The initial dispersal routes and subsequent exchange networks of Austronesian speaking populations in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) and Near Oceania continue to be debated. Accurate and precise chronologies on pottery assemblages are key in clarifying these population movements and dynamics. Previous scholars have suggested red-slipped pottery may be a proxy for Malayo-Polynesian speakers’ presence, and Lapita pottery may be a proxy for Proto-Oceanic speakers. Under this premise, pottery assemblages found between eastern Indonesia and the Bismarck Archipelago have the potential to inform us about the arrivals and movements of new Austronesian languages to the region and their possible connections with Lapita peoples that voyaged into the Pacific. The generally poor resolution of the archaeological and radiocarbon record from this part of the Pacific calls for more research to settle the debate. Mololo Cave is a site in the Raja Ampat Islands off the western coast of New Guinea, containing the earliest reported pottery assemblages in the area, including red-slipped and plainware Lapitoid pottery. This paper presents 11 new radiocarbon dates and Mololo’s first two Bayesian age models to increase the robusticity of the date estimates at the site and enable chronological comparisons with similar pottery assemblages from the region. Most of the pottery sherds, including both red-slipped and Lapitoid pottery, emerge after 3090–2258 cal BP, potentially being as early as 3903–3420 cal BP. This chronological model provides critical information about the dispersal of pottery-making groups around the far western Pacific during the initial expansion of Austronesian languages into the region.

Abstract Endemic species exemplify both the exceptional evolutionary value and extraordinary vulnerability of tropical island biodiversity. Conservationists often face the difficult task of balancing ecosystem stability with species-level protection. To reconcile these objectives of biodiversity management, it is essential to understand how endemic species contribute to ecosystem functioning. In this study, we assessed the taxonomic and functional diversity of birds along an elevational gradient on New Britain, the largest island of the Bismarck archipelago, and the role of endemic species in its rainforest ecosystems. We combined field surveys with abundance-weighed trait data to assess avian functional distinctiveness from the large neighbouring landmass of New Guinea. We found a non-linear decrease of bird diversity with elevation, measured by Shannon index. The proportion of endemic species increased with elevation, from 42 to 55% of total species richness. Compared to mainland New Guinea, New Britain assemblages shifted from invertebrate prey to other food sources, such as nectar or fruits. This shift was more prevalent in higher elevations than in the lowlands, and was facilitated equally by endemic and non-endemic species. Most omnivores and nectarivores were endemic, but frugivores and insectivores were more represented among non-endemics. Endemic birds dominated in the provision of pollination, but often adopted more generalist foraging strategies due to seasonal availability of fruits and nectar. In contrast, seed dispersal and insect control were more represented by non-endemics. Functional distinctiveness of New Britain birds may facilitate a different response to human-induced land use change compared to the New Guinean mainland. As only some ecosystem services are chiefly dependent on endemic species, conservation strategies should focus on preserving avian diversity regardless of endemic status.

Dentate-stamped pottery is identified as one of the earliest types of Austronesian pottery found in Maritime Southeast Asia, the Mariana Islands in Micronesia, the Bismark Archipelago, and other islands in Melanesia. Lapita pottery in Melanesia is one of the most famous types of dentate-stamped pottery. Throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, however, this specific type of pottery has currently only been excavated from Northern Luzon in the Philippines with a few pieces reported from Sulawesi (Kamassi, Minanga Sipakko, and Mansiri) in Indonesia. The possible dates of dentate-stamped pottery in Northern Luzon might go back as early as Neolithic times, around 4000 years ago, while the exact dates of Sulawesi dentate-stamped pottery are unclear and might date from 3500 to 2000 years ago. In such a situation, the excavation we recently conducted at the Goa Topogaro Complex in Central Sulawesi uncovered considerable amounts of high-quality dentate-stamped pottery, but these are associated with the Early Metal age burials in cave and rock-shelter sites. In this article, we synthesize the significant outcomes from our archaeological findings, such Early Metal age burials and dentate-stamped pottery from the Topogaro 2 cave and Topogaro 7 rock shelter among the complex and discuss the possible continuation of dentate-stamped pottery tradition of the Early Metal age in Central Sulawesi and its meaning.

Abstract: Tomoip is an Oceanic language spoken on the island of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. Although previously thought by some to be a non-Austronesian language, Tomoip is undeniably a member of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family. However, its precise classification has remained a challenge, largely because its lexicon seemingly contains a high percentage of non-Austronesian content and its Austronesian forms exhibit several complex sound correspondences. This paper provides a historical phonology of Tomoip, detailing the sound changes that have led from Proto-Oceanic to contemporary Tomoip. Based on these sound changes and morphological evidence, we propose that Tomoip is most closely related to the New Ireland subgroup of the Meso-Melanesian cluster. We further hypothesize that Tomoip and Proto-New Ireland are coordinate branches of a single proto-language, which we call Proto-Tomoip–New Ireland.

The predominately Asian bagworm moth genera Mahasena Moore and Manatha Moore are reported from Australia for the first time. In this country each genus is represented by a new and endemic species; Mahasena inornata Beaver sp. nov., and Manatha prolixa Beaver sp. nov., both from far northern Queensland. The taxonomic determinations made herein are based upon morphological examination and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Examination of the primary type specimen of the type species of the genus Claniades Bethune-Baker syn. nov., along with the sequencing of conspecifics from New Guinea, indicates that this genus is a junior subjective synonym of Mahasena, and its single species C. ekeikei Bethune-Baker is here treated as Mahasena ekeikei comb. nov. accordingly. Various literature records of M. corbetti Tams from New Guinea and the Bismark Archipelago are considered misattributions of M. ekeikei. In addition, we treat Psyche assamica Watt as nomen dubium, and reinstate Manatha scotopepla stat. reinst. as a valid species.

During explorations of the ginger flora of the Bismarck Archipelago in 2013 and 2023, we made collections of the ginger genus Alpinia sensu lato, some of which had unusually elongated cincinni composed of distichously arranged bracteoles and in the present paper we conclude that these collections document a distinct species new to science, Alpinia arachniformis A.D.Poulsen. The choice of epithet refers to the spider-like appearance of the inflorescence. Similar morphology of the cincinni is found in other lineages of Alpinia, but our molecular analysis using the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) marker established a close relationship with A. oceanica from which the new species differs by having cincinni with more flowers and linear labellum. An ink drawing and colour plates, information on distribution and habitat, and provisional conservation status are provided for the new species as well as a key to species of Alpinia in the Bismarck Archipelago.

The inhabitants of New Guinea and its outlying islands have played an important role in the human history of the Pacific region. Nevertheless, the genetic diversity, particularly of pre-colonial communities, is still understudied. Here we present the ancient genomes of 42 individuals from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The ancient genomic results of individuals from Watom Island (Bismarck Archipelago) and the south and northeastern coasts of PNG are contextualized with new (bio-) archaeological data. The individuals’ accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates span 2,500 years of human habitation, and our results demonstrate the influences of different dispersal events on the genetic make-up of ancient PNG communities. The oldest individuals show an unadmixed Papuan-related genetic signature, whereas individuals dating from 2,100 years before present carry varying degrees of an East-Asian-related contribution. These results and the inferred admixture dates suggest a centuries-long delay in genetic mixture with local communities after the arrival of populations with Asian ancestry. Two geographically close communities on the South Coast, AMS dated to within the past 540 years, diverge in their genetic profiles, suggesting differences in their interaction spheres involving groups with distinct ancestries. The inferred split time of these communities around 650 years before present coincides with intensified settlement activity and the emergence of regional trade networks.

An adult of the endemic, globally threatened (Vulnerable) New Britain Goshawk Tachyspiza princeps was photographed in the rainforest at Pomio, in the Nakanai Ranges of New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, on 16 March 2024. This represents the first photograph and only so-confirmed record of the species in 55 years. The forest habitat of this species is threatened by clearing, logging and mining.

A new species, Aporhina lavongaiica sp. n. (Brentidae: Eurhynchinae) is described from New Hanover Island, Bismarck Archipelago (New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea). The new species is similar to Aporhina aurata (Heller, 1896) but differs in the procoxal part of the prosternum, mesanepisternum, mesepimeron, mesoventral process, apical half of the metanepisternum, sides of the metaventrite and sides of the second ventrite with maculae of condensed white squamules, a matte pronotal centre and a distinct subapical tooth on the ventral surface of the profemora. It is the first record of the subfamily Eurhynchinae for the Bismarck Archipelago.

Between 1906 and 1909, the Austrian-born German anthropologist Richard Thurnwald undertook an expedition to Germany's Pacific colonies on behalf of the Berlin Museum for Ethnology. There he carried out a series of experimental psychological tests to investigate the mentalities and intelligence of Melanesian subjects. Due to the limitations on verbal communication, Thurnwald privileged non-verbal experiments, especially involving drawings made by his local assistants and guides. His 1913 publication Ethnopsychological Studies on South Seas Peoples reproduces some 200 of those images, which have seldom been studied since. This article examines Thurnwald's experiments in ethnopsychology through the lens of these visual materials and situates his project within larger international trends of scientific colonialism. Despite purporting to further native welfare, his application of experimental psychology to the colonial field was meant to provide solutions to the administration's most urgent problems: pacification, labour recruitment, and a declining birth rate. Yet, as this article argues, the images he collected can also be read against the grain as documents of indigenous response to German colonial rule.

The Japanese entomologist Michio Chûjô described five Ciidae species collected during the Danish "Noona Dan" Expedition in 1961-62 to the southern Philippines and the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. We had access to images of their holotypes deposited in the Natural History Museum of Denmark and concluded that some taxonomic changes are necessary to better position them within the currently recognized Ciidae genera. The following new combinations are proposed: Ditrichocis mussauense (Chûjô, 1966) comb. nov., Neoennearthron mindanaonus (Chûjô, 1966) comb. nov., Nipponocis palawanus (Chûjô, 1966) comb. nov., and Paratrichapus bismarckensis (Chûjô, 1966) comb. nov.. Images of all holotypes are provided, as far as comments justifying the four new combinations and the retention of Octotemnus palawanus Chûjô, 1966 in the genus.

ABSTRACTThe application of Social Network Analysis to the study of archaeological networks has become increasingly common around the world, with a proven track record of processing large, complex, spatial and temporal archaeological datasets. This study builds upon previous network‐based analyses of interaction between communities of the Lapita Cultural Complex, with a specific focus on the Early Period (c.3300/3200–3100 calBP) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Employing motif inventories from 13 Early Lapita Period assemblages, motif similarity and Centrality Analysis are undertaken, with the results compared to data from portable material culture, particularly obsidian and pottery, to further define the networks of interaction that linked communities during this period. We conclude that motif similarities and Centrality Analysis scores show good agreement with patterns of interactions established from the analysis of other types of portable material culture, which together support the existence of northern west to east and southern obsidian distribution networks, comprised of communities that employed unique types of interaction tailored towards their own cultural and societal circumstances and needs. Finally, we further conclude that these two networks may have arisen during the initial formation of the Lapita Cultural Complex, as populations established new social connections with other settler communities and incumbent populations across the region to survive in a new and foreign environment.

Chromosomal inversions are structural mutations that can play a prominent role in adaptation and speciation. Inversions segregating across species boundaries (trans-species inversions) are often taken as evidence for ancient balancing selection or adaptive introgression, but can also be due to incomplete lineage sorting. Using whole-genome resequencing data from 18 populations of 11 recognized munia species in the genus Lonchura (N = 176 individuals), we identify four large para- and pericentric inversions ranging in size from 4 to 20 Mb. All four inversions cosegregate across multiple species and predate the numerous speciation events associated with the rapid radiation of this clade across the prehistoric Sahul (Australia, New Guinea) and Bismarck Archipelago. Using coalescent theory, we infer that trans-specificity is improbable for neutrally segregating variation despite substantial incomplete lineage sorting characterizing this young radiation. Instead, the maintenance of all three autosomal inversions (chr1, chr5, and chr6) is best explained by selection acting along ecogeographic clines not observed for the collinear parts of the genome. In addition, the sex chromosome inversion largely aligns with species boundaries and shows signatures of repeated positive selection for both alleles. This study provides evidence for trans-species inversion polymorphisms involved in both adaptation and speciation. It further highlights the importance of informing selection inference using a null model of neutral evolution derived from the collinear part of the genome.

A Blyth’s Hornbill (also known as Papuan Hornbill) Rhyticeros plicatus was observed on Dauan Island in the Torres Strait, North Queensland, on 22 February 2024, and again on 28 and 29 February and 7 and 8 March. A submission to the BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee resulted in acceptance of the record (Case no. 1326). Here we document the occurrence, the first confirmed record for Australian territory of this species, which has a wide range in lowland forests from the Moluccas, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and as far east as the Solomon Islands.

Little is known about helminth parasites of the Bismarck Archipelago, in either archaeological or modern contexts. This study presents a parasitological analysis of soil samples from Early Lapita habitation layers at Kamgot (3300-3000 BP). Evidence for the presence of pigs and dogs and the timing of their arrival in Early Lapita contexts have been contested in the literature. The finding of parasite eggs in samples from Kamgot supports the presence of pigs and dogs at the site. Six types of helminth eggs were identified: pig nematode Trichuris suis, dog nematode Toxocara canis, and cestode Dipylidium caninum, as well as two unknown trematodes and a possible anoplocephalid cestode, thereby indicating the local presence of other mammals or birds. This study represents the first confirmed record of ancient helminth parasites in tropical Oceania.

ABSTRACTIn comparison to temperate and arid regions, environmental responses to the Last Glacial Maximum and the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene boundary remain poorly known for many parts of the tropics, making it challenging to unravel human–landscape interactions across this timeframe. This is particularly the case in insular Near Oceania, where sea‐level fluctuations and potential changes in forest cover may have had major impacts on hunter–gatherer populations. Here, we apply stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses to small‐mammal teeth from four Pleistocene–Holocene (spanning from 29 000 years ago to the late Holocene) sequences in the Bismarck Archipelago to reconstruct changes in environments directly exploited by human populations in this part of the world. Our results show a subtle response of tropical habitats in Near Oceania to relatively arid conditions during the late‐glacial period, something that has also been observed at sites in South and Southeast Asia, followed by a Terminal Pleistocene–Holocene expansion of tropical forest cover. Nevertheless, site‐based variability in environmental responses across this period highlight the need for more multidisciplinary studies of human occupation sequences in a region that is becoming increasingly central to exploring human adaptations, environmental modifications and social network development over the past 20 000 years.

Abstract The presence of coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB: Oryctes rhinoceros) was reported on Efate, Vanuatu in 2019. The beetle population was determined to belong to the CRB‐S group (Clade II), similar to populations found in the Bismark Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. An introduction of the CRB‐G group (Clade IA) was discovered in 2021. Damage mapping, beetle trapping and genomic identification show that CRB‐S has now spread around about half of the island from the site of the original introduction. CRB‐G is mainly restricted to the seaport and surrounding areas of Port Vila with some outlying specimens. Through the efforts of Biosecurity Vanuatu, O. rhinoceros is still contained on the Efate group of islands and has not spread to the major copra‐producing islands in other parts of the country. Sanitation efforts appear to have reduced damage from coconut rhinoceros beetle within the zone of first arrival of the pest (Mangaliliu, Efate). Oryctes rhinoceros damage, however, is severe in areas with old plantations and limited sanitation activities (e.g. Mele/Devil's point, Efate). A concerted effort is necessary to contain the beetle on Efate and to reduce further spread and impact on the island.

The informal name 'Big Yellows' is proposed for a possibly non-monophyletic assemblage of large-bodied, yellow-coloured species of flesh flies found in the Melanesian archipelagoes of Bismarck, Solomon and Vanuatu. The group comprises several species of Sarcophaga Meigen subgenus Sarcorohdendorfia Baranov plus the only species of Sarcophaga subgenus Chrysosarcophaga Townsend. Two new species are described from Melanesia: Sarcophaga (Sarcorohdendorfia) confusio sp. nov. (Bismarck Archipelago: New Britain, Yalom) and S. (S.) narabondxii sp. nov. (Solomon Islands: Nggele Islands). A key to the species of this group is provided, and their distribution is summarised. The subgenus Sarcorohdendorfia is diagnosed, and the presence of a single row of downward-facing setae along the ventral margin of the mesopleural anatergite is suggested as an important diagnostic feature. Sarcorohdendorfia Baranov, 1938 is proposed as a senior synonym of Omarisca Kurahashi, Tan & Leh, 2021, syn. nov., and Chrysosarcophaga whitneyi Curran, 1936 is proposed as a senior synonym of Sarcorohdendorfia imitatrix Baranov, 1938, syn. nov. Sarcophaga aureolata Pape & Kurahashi, 2000, S. pattoni Senior-White, 1924 and S. saprianovae Pape & Bänziger, 2000 are transferred from the subgenus Lioproctia Enderlein, 1928 to the subgenus Sarcorohdendorfia Baranov, 1938.

Asian Perspectives, Vol. 62, No. 2 © 2023 by the University of Hawai‘i Press. Talepakemalai: Lapita and Its Transformations in the Mussau Islands of Near Oceania. Patrick Vinton Kirch, ed. Monumenta Archaeological 47. Los Angeles: UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press, 2021. xxvi + 558 pp., 337 figures, 90 tables, bibliography, index. Hardback US$120, ISBN 9781950446179. Reviewed by Christophe SAND, New Caledonia Government and French Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD-Noumea) What a book! In its nearly 600 pages, contained within a hard black cover with only the “Lapita God” as front illustration, Patrick V. Kirch has granted Pacific archaeologists with a long awaited synthesis of the unique finds of the Lapita sites of the Mussau Islands in the Bismarck Archipelago that were excavated in the mid-1980s. This book has been published 20 years after what was then presented as the first of a three-volume synthesis on the excavations fulfilled in the Mussau Islands (Kirch 2001). While it might look like a surprise to some archaeologists, this book is the first to publish up-to-date results from one of the major Lapita sites in Island Melanesia in a single volume, Talepakemalai (ECA). Numerous data on various aspects of dentate-stamped decorated pottery, associated lithic artifacts and shell ornaments, or remains of shells and bones have been published by colleagues over the past decades on specific sites across the Lapita region, but only the Lapita sites excavated on a small scale have been published completely (e.g., Anson et al. 2005; Clark and Anderson 2009; Specht and Attenbrow 2007). This volume thus sets the stage for what could be achieved for other important sites in the Bismarck Archipelago, southeast Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Aside from a preface and acknowledgements, this edited volume contains 18 chapters, more than half of them authored or co-authored by Kirch, including the introduction and conclusion. The long introduction sets the scene by presenting an overview of Lapita archaeology and the context of the Lapita Homeland Project organized by Jim Allen in 1985, of which the Mussau Project was one component. Kirch addressed a series of major themes on Mussau, including Lapita origins, economy, long-distance exchange, society, and Late Lapita transformations. Three field seasons (i.e., 1985, 1986, 1988) were dedicated to excavations of the Talepakemalai site and other Lapita sites located in surrounding islands. The main phases of each season are presented in this book, as well the outcomes of the first laboratory studies. Chapter 2 summarizes the main natural characteristics of the Mussau Islands, focusing especially on the small uplifted outer islands that dot the southern end of Mussau in a reef and lagoon environment. To address the forthcoming analysis of the unique stratigraphic fills excavated, a section is devoted to coastal geomorphology and sea-level fluctuations during the Holocene. The next two chapters detail the excavations completed over the three seasons in Mussau. Chapter 3 focuses exclusively on the excavation at the main Lapita site of Talepakemalai, labelled ECA, located on a mid-Holocene sandfill on Eloaua Island, where the local air strip was built. The chapter details the archaeological strategy of the 1985 field season, which had as its main goal to clarify initial results from investigations in the 1970s. The discovery of a well-preserved waterlogged Lapita deposit containing adjoining decorated sherds as well as preserved wooden posts of stilt houses was the main justification for the two follow-up field seasons. The chapter presents in great detail the stratigraphic observations and the spatial layout of the remains in the in situ layer, before proposing an interpretation of the chronological process of deposition over the more than 500 years that constitutes the Lapita chronology at Talepakemalai. The three main excavated areas of the site revealed the construction of two stilt houses during this phase. Early online release of article in press. Chapter 4, co-authored by Marshall I. Weisler and Nick Araho, summarizes the other excavations fulfilled during the program. Most were located on Elaoua Island and the small uplifted islands surrounding it; only five excavations were positioned on the largest island, Mussau. In an effort to clarify long-lasting debates about the antiquity of...

This paper reviews our current knowledge of Lapita stilt structures in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, and contributes new data from the analysis of a wooden post belonging to a Lapita-era stilt structure identified in the site of Adwe in the Arawe Islands. Via taxonomic analysis, the wooden post is identified as Intsia bijuga (Moluccan ironwood or Pacific teak), a saltwater-resistant species that would have proven to be a highly durable construction material. The selective usage of sturdy timber including Intsia bijuga, cf. Cordia subcordata, Diospyros sp., cf. Terminalia catappa and Calophyllum inophyllum as building materials at various Lapita sites, suggests that the Lapita populations had a clear understanding of locally available timber resources. This paper also details a world-first attempt at radiocarbon wiggle-match dating a Lapita-age wooden artefact.