ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN - Smithsonian Institution

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Marine fauna The Green Turtle Chelonia mydas was formerly abundant on Assumption. Baty (in Bergne 1900) and Nicoll (1908) reported them in great numbers close to the shore, and also nesting. Fryer found them plentiful, but said that it was no longer possible to take up to two hundred in a night as had once been the practice (Fryer 1910, 263). Numbers have declined catastrophically, and though turtle still come ashore at one or two places on the east coast to lay, for several years it has had to be prohibited to take them or their eggs anywhere on Assumption. There has, however, been no means of enforcing this prohibition among the island's labourers. Little else is known of the marine fauna; J. L. B. Smith collected fish at Assumption in 1954, and a few records have appeared in his revisions of the Indian Ocean fish fauna (Smith 1955a, 1955b, 1956a, 1956b). Land fauna other than birds The only indigenous mammal at Assumption is an insectivorous bat Taphozous mauritianus collected by Fryer in October 1908 (Scott 1914, 163). The fruit-bat Pteropus, found on Aldabra, is absent. The indigenous land reptiles formerly included the Giant Land Tortoise Geochelone sp., which, however, became extinct before ever being recorded alive, as far as can be ascertained. Fryer found the remains of two in a solution hole in 1.908, and Honegger found eggs in a guano pit on 1964. The geckos Phelsuma abbotti abbotti and Hemidactylus n~ercatorius, and the skink Ablepharus boutonii, are also indigenous (Boulenger 1911); both Hemidactylus and Ablepharus were collected on the high dunes in 1967. All three species are found on Aldabra. The land Crustacea include Birgus latro, very common in 1906 (Nicoll 1908, 112) and still existing. 65 species of insects have been recorded, mainly collected by Fryer and Dupont, and the literature on these earlier collections is keyed in Table 14. There was no opportunity to collect insects in 1967, though members of the Odonata were conspicuous. Blackman and Pinhey (1967) review this group on western Indian Ocean islands, with mention of Assumption. Land (including shore) birds Birds form the best known element in the Assumption land fauna, and are also the group apparently most affected by guano mining. In connection with the following account, we are grateful to Professor Charles G. Sibley and Mrs Eleanor H. Stickney for the loan from the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, of material collected by Hartman in 1957.
Group Orthoptera Dermaptera Hemipt era Lepidoptera Coleoptera Hymenoptera Diptera Odonata Residents Table 14. Insects recorded from Assumption by the Percy Sladen Expedition Number of species 10 Reference Bolivar (1912, 1924) Burr (1910) Distant (1913, 1917) Fletcher (1910), Fryer (1912), Mampson (1908) Aurivillius (1922), Champion (1914), Gebien 1922, Scott (1912, 1926) Cockerel1 119121. , . Morley (1912), Turner (1911) Lamb (1922, 1914), Scott (1914) Campion (1913) There are five land birds which breed lor did so formerly) on Assumption, with four more which may do so. These are: Dryolimnas cuvieri White-throated Rail Streptopelia picturata Malagasy Turtledove Centropus toulou Malagasy Coucal Nectarinia sovimanga Souimanga Sunbird Corvus albus Pied Crow plus Ardea cinerea Egretta garzetta Bubulcus ibis Butorides striatus Grey Heron Little Egret Cattle Egret Little Green Heron All of these species also breed on Aldabra, which has at least seventeen breeding land birds. The following breeding Aldabra land birds have never been recorded on Assumution: Threskiornis aethiopica sacred Ibis Falco newtoni Malagasy Kestrel Alectroenas sganzini Comoro Blue Pigeon Caprimulgus madagascariensis Malagasy Nightjar Hvusioetes mada~ascariensis Mala~asv Bulbul " " ie'silias aldabranus Aldabra Tsikirity Dicrurus aldabranus Aldabra Drongo Zosterops maderaspatana Malagasy White-eye Foudia eminentissima Red-headed Forest Fody
Page 1 and 2:
ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN 136. Coral
Page 3 and 4:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Atoll Research
Page 5 and 6:
J. D. Taylor Department of Zoology,
Page 7 and 8:
15. Plants of Desroches F. R. Fosbe
Page 9 and 10:
vi Page 21 . Fregataminorcolonies o
Page 11 and 12:
viii 21. Transverse erosional groov
Page 13 and 14:
Fig. 1. The Southwest Indian Ocean
Page 15 and 16:
(c) the Farquhar group, comprising
Page 17 and 18:
Acknowledgements Specific acknowled
Page 19 and 20:
2. GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY OF FARQIJH
Page 21 and 22:
the 1960s. The atoll was visited in
Page 23 and 24:
Lagoon and reefs Geomorphology Know
Page 25 and 26:
esembles outcrops of clastic rocks
Page 27 and 28:
are present, and those which are fo
Page 29 and 30:
A single bryophyte, collected on th
Page 31 and 32:
Breeding land birds Birds - The num
Page 33 and 34:
Sula sula -- Recorded from South Is
Page 35 and 36:
Borradaile, L. A. 1907. Land and fr
Page 37 and 38:
Hartman, W. D. 1958. Report on some
Page 39 and 40:
FARQUHAR ATOLL 1. Scaevola communit
Page 41 and 42:
5. Prograding lagoon shore with Sca
Page 43 and 44:
9. Replanting of coconuts in hurric
Page 45 and 46:
13-14. Sooty Terns and Noddies op G
Page 47 and 48:
17. Copra sheds at Settlement, Nort
Page 49 and 50:
ELEUSINE INDICA (L.) Gaertn. South
Page 51 and 52:
GYNANDROPSIS GYNANDRA (L.) Briq. S.
Page 53 and 54:
RHIZOPHORA MUCRONATA Lam. North I.,
Page 55 and 56:
4. AN OLD RECORD OF A BLUE PIGEON A
Page 57 and 58:
5. GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY OF COSMOLE
Page 60 and 61:
Fig. 4. The Aldabra Group
Page 62 and 63:
Polyte, about 250 m wide, is formed
Page 64 and 65:
The mangrove vegetation has not bee
Page 66 and 67:
46 Table 5. Mollusca collected on C
Page 68 and 69:
group, for example a Dolichopodid f
Page 70 and 71:
low and fast over the dunes and usu
Page 72 and 73:
Guano is no longer worked on Northe
Page 74 and 75:
Distant, W. L. 1913. Rhynchota. Par
Page 76 and 77:
Smith, J. L. B. 1956. The fishes of
Page 78 and 79:
PANICUM MAXIMUM Jacq. Menai I., s.
Page 80 and 81:
CLEOME STRIGOSA (Boj.) Oliv. Wizard
Page 82 and 83:
SCUTIA MYRTINA (Burm. f .) Kurz Men
Page 84 and 85:
SARCOSTEMMA VIMINALE R. Br. Menai I
Page 86 and 87:
7. LAND (INCLUDING SHORE) BIRDS OF
Page 88 and 89:
Cisticola cherina Malagasy Grass -W
Page 90 and 91:
It would be interesting to ascertai
Page 92 and 93:
Wing Tail Culmen from base - - Asto
Page 94 and 95:
Of six specimens whose extreme yout
Page 96 and 97:
Locality Menai Wizard Wing 277 nun
Page 98 and 99: Summary 1. An account is given of t
Page 100 and 101: Vesey-FitzGerald, L. D. E. F. 1940.
Page 102 and 103: \ / \ / 0 1000 \ 1 \ ,.,' Metres ,
Page 104 and 105: deeply dissected with large solutio
Page 106 and 107: esembles the vegetation of the more
Page 108 and 109: wide muddy flats. In the north ther
Page 110 and 111: Table 10. Crustacea (Decapoda) coll
Page 112 and 113: -- Sula sula Recorded by Watson et
Page 114 and 115: assistance. Also Mr Basil Bell, Dir
Page 116 and 117: Lionnet, J. F. G. 1970. Note on the
Page 118 and 119: CYMODOCEA [CILI ATA] Seen by Grubb
Page 120 and 121: DIOSCOREA NESIOTIS Hemsl. S. l., Ri
Page 122 and 123: TAMARINDUS INDICA L. S. l., Ridgway
Page 124 and 125: ABUTILON ANGULATUM (G. ' P.) Mast.
Page 126 and 127: IPOMOEA PES-CAPRAE [L.) R. Br. (sen
Page 128 and 129: LAUNAEA INTYBACEA (Jaca . > P. Beau
Page 130 and 131: ACRAEIDAE Acraea ranavalona Boisduv
Page 132 and 133: As already recorded in the Cosmoled
Page 134 and 135: (page 14) that D. asha is "a dimorp
Page 136 and 137: Fryer, J. C. F. 1911. The structure
Page 138 and 139: I I . .. Windward perched sand beac
Page 140 and 141: scientific investigations. The Roya
Page 142 and 143: Table 13. Monthly rainfall at ~ssum
Page 144 and 145: Mixed scrub community The mixed scr
Page 146 and 147: One hole near the north point also
Page 150 and 151: Nor has the Barn Owl Tyto alba been
Page 152 and 153: Nicoll's - B. - s. crawfordi, only
Page 154 and 155: (Bourne 1966). Not seen in 1967. Se
Page 156 and 157: dunes and the windward perched beac
Page 158 and 159: Dupont, R. P. 1907. Report on a vis
Page 160 and 161: Piggott, C. J. 1968. A soil survey
Page 162 and 163: ASSUMPTION ISLAND 18. Low champigno
Page 164 and 165: 22. Outer edge of the reef flat nea
Page 166 and 167: 26. View from the summit of the hig
Page 168 and 169: 30. Leafless Pisonia in the low rr.
Page 170 and 171: 34. Labourers' huts at Settlement;
Page 172 and 173: 148 SPOROBOLUS VIRGINICUS L. Along
Page 174 and 175: 150 ACALYPHA CLAOXYLOIDES Hutch. We
Page 176 and 177: CORDIA SUBCORDATA Lam. Northern par
Page 178 and 179: 14. GEOGRAPMY AND ECOLOGY OF DESROC
Page 180 and 181: Table 15. Scientific studies at Des
Page 182 and 183: Cassytha filiformis is very widespr
Page 184 and 185: In addition to these records, Coppi
Page 186 and 187: Baker, B. H. 1963. Geology and mine
Page 188 and 189: Parker, I. S. C. 1970. Some ornitho
Page 190 and 191: 38. Massive beachrock near the cent
Page 192 and 193: 42. Labourers' quarters at Settleme
Page 194 and 195: CYPERUS LIGULARIS L. Stoddart 4 Poo
Page 196 and 197: TERMINALIA CATAPPA L. Seen by Stodd
Page 198 and 199:
---- REEF EDGE 0 PHOSPHATIC SANDSTO
Page 200 and 201:
The vegetation of the phosphate are
Page 202 and 203:
Foudia madagascariensis First recor
Page 204 and 205:
Rats have been introduced, but apar
Page 206 and 207:
Lamb, C. G. 1914. Diptera: Heterone
Page 208 and 209:
17. PLANTS OF REMIRE (EAGLE) ISLAND
Page 210 and 211:
ACALYPHA INDICA L. Stoddart & Poore
Page 212 and 213:
18. GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY OF AFRICA
Page 214 and 215:
Shore birds Ardea cinerea Two nests
Page 216 and 217:
[Coppinger, R. W., and others.] 188
Page 218 and 219:
TOURNEFORTIA ARGENTEA L. f. Seen by
Page 220 and 221:
cannot provide any information on t
Page 222 and 223:
RED-FOOTED BOOBY ISSC+I BLUE-FACED
Page 224 and 225:
Table 20. Meteorological data, mean
Page 226 and 227:
Insects of Tromelin The following l
Page 228 and 229:
to have been of Ipomoea pes-caprae
Page 230 and 231:
Table 22. Breeding birds and occasi
Page 232 and 233:
44. -- Sula sula rubripes: chick wi
Page 234:
48. Sula sula rubripes: adult "brow
Page 237 and 238:
22. SOME ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION
Page 239 and 240:
Sula leucogaster Bodd. One specimen
Page 241 and 242:
Streptopelia picturata (Temm.) Some
Page 243 and 244:
APPENDIX: NAMES OF THE ISLANDS J. F
Page 245 and 246:
Alphonse, St Franfois and Bijoutier
show all

ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN - Smithsonian Institution

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?