ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN - Smithsonian Institution

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Cassytha filiformis is very widespread, especially on open ground between the seaward Scaevola hedge and the coconut woodland. Ipomoea is very uncommon: I. pes-caprae was only found in one place on the lagoon beach crest: Aingle specimen of Euphorbia cyathophora was found at the settlement cemetery. The settlement itself (Plates 43 and 44) has the usual assemblage of decorative and economic plants, apart from the trees already mentioned. The decoratives include species of Gaillardia, Catharanthus -- roseus, Tagetes patula, Pedilanthus tithyma- Mirabilis jalapa; the economic plants Moringai- communis, -- Agave, Musa, and maize. Caesalpinia sp. is also present. The combination of Casuarina and Cocos forms a most attractive woodland, and Piggott (1961, 44) notedthat "palm yields tend to be much higher when next to a large Casuarina and their leaves are rich dark green". Nevertheless he later (1968, 56) stated that Casuarina "is notorious for the way it reduces fertility. Nothing grows underneath. Some still remain and, other than those necessary as windbreaks, should be cut down as soon as possible". We feel that more consideration should be given to this question before the trees are cut. Fauna other than Birds Apart from the birds very little indeed is known of the fauna of Desroches. Small collections of marine fauna were made by the Alert expedition: they include 8 species of marine Mollusca (Smith 1884), one echinoderm (Bell 1884), and either 4 or 8 species (locations are doubtful) of Crustacea (Miers 1884). The Percy Sladen party apparently completely neglected the marine fauna and flora during their visit. Of the terrestrial fauna, a single reptile Hemidactylus brookii was recorded by Boulenger (1909), two spiders by Hirst (1911), and three species of terrestrial isopods by Budde-Lund (1912). About forty species of insects were collected by the Percy Sladen party, and the references to the determinations are given in Table 16. Land birds - Birds The following are recorded from Desroches: Streptopelia sp. According to Coppinger: "I saw only once. But one of the Creoles living on the izan; told me that it was an indigenous species, and was quite distinct from the domestic pigeons which roost about and restrict their range to the houses and trees about the settlement" (1884, 225). There is no later record of either; Benson (1970) discusses Streptopelia in the Amirantes.
Group - Orthoptera Dermaptera Hemiptera Lepidoptera Coleoptera Hymenoptera Diptera Table 16. Insects recorded from Desroches by the Percy Sladen Expedition Number of species 10 Reference Bolivar (1912, 1924) Burr (1910) Green (1907), Distant (1909) Fletcher (1910) Champion (1914), Scott (1912, 1926), Arrow (1922) Cameron (1907), Fore1 (1907, 1912), Meade- Waldo (1912) Theobald (1912) Passer domesticus Reported (as P. indicus) by Abbott in Ridgway (1895), and included by Watson et zl. (1963). Common at the Settlement in 1968. Foudia madagascariensis Collected bv Abbott on 26 August - 1892 (Ridgway - . 1895), and "with great difficultyu by Coppinger (1884, 224) "in the large Casuarina grove, near the western end of the island"; "the females were nesting". Fairly common at the settlement in 1968 but only infrequently seen elsewhere. Status unknown according to Watson et al. (1963). Francolinus pondicerianus Coppinger (1884, 224) noted a "red-legged partridge", Abbott in Ridgway (1895) a partridge, and Gardiner and Cooper (1907, 156) a wild partridge. Seen in 1968 on the seaward side near the cemetery. Estrilda astrild Coppinger (1884, 224) noted "a very small bird which was to be seen every now and then flitting in large flocks among the maize plants and low bushes". He thought it a waxbill and it may have been this species. There is no later record. Serinus mozambicus Collected by Coppinger, recorded as Crithagra chrysopyga in Sharpe (1884). Coppinger states: "The yellow-breasted finch is gregarious, and mostly frequents the tops of the cocoa-nut trees and the upper branches of the tall Casuarinas" (1884, 224). One specimen collected on 26 August 1892 by Abbott (Ridgway 1895, as Serinus icterus). Introduced, according to Gardiner and Cooper (1907, 106).
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ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN 136. Coral
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Atoll Research
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J. D. Taylor Department of Zoology,
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15. Plants of Desroches F. R. Fosbe
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vi Page 21 . Fregataminorcolonies o
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viii 21. Transverse erosional groov
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Fig. 1. The Southwest Indian Ocean
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(c) the Farquhar group, comprising
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Acknowledgements Specific acknowled
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2. GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY OF FARQIJH
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the 1960s. The atoll was visited in
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Lagoon and reefs Geomorphology Know
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esembles outcrops of clastic rocks
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are present, and those which are fo
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A single bryophyte, collected on th
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Breeding land birds Birds - The num
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Sula sula -- Recorded from South Is
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Borradaile, L. A. 1907. Land and fr
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Hartman, W. D. 1958. Report on some
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FARQUHAR ATOLL 1. Scaevola communit
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5. Prograding lagoon shore with Sca
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9. Replanting of coconuts in hurric
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13-14. Sooty Terns and Noddies op G
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17. Copra sheds at Settlement, Nort
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ELEUSINE INDICA (L.) Gaertn. South
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GYNANDROPSIS GYNANDRA (L.) Briq. S.
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RHIZOPHORA MUCRONATA Lam. North I.,
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4. AN OLD RECORD OF A BLUE PIGEON A
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5. GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY OF COSMOLE
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Fig. 4. The Aldabra Group
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Polyte, about 250 m wide, is formed
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The mangrove vegetation has not bee
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46 Table 5. Mollusca collected on C
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group, for example a Dolichopodid f
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low and fast over the dunes and usu
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Guano is no longer worked on Northe
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Distant, W. L. 1913. Rhynchota. Par
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Smith, J. L. B. 1956. The fishes of
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PANICUM MAXIMUM Jacq. Menai I., s.
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CLEOME STRIGOSA (Boj.) Oliv. Wizard
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SCUTIA MYRTINA (Burm. f .) Kurz Men
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SARCOSTEMMA VIMINALE R. Br. Menai I
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7. LAND (INCLUDING SHORE) BIRDS OF
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Cisticola cherina Malagasy Grass -W
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It would be interesting to ascertai
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Wing Tail Culmen from base - - Asto
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Of six specimens whose extreme yout
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Locality Menai Wizard Wing 277 nun
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Summary 1. An account is given of t
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Vesey-FitzGerald, L. D. E. F. 1940.
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\ / \ / 0 1000 \ 1 \ ,.,' Metres ,
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deeply dissected with large solutio
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esembles the vegetation of the more
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wide muddy flats. In the north ther
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Table 10. Crustacea (Decapoda) coll
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-- Sula sula Recorded by Watson et
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assistance. Also Mr Basil Bell, Dir
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Lionnet, J. F. G. 1970. Note on the
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CYMODOCEA [CILI ATA] Seen by Grubb
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DIOSCOREA NESIOTIS Hemsl. S. l., Ri
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TAMARINDUS INDICA L. S. l., Ridgway
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ABUTILON ANGULATUM (G. ' P.) Mast.
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IPOMOEA PES-CAPRAE [L.) R. Br. (sen
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LAUNAEA INTYBACEA (Jaca . > P. Beau
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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 148 and 149: Marine fauna The Green Turtle Chelo
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 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
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44. -- Sula sula rubripes: chick wi
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48. Sula sula rubripes: adult "brow
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22. SOME ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION
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Sula leucogaster Bodd. One specimen
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Streptopelia picturata (Temm.) Some
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APPENDIX: NAMES OF THE ISLANDS J. F
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Alphonse, St Franfois and Bijoutier
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