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  • Collection Island and Ocean Ecosystems
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The reptiles of Kapingamarangi atoll, Micronesia
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Buden, Donald

1998
Two species of sea turtles and eight lizards comprise the herpetofauna of Kapingamarangi Atoll; the giant Micronesian gecko (Perochirus scutellatus) is unknown elsewhere. The mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris), oceanic gecko (Gehyra oceanica), and azure-tailed copper-striped skink (Emoia impar) are the most common and widespread species, being recorded on 100%, 97%, and 87% of the 31 islands, respectively. The stump-toed gecko (Gehyra mutilata) and the Pacific blue-tailed skink (Emoia caeruleocauda), both known from only a scattering of older records from the most densely inhabited and most frequently visited islands, may be extirpated or possibly still exist locally in very small numbers. Sea turtles are rare and none was observed during the present study, but local residents indicate they were more numerous in the past.
Populations status of Pteropus Tonganus in Tonga
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Grant Gilbert S

1998
Flying foxes (Pteropus spp) are important pollinators and seed dispersers in many island ecosystems. Populations of flying foxes have declined markedly on most islands in the South Pacific since the 1940's. One potential conservation strategy is to reintroduce bats on islands where they historically occurred. In this manner, the risk of species extinction due to local catastrophic events can be reduced. Ideally the source population for such reintroductions must be robust. One such population might be in the Kingdom of Tonga, where flying foxes have been protected by local custom for a long time. However, virtually nothing has been published on the numbers, locations, and reproductive biology of Pteropus tonganus in Tonga. I therefore censused flying fox populations on as many islands as possible from 28 June to 26 July 1995. I found seven major roosts containing a total of 3,582 bats on Tongatapu, one roost with 30 bats in the Ha'apai group, and 27 roosts with a total of 5,925 bats on 14 islands within the Vava'u group. Thus, the flying fox population in Tonga seems robust and dispersed on many islands and is therefore a valuable potential source population.
Checklist of the shorefishes of Ouvea atoll, New Caledonia
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Kulbickland Michel

,

Williams Jeffrey T

1997
The shorefishes of Ouvea, an isolated atoll in the Loyalty Islands group of New Caledonia, had not been surveyed prior to 1990. An extensive survey was conducted by ORSTOM between 1991 and 1992 to obtain baseline information on the shorefishes. A total of 653 taxa among 72 families are now documented from this area. The most diverse families are the Labridae (69 species), Pomacentridae (58 species), Gobiidae (54 spccies),Serranidae (39 species), Chaetodontidae (31 species) and Apogonidae (28 species). The absence or very low diversity of some families (Clupeidae, Nemipteridae, Siganidae) or genera (Abudefduf, Neopomacentrus) is similar to findings for other isolated islands of the Coral Sea. Of the 653 species recorded from Ouvea, 51 species have not been reported from New Caledonia, a large high island to the South. Only one endemic species, Luzonichthys williamsi, has been recognized among the shorefishes at Ouvea. A number of Pacific Plate endemic species were recorded at Ouvea. which is positioned on the Australasian Plate to the south of the edge of the Pacific Plate. Antennarius duescus, previously known from three specimens taken at the Hawaiian Islands, is recorded from a single specimen taken at Ouvea. Another antitropical distribution pattern is exhibited by Dinemalichthys riukiuensis, which is known to occur at Fiji, Ouvea and Queensland in the South and from Okinawa.
On the origin of drift materials in the Marshall Islands
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Spennemann, D.H.R.

1997
The oceanic dispersal of plants and animals has been the focus of studies ever since organized natural history started in the Pacific, and the dispersal of terrestrial by sea rafting has been given due consideration. The finding of drift materials such as glass floats, tree trunks and seeds, is a common occurrence on the shores of Pacific Islands, but in most cases the origin of such material is unknown or at least equivocal. Thus while the principle of sea rafted dispersal is known and reported at length, there is a need to document those occasions where positive proof of origin can be furnished.
Atolls as settlement landscapes: Ujae, Marshall Islands
Island and Ocean Ecosystems, BRB
Available Online

Weisler Marshall I

1999
Williamson and Sabath (1982) have demonstrated a significant relationship between modern population size and environment by examining atoll area and rainfall in the Marshall Islands. The present work seeks to extend that argument into prehistory by examining the relationship of ancient habitation sites and size of aroid pit agricultural systems to atoll land area and rainfall regime along the 1,500-3,500 mm precipitation gradient in the Marshall Islands. Four atolls were selected for study: Ebon at the wettest extent in the extreme south; Ujae and Maloelap near the center of the archipelago; and Utrok at the dry north. The first phase of this long-term archaeological program is reported. During the survey of Ujae Atoll (90 05' N, 165° 40' E), three habitation sites, an aroid pit agricultural zone, one early historic burial, and seven fish traps, weirs, and enclosures were recorded. Along with excavations at two habitation sites (8 m2 total area), 35 traditional artifacts were recovered (shell adzes, ornaments, and manufacturing tools). Seven radiocarbon age determinations document land use beginning as early as the third century A.D. A beachrock sample dated to 2450 ± 70 BP relates to atoll development. Some 4,748 bones of fish, birds, turtles, Pacific rats, lizards, humans, and possible cetaceans, along with nearly 13 kg of shellfish, provide the basis for understanding prehistoric subsistence, human adaptations to the atoll setting, and land use patterns.
Fish names in languages of Tonga and Fiji
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Morgan Christopher R.

1999
This article provides a record of fish names from two locations in the central Pacific, these being the Vava'u Islands of Tonga, and Taveuni area in northern Fiji. The Handbook for the Collection of Fish Names in Pacific Languages by G.L. Barnett provided a method for the collection of these data during field work at the two places which culturally are part of West Polynesia. Interviews and discussions with fishers yielded a record of the Tongan language names and Fijian language names of approximately 50 fishes that occur in the waters of these islands. These terms are collated with the English names and scientific identifications. The names are the contemporary ones used by Tongans and Fijians in the 1980s and 1990s. The word list is a reference document for marine scientists, fishers, environmentalists, and other work focussed on the maritime cultures of the Pacific, local languages and the nomenclature of fishes.
The non-native vascular plants of Henderson Island, South Central Ocean
Island and Ocean Ecosystems, BRB
Available Online

Waldren Steve at al.

1999
Henderson island, a World Heritage Site in the Pitcairn group, south-central Pacific Ocean, has often been thought to have a pristine vegetation. Our archaeological investigations and field observations in 1991-1992, supported by recent observations in 1997, suggest the occurrence of former areas of Polynesian cultivation near to the North and East Beaches, and indicate that about 17 non-native vascular plant taxa have occurred. The majority of these were deliberate Polynesian introductions, some taxa are known only as sub-fossils from Polynesian occupation sites; some of this sub-fossil material may represent imported plant parts such as timber or food wraps, rather than indicating in situ cultivation. These Polynesian introductions show little spread from their probable site of introduction and are mostly restricted to the vicinity of the northern beaches; some have become extinct on Henderson. The Pitcairn islanders have also introduced a small number of vascular plants, and one of these (Passiflora maliformis) is potentially invasive. Other taxa have been accidentally introduced, at least one by a recent scientific expedition in 1991. The intact nature of much of the native vegetation may have restricted the opportunities for more widespread colonization; care is needed to ensure that this situation persists.
Crustacea decapoda and stromatopoda of French Polynesia
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Poupin Joseph

1998
French Polynesian Decapoda, restricted to shrimps, and Stomatopuda are inventoried from literature and unpublished fields collections. Number of species is 205 for the shrimps and 26 for the Stomatopoda. Within the shrimps, Caridea dominate with 170 species, mainly Alpheidae (57 species), Palaemonidae (46 species), and Pandalidae (29 species). Full literature and distribution in French Polynesia are indicated for each species. When available a brief indication is also given on the biotop. New records include 23 species of the genera Aristaeomorpha, Funchalia, Metapenaeopsis, Petagopenaeus, Sicyonia, Nematocarcinus, Janicella, Stylodactylus, Anchistus, Harpiliopsis, Jocaste, Paranchistus, Periclimenes, Philarius,Vir and Thor, for the shrimps, and Alima, Busquilla, and Gonodactylus, for the Stomatopoda.
Declines in Finfish resources in Tarawa lagoon, Kiribati, emphasize the need for increased conservation effort / Jim Beets
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Beets, Jim

2000
The very productive lagoon fisheries of Tarawa atoll changed greatly in recent decades as human development and intensive harvesting increased. Tarawa typifies the increasingly common condition of resource depletion and marine community structure change with expanding human activities and population growth. Fisheries-dependent reports have documented the change in fisher landings for nearly two decades. A comparison of fisheries-independent data collected during 1992-93 with data collected in 1977 allowed for documentation of large changes in important finfish resources in Tarawa Lagoon. The historically important bonefish (Albula glossodonta), like other important fishery species, demonstrated declines in catch-per-unit effort (CPUE), proportion of catch, mean length and weight (1977: 46.4 cm, 1.31 kg; 1992-93: 37.6 cm and 0.84 kg), and sex ratio (1977: 0.71:1 [F:M]; 1992-93: 0.15:1). Beach seine sampling of bait fishes demonstrated a major shift in species composition between 1977 and 1992- 93, with severe depletion of some preferred species. These results suggest declining abundance in locally important fish species and large changes in species composition within Tarawa Lagoon.
Variable recruitment and changing environments create a fluctuating resource: The biology of Anadara Uropigimelana (Bivalvia: Arcidae) on Tarawa atoll
Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Paulay, Gustav

,

Tebano Temakei

2000
The arcid bivalve Anadara uropigimelana (te bun) is the most important shellfish resource in the central atolls of Tungaru (former Gilbert Islands), with a yearly catch of ca. 1400 tons on South Tarawa alone. Species of Anadara s.s. are also important in artisanal shellfisheries on several central Pacific islands. Tungaru atolls lying in the highly productive zone of equatorial upwelling harbor dense te bun beds, while those occurring outside this zone have fewer Anadara. Te bun are abundant in seagrass beds, lagoonal shoals, and shallow-lagoon bottoms. They reproduce year round with a lunar spawning periodicity. Size frequency data and observations on the occurrence of small juveniles indicate that, despite frequent reproduction, there is high spatio-temporal variation in recruitment within the Tarawa lagoon. One massive recruitment event in 1993 opened a novel fishery in Bonriki village, where no te bun were available for two decades previously. Highly variable recruitment, as well as changes in the extent of seagrass habitats, may explain marked historical fluctuations in the abundance of this important resource.

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