MacLean Marine Identifiers
Invertebrate Taxonomy Services
Fiona MacLean
(formerly Gower) is owner and director of MacLean Marine Identifiers Limited (MMI). With over 30 years of experience working with invertebrates in New Zealand and overseas, Fiona provides clients with expert taxa identification and analyses for monitoring environmental conditions. A strong communicator and previously public speaker on aquatic life, Fiona has extensive experience in parataxonomy, voucher collection, microscope photography, and reporting on large ecological datasets.
MMI genesis
After 16 years at Cawthron Institute in Nelson, Fiona founded MMI in early 2023 as an independent taxonomy provider. Retaining many former clients including Regional and District Councils and ecological consultants, MMI’s recent contracts have involved total taxonomic identification for monitoring sites in Nelson Haven, Northland, Taranaki, and Napier estuaries.
Collaborative projects
MMI works with NIWA and Regional Councils as a Key Provider to the Coastal Special Interest Group (C-SIG) to create a taxonomic Resource Tool for New Zealand’s soft sediment estuarine and coastal benthic intertidal and shallow subtidal invertebrate identifications. https://specieskey.atlasmd.com/
Providing images for the tool and authoring the recommended user guides and identification guidance, MMI continues to be part of the C-SIG Working Group, enabling updates and continued support for the resource and website.
MMI works closely with mollusc experts based at Te Papa Tongarewa, and crustacean and polychaete experts based at NIWA.
Frequent attendant and presenter at International Polychaete conferences (IPC), Malacological conferences and New Zealand Marine Society (NZMS) conferences.
Numerous international scientific collaborations with ecologists, taxonomists, and marine invertebrate identifiers.
Professional affiliations
New Zealand Marine Sciences Society
Annelida; global group of colleagues researching Annelids, particularly marine polychaete worms
Malacological Society of Australasia
Coastal Special Interest Group (C-SIG) species tool working group
Porcupine Marine Natural History Society