundwaters—a tool for improved ecological assessments. Water Research.
Tetley, S. P., Glatz, R. V., Fagan-Jeffries, E. P., Guzik, M. T. (Submitted) Uncovering the diversity of Mesostoinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): a glimpse into the Australian fauna through a study of Kangaroo Island. Austral Entomology.
Balart-García, P., Bilandžija, H., Bista, I., Bizic, M., Campbell, M., Cappelletti, M., Cooper, S. J. B., Couton, M., Flot, J-F, Guzik, M. T., Karwautz, C., Lueders, T., Mammola, S., Recknagel, H., Rétaux, S., Sarbu, S. M., Tawal, M., Saccò, M. (Accepted) Omics in subterranean ecosystems: advances, challenges and frontiers. Nature Reviews Biodiversity.
Korbel, K. L., Hose, G. C., Thornhill, J. , Abrams, K., Allentoft, M.E., Altermatt, F., Alther, R., Baratti, M., Bilandžija, H., Boulamail, S., Celico, F., Chauveau, C., Collard, O., Couton, M., Cozzoli, F., Di Lorenzo, T., Flot, J.F., Griebler, C., Guy-Haim, T., Johns, T., Lunghi E., Mammola, S., McKnight, K., Nelson, T., Nevill, P., Piggott, M.P., Rizzo, P., Robertson, A., Schwartz, B., Schwenk, K., Stanković, D., Takahashi, M., van der Heyde, M., Watson, G., Weaver, L., White, N.E., Zakšek, V., *Guzik, M. T., *Saccò, M. (Submitted) Building consensus in groundwater eDNA methods: Lessons from a global survey. Environmental DNA.
van der Heyde, M., Curran, M., White, N., Nevill, P., Floeckner, S., Austin, A. D., and Guzik, M. T. (Accepted) Validating COI metabarcoding primers for detection of subterranean fauna. Molecular Ecology Resources.
McClelland, A. R., Taylor, G. S., Guzik, M. T., & Austin, A. D. (2026). Australian arid land Bush Blitz surveys reveal new species of Acizzia Heslop‐Harrison, 1961 (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) associated with hop bush (Dodonaea spp.)(Sapindaceae). Austral Entomology, 65(1), e70036. https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70036
Guzik, M.T., Thornhill, J., van der Heyde, M., Stringer, D.N., White, N.E., Saccò, M., Beasley-Hall, P.G., Nevill, P., King, R.A., Cooper, S.J. and Austin, A.D., 2026. Towards a global barcode reference library for subterranean fauna. Science of the Total Environment, 1011, p.181078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.181078
Hedges, B.A., Beasley-Hall, P.G., Dorey, J.B., Weinstein, P., Austin, A.D. and Guzik, M.T., 2025. Environmental DNA reveals temporal and spatial variability of invertebrate communities in arid-lands ephemeral water bodies. Marine and Freshwater Research, 76(18), p.MF24243. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24243
Guzik, M.T., Stringer, D.N., Thornhill, J., Coates, P.J., Van der Heyde, M., Hillyer, M.J., White, N.E., Saccò, M., Beasley-Hall, P.G., Humphreys, W.F. and Harvey, M.S., 2025. What are the best practices for curating eDNA custom barcode reference libraries? A case study using Australian subterranean fauna. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 146(1), p.blaf053. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaf053
Hedges, B. A., Beasley-Hall, P. G., Berry, T. B., Dawkins, K. L., Austin, A. D., Weinstein, P., Guzik, M. T. (2024) Environmental DNA and wildlife camera traps uncover complimentary vertebrate visitation patterns at freshwater granite rock-holes. bioRxiv 2024.10.31.621266; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.31.621266
Perina, G., Camacho, A.I., Morgan, L., Floeckner, S. and Guzik, M.T., 2025. Morphological and molecular description of ten new species of a new genus of Parabathynellidae (Bathynellacea, Crustacea) from the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Zootaxa, 5712(1), pp.1-103. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5712.1.1
Stringer, D. N., King, R. A., Austin, A. D., & and Guzik, M. T. (2025). An Elusive New Genus and Species of Subterranean Amphipod (Hadzioidea: Eriopisidae) from Barrow Island, Western Australia. Diversity, 17(2), 84. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17020084
Perina, G., Camacho, A.I., Morgan, L., Lawrie, A., Floeckner, S. and Guzik, M.T., 2025. New species of Atopobathynella, Kimberleybathynella and Hexabathynella (Parabathynellidae, Bathynellacea) from the arid zones of Western Australia. Zootaxa, 5655(1), pp.1-103. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5655.1.1
Slater-Baker, M. R., Fagan-Jeffries, E. P., Oestmann, K. J., Portmann, O. G., Bament, T. M., Howe, A. G.,Guzik, M.T. … & Fernández-Triana, J. (2025). DNA barcoding, integrative taxonomy, citizen science, and Bush Blitz surveys combine to reveal 34 new species of Apanteles (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) in Australia. ZooKeys, 1227, 1. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1227.130467
Slater-Baker M-R, Guzik M. T., Rodriguez J, Howe A, Woodward A, Ducker N, Fagan-Jeffries E (2025) Three new species of Australian miracine parasitoid wasps collected by regional schools as part of the Insect Investigators citizen science project (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Miracinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98: 19-45. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.98.137806
Saccò, M., Elmasri, A., Tawal, M., Alther, R., Altermatt, F., Martínez, A., … and Guzik, M. T. (2025). Advancing subterranean conservation through Global Research on eDNA in Groundwaters (GReG). Subterranean Biology, 53, 31-40.
Perina, G., Camacho, A. I., White, N. E., Morgan, L., Lawrie, A., Floeckner, S., and Guzik, M. T. (2024). Unveiling hidden Bathynellidae (Crustacea: Bathynellacea) diversity in Australia: an integrated study reveals remarkable diversity and a new subfamily from Queensland. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 202(4), zlae151. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae151
King, R.A., Cooper, S.J., Schwartz, B., Leijs, R., Stringer, D.N., Humphreys, W.F., Thornhill, J. and Guzik, M.T., (2024) Diversity and Distribution of Australian Stygobiont and Other Groundwater-Associated Amphipods (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Peracarida). Diversity, 16(10), p.650. https://doi.org/10.3390/d16100650
Beasley-Hall, P. G., Hedges, B. A., Cooper, S. J. B., Austin, A. D., and Guzik, M. T. (2024). A comprehensive review of South Australia’s Great Artesian Basin spring and discharge wetlands biota. Marine and Freshwater Research, 75(13) https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24118
Beasley-Hall P.G., Papadelos, P., Hewitt, A., Umbers, K., and Guzik, M.T. (2024) Sci-comm “behind the scenes”: Gendered narratives of scientific outreach activities in the life sciences. BioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.28.582614.
Perina, G., Camacho, A. I., White, N. E., Callan, S. K., Abello, J. S., Morgan, L., and Guzik, M. T. (2024). An integrated study of Atopobathynella (Parabathynellidae, Bathynellacea) species reveals restricted distributions in a complex hydrogeological setting: two new species from the Pilbara (Australia). Contributions to Zoology. https://doi.org/10.1163/18759866-bja10063
van der Heyde, M., Alexander, J., Nevill, P., Austin, A. D., Stevens, N., Jones, M., and Guzik, M. T. (2023). Rapid detection of subterranean fauna from passive sampling of groundwater eDNA. Environmental DNA, 5(6), 1706-1719. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.491
Saccò, M., Mammola, S., Altermatt, F., Alther, R., Bolpagni, R., Brancelj, A., Brankovits, D., Fišer, C., Gerovasileiou, V., Griebler, C., Guareschi, S., Hose, G. C., Korbel, K., Lictevout, E., Malard, F., Martínez, A., Niemiller, M. L., Robertson, A., Tanalgo, K. C., Guzik, M.T., … Reinecke, R. (2023). Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem. Global Change Biology, 30, e17066. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17066
Zhao, Y., Guzik, M. T., Humphreys, W. F., Watts, C. H., Cooper, S. J., & Sherratt, E. (2023). Evolutionary transition from surface to subterranean living in Australian water beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) through adaptive and relaxed selection. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, blad142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blad142
Perina, G., Camacho, A. I., Danks, M., White, N., and Guzik, M. T. (2023). Two new species of Atopobathynella (Parabathynellidae, Bathynellacea) from the Pilbara region, Australia. Systematics and Biodiversity, 21(1), 2228326. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2023.2228326
van der Heyde, M., White, N.E., Nevill, P., Austin, A.D., Stevens, N., Jones, M. and Guzik, M.T., (2023). Taking eDNA underground: factors affecting eDNA detection of subterranean fauna in groundwater. Molecular Ecology Resources. 23 (6): 1257-127 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13792
McDonald, R., Bateman, P. W., Cooper, C., van der Heyde, M., Mousavi-Derazmahalleh, M., Hedges, B. A., Guzik, M. T., & Nevill, P. (2023). Detection of vertebrates from natural and artificial inland water bodies in a semi-arid habitat using eDNA from filtered, swept, and sediment samples. Ecology and Evolution, 13(4), e10014. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10014
Beasley-Hall, P.G., Murphy, N.P., King, R.A., White, N.E., Hedges, B.A., Cooper, S.J., Austin, A.D. and Guzik, M.T., (2023). Time capsules of biodiversity: Future research directions for groundwater-dependent ecosystems of the Great Artesian Basin. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10: 3389. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1021987
Austin A.D., Guzik, M.T., Jones, K., Humphreys, W., Watts, C. and Cooper, S.J.B. (2022) The Unique Australian Subterranean Dytiscidae: Diversity, Biology, and Evolution. In (Ed.) Yee, D.A., Ecology, Systematics, and the Natural History of Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Springer Nature Switzerland AG Switzerland.
Stringer, D. N., King, R. A., Austin, A. D., and Guzik, M. T. (2022). Pilbarana, a new subterranean amphipod genus (Hadzioidea: Eriopisidae) of environmental assessment importance from the Pilbara, Western Australia. Zootaxa, 5188(6), 559-573.
Saccò, M., Blyth, A.J., Douglas, G., Humphreys, W.F., Hose, G.C., Davis, J., Guzik, M.T., Martínez, A., Eberhard, S.M. and Halse, S.A., (2022). Stygofaunal diversity and ecological sustainability of coastal groundwater ecosystems in a changing climate: The Australian paradigm. Freshwater Biology, 67(12), pp.2007-2023.
*Guzik, M.T., *Saccò, M., van der Heyde, M.; Nevill, P., Cooper, S.B.J. Austin, A.D, Coates, P.J., Allentoft, A. E. and White, N.E. (2022) eDNA in subterranean ecosystems: applications, technical aspects and future prospects. Science of the Total Environment. 820: 153223. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153223
Stringer, D. N., Bertozzi, T., Meusemann, K., Delean, S., Guzik, M.T., Tierney, S.M., Mayer, C., Cooper, S.J.B., Zwick, A., Austin, A.D. (2021) Development and evaluation of a custom bait design based on 469 single-copy protein-coding genes for exon capture of isopods (Philosciidae: Haloniscus). PloS One. 16 (9), e0256861.
Guzik, M. T., Stevens, M. I., Cooper, S.J.B., Humphreys, W.F. and Austin, A.D. (2020) Extreme genetic diversity among springtails (Collembola) in subterranean calcretes of arid Australia. Genome. 64, 181–195.
*Guzik, M.T., *White, N.E., Austin, A.D., Moore, G.I., Humphreys, W.F., Alexander, J. and Bunce, M. (2020) Detection of the rare blind cave eel (Ophisternon candidum) with environmental DNA: implications for threatened species management in subterranean environments. Hydrobiologia. 847, 3201-3211.
Deboo, M., Murphy, N.P., Watts, C.H.S., Austin, A.D., and Guzik, M.T. (2019) Arid zone island-hopping: the impact of dispersal on endemism in hydraenid beetles (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) found in isolated desert springs. Austral Entomology. 58 (4), 886-896.
Matthews, E.F., Abrams, K.M., Huey, J.A., Hillyer, M.J., Cooper, S.J.B., Humphreys, W.F. and Austin, A.D. and Guzik, M.T. (2019) Scratching the surface of subterranean biodiversity: molecular analysis reveals a diverse and previously unknown fauna of Parabathynellidae (Crustacea: Bathynellacea) from the Pilbara, Western Australia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 142, 106643.
Stringer, D.N., King, R.A., Taiti, S., Guzik, M.T., Cooper, S.J.B, and Austin, A.D. (2019) Systematics of Haloniscus Chilton, 1920 (Isopoda: Oniscidea: Philosciidae), with description of four new species from threatened Great Artesian Basin springs in South Australia. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 39 (5), 651-668.
Guzik, M.T., Stringer, D.N., Murphy, N.P., Cooper, S.J.B., Taiti, S., King, R.A., Humphreys, W.F. and Austin, A.D. (2019) Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Australian arid zone oniscidean isopods (Crustacea) reveals strong regional endemicity and new putative species. Invertebrate Systematics. 33, 556–574.
Murphy, N.P., Guzik, M.T., Cooper, S.J.B., and Austin A.D. 2015 Desert spring refugia: museums of diversity or evolutionary cradles? Zoologica Scripta. 44(6), 693-701.
Strugnell, J.M., Norman, M.D., Vecchione, M., Guzik, M.T., and Allcock, A.L. 2014. The ink sac clouds octopod evolutionary history. Hydrobiologia. 725(1), 215-235.
Harrison, S., Guzik, M.T., Harvey, M. Austin, A.D. 2014. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Western Australian troglobitic chthoniid pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) points to multiple independent subterranean clades. Invertebrate Systematics. 28(4), 386-400.
Karanovic, T., Eberhard, S., Cooper, S.J.B., and Guzik, M.T. 2014. Morphological and molecular study of the genus Nitokra (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida) in a small palaeochannel in Western Australia. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 15(1), 65-99.
Robertson, H. L., Guzik, M.T. and Murphy, N. P. 2014. Persistence in the desert: ephemeral waterways and small-scale gene flow in the desert spring amphipod, Wangiannachiltonia guzikae. Freshwater Biology. 59(4), 653-665.
Abrams, K.M., King, R. A. Guzik, M.T., Cooper S.J.B. and Austin A.D. 2013. Molecular phylogenetic, morphological and biogeographic evidence for a new genus of parabathynellid crustaceans (Syncarida: Bathynellacea) from groundwater in an ancient southern Australian landscape. Invertebrate Systematics. 27: 146–172.
Bradford, T.M., Adams, M., Guzik, M.T., Humphreys, W.F., Austin, A. D. and Cooper, S. J. B. 2013. Patterns of population genetic variation in sympatric chiltoniid amphipods within a calcrete aquifer reveal a dynamic subterranean environment. Heredity. 111: 77–85.
Murphy, N.P., Adams, M., Guzik, M.T., Austin, A.D. 2013. Extraordinary micro-endemism in Australian desert spring amphipods. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66: (3) 645–653.
Guzik, M.T., Adams, M.A., Murphy, N.P., Cooper, S.J.B. and Austin, A.D. 2012. Desert Springs: Deep Phylogeographic Structure in an Ancient Endemic Crustacean (Phreatomerus latipes). PLoS One. 7(7): e37642.
Abrams, K.M., Guzik, M.T., Cooper, S.J.B., Humphreys, W.F., King, R.A., Cho, J.-L. and A.D. Austin 2012. What lies beneath: Molecular phylogenetics and ancestral state reconstruction of the ancient subterranean Australian Parabathynellidae (Syncarida, Crustacea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 64 (1): 130–144.
Cook, B.D., Abrams, K.M., Marshall, J., Perna, C.N., Choy, S., Guzik, M.T. and Cooper, S.J.B. 2012. Species diversity and genetic differentiation of stygofauna (Syncarida: Bathynellacea) across an alluvial aquifer in north-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 60: 152-158.
Murphy, N. P., Breed, M. F., Guzik, M. T., Cooper, S. J. B. and Austin, A. D. 2012. Trapped in desert springs: phylogeography of Australian desert spring snails. Journal of Biogeography, 39:1573–1582.
Guzik, M.T., Cooper, S.J.B., Humphreys, W.F., Ong, S., Kawakami, T., Austin A.D., 2011. Evidence for population fragmentation within a subterranean aquatic habitat in the Western Australian desert. Heredity. 107: 215–230.
Guzik, M. T., Austin, A. D., Cooper, S. J. B., Harvey, M. S., Humphreys, W. F., Bradford, T., Eberhard, S. M., King, R. A., Leys, R., Muirhead, K. A. and Tomlinson, M. 2010. Is the Australian subterranean fauna uniquely diverse? Invertebrate Systematics. 24: 407–418.
Juan, C., Guzik, M.T., Jaume, D. and Cooper, S. J. B., 2010. Evolution in caves: Darwin’s ‘wrecks of ancient life’ in the molecular era. Molecular Ecology, 19: 3865–3880.
Murphy, N.P., Guzik, M.T. and Worthington Wilmer, J., 2010. Understanding the influence of landscape and dispersal on species distributions in fragmented groundwater dependent springs. Freshwater Biology. 55 (12): 2499–2509.
Guzik, M.T., Cooper, S.J.B., Humphreys, C.H.S. and Austin, A.D. 2009. A sympatric sister species triplet of subterranean diving beetles from a single calcrete aquifer offer clues to past speciation events through fine-scale comparative phylogeography. Molecular Ecology. 18: 3683–3698.
Guzik, M.T., Abrams, K.M., Cooper, S.J.B., Humphreys, C.H.S., Cho, J-L. and Austin, A.D. 2008 Phylogeography of the ancient Parabathynellidae (Crustacea: Syncarida) from the Yilgarn region of Western Australia. Invertebrate Systematics. 22: 205-216
Guzik, M.T., Norman, M.D. and Crozier, R.H. 2005 Molecular phylogeny of the benthic shallow-water octopuses (Cephalopoda: Octopodinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37: 235-248.