Aim The Australian deserts are home to a remarkable diversity of taxa that might appear to have evolved in the absence of topographic and physical barriers to dispersal. In fact this is a biogeographical illusion, as the dunefields of the modern arid zone obscure the fossil landscapes of the wet desert that existed for much of the Cenozoic. As the geohistory of Australia's arid zone is not widely understood by biologists, we r...

Aim To develop a robust phylogeny for the iconic Australian water skinks ( Eulamprus ) and to explore the influence of landscape evolution of eastern Australia on phylogeographic patterns. Location Eastern and south‐eastern Australia. Methods We used Sanger methods to sequence a mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA ) locus for 386 individuals across the five Eulamprus species to elucidate phylogeographic structure. We also sequenced a se...

Aim We review the biogeography of the Kimberley, with a particular focus on the geological and landscape history of the region. We identified broad geological and biogeographical discontinuities across the Kimberley, and propose a number of testable hypotheses concerning how the evolution of these land‐forms may have harboured and structured genetic diversity across the region. Location The Kimberley region, north‐western Aust...

Aim We review the biogeography of the Pilbara, synthesize information on the geological and landscape history of this region and surrounds, and assess fine‐scale genetic structure across multiple taxa to examine hypotheses concerning the distribution of genetic lineages. We use this to provide a baseline for future biological studies in an ancient area of endemism. Location The Pilbara region, Western Australia. Methods Litera...

Refugia featured prominently in shaping evolutionary trajectories during repeated cycles of glaciation in the Quaternary, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere instead experienced cycles of severe aridification but little is known about the temporal presence and role of refugia for arid‐adapted biota. Isolated mountain ranges located in the Australian arid zone likely provided refugia for many specie...