Guinea Islands Research Articles

Phylogenetic relationships of fantails (Aves: Rhipiduridae)

We explore the phylogenetic relationships of fantails (Aves: Rhipiduridae) using molecular characters derived from two nuclear introns and two mitochondrial genes. Our results indicate thatRhipidura hypoxanthais not a true fantail, but rather a member of the Stenostiridae clade that is morphologically and behaviourally convergent with fantails. Within the true Rhipiduridae, we identified six distinct clades; however, phylogenetic relationships among these groups were unresolved. The only well‐supported sister relationship was between members of the grey and the rufous fantail complexes. Clades recovered through our model‐based phylogenetic analyses generally correspond to previously proposed fantail complexes based on morphological characters. The phylogenetic position ofR. atraandR. dilutaremain unclear, as sister relationships varied between analyses for the prior whereas the latter was placed as sister to the New Guinea thicket fantails,R. leucothoraxandR. threnothorax; yet significant node support was not recovered for either taxa. Biogeographically, fantails appear to have radiated rapidly and the six clades are not geographically restricted, but instead span South‐east Asia, New Guinea, Australia and Pacific Islands.

Deformation zone ‘jumps’ in a young convergent setting; the Lengguru fold-and-thrust belt, New Guinea Island

The Lengguru fold-and-thrust belt in West Papua (Indonesia) has all the characteristics of a young orogen involved in a rapidly changing tectonic setting. The analysis of the young wedge shows however that its internal shortening has ceased recently, and that it is nowadays suffering severe extension. Recent topographic data, marine industrial seismic lines and drilling, were used with field observations and measurements to create detailed cross-sections and a new structural map. The study allows us to distinguish two superimposed prisms composed of stacked Mesozoic marine sediments of the Australian margin against a crustal buttress. The construction of these two wedges is younger than 11 Myr. The structures of the Lengguru belt external zones are sealed by an unconformable clastic series, indicating that the construction of the Lengguru prism had aborted suddenly due to a change in the way the Australian and Pacific plate convergence was accommodated. At that time, the internal zones probably started to exhume and the tectonic regime became extensional. Nowadays the internal part of the Lengguru fold-and-thrust belt is undergoing an active east–west extension. We believe that the extension observed in the Lengguru wedge is coeval with a transition from a compressive to a transtensional regime illustrated in the Central Range of Papua, and the onset of the Tarera-Aiduna and Paniai left-lateral faults. The structure of the Lengguru belt therefore results from events occurring over a very short time span; a previous Late Miocene northeast–southwest compression linked to the subduction process, a second from Middle Miocene to Early Pliocene and a Late Pliocene-Quaternary global extension in the whole range. The evolution is compared with that of the Seram wedge and the Misool–Onin–Kumawa continental ridge to the west; where deformation is accommodated at a localized zone which jumps as convergence between Australian and Pacific plate proceeds. This evolution of the belt reflects rapid changes in the accommodation oblique shortening, with the isolated orogenic wedge of Lengguru fold-and-thrust belt left to collapse. This example illustrates the way a long-lasting subduction terminates. At the lithospheric scale, the deformation remains rooted at the suture zone. However at the surface, the shortening is suddenly widespread over a large area during a very short time span (formation of the Lengguru belt) prior to being transferred to another plate boundary.

Distribution of a little-known sea krait Pseudolaticauda schistorhynchus (Günther, 1874) (Serpentes: Laticaudidae)

A little-known sea krait Pseudolaticauda schistorhynchus from the northern waters of New Guinea Island (Bertrand Island) is described. We note the considerable remoteness of this record from the main species range and its closeness to the distribution area of the closely related species P. semifasciata, which some authors consider to be a northern subspecies widely distributed in the eastern Pacific. The examined specimen is undoubtedly P. schistorhynchus. The boundaries of the two species ranges and keys for the identification of species of the genus Pseudolaticauda Kharin, 1984 are given.

Les Dryinidae (lnsecta, Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea) du Vanuatu et des îles du Pacifique

Olmi M. & Villemant C. 2009. — Les Dryinidae (lnsecta, Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea) du Vanuatu et des îles du Pacifique. Zoosystema 31 (3): 691-705.Dryinidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea) from Vanuatu and Pacific islands.The study of the Hymenoptera collected during the SANTO 2006 expedition, led to the identification of six Dryinidae species, among which only three were already recorded from Vanuatu. A new species close to Anteon nigricorne (Perkins, 1905) is described from the Santo island: Anteon molisae n. sp., and two other are recorded for the first time in this archipelago: Aphelopus caledonicus Olmi, 1984, already known from Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia, and Thaumatodryinus flavus Olmi, 1984, also recorded from Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and Solomon islands. The presence in Vanuatu of three other species is corroborated: Aphelopus papuensis Olmi, 1987, also known from Papua-New Guinea and Thaumatodryinus koebelei Perkins, 1905, known from Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and Fiji; Gonatopus primitivus (Olmi, 1984), however, has never been recorded out of Vanuatu. A key to the dryinid species of Vanuatu is provided and the dryinid fauna compared with that of 17 other Pacific island groups.

Uncovering cryptic diversity in Aspidomorphus (Serpentes: Elapidae): Evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear markers

The Papuan region, comprising New Guinea and nearby islands, has a complex geological history that has fostered high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Unfortunately, much of this diversity remains undocumented. We examine the evolutionary relationships of the venomous snake genus Aspidomorphus (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae), a Papuan endemic, and document extensive cryptic lineage diversification. Between Aspidomorphus species we find 22.2–27.9% corrected cyt-b sequence divergence. Within species we find 17.7–23.7% maximum sequence divergence. These high levels of genetic divergence may have complicated previous phylogenetic studies, which have had difficulty placing Aspidomorphus within the subfamily Hydrophiinae. Compared to previous studies, we increase sampling within Hydrophiinae to include all currently recognized species of Aspidomorphus and increase species representation for the genera Demansia and Toxicocalamus. We confirm monophyly of Aspidomorphus and resolve placement of the genus utilizing a set of seven molecular markers (12S, 16S, cyt-b, ND4, c-mos, MyHC-2, and RAG-1); we find strong support for a sister-group relationship between Aspidomorphus and a Demansia/Toxicocalamus preussi clade. We also use one mitochondrial (cyt-b) and one nuclear marker (SPTBN1) to document deep genetic divergence within all currently recognized species of Aspidomorphus and discuss the Solomon Island Arc as a potential center of divergence in this species. Lastly, we find high levels of concordance between the mtDNA and nuDNA markers used for inter-species phylogenetic reconstruction.

Names as Markers and Makers of Contested Identity: on Social Groups in the New Guinea Islands

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between naming practices and social groups in the context of a land dispute at Matupit village, Papua New Guinea. Roy Wagner's famous paper on the nature of social groups in the New Guinea Highlands is taken as a starting point for analysis. In Wagner's didactic exposition a stark contrast is drawn between Daribi people for whom names elicit distinctions and outsiders who imagine names describe fixed social groups. At Matupit however, the contrast is more clearly between different groups of villagers who have an interest in different kinds of presentation of the relationship between names and social group formation. Some have a greater interest than others in asserting a more descriptive relationship of names to groups and it is argued that this is, at least in part, related to wider political economic tendencies, in particular a tendency to view land as an economic resource, mirrored in other contexts throughout Papua New Guinea.

Environmental magnetism of Pleistocene sediments in the North Pacific and Ontong‐Java Plateau: Temporal variations of detrital and biogenic components

An environmental magnetic study was conducted to investigate temporal variations of the sources of magnetic minerals in the Pacific Ocean using sediment cores of Pleistocene age. The proportion of interacting (I) to noninteracting (N‐I) single‐domain components was estimated from first‐order reversal curve diagrams, and the proportion of middle‐ (M) to low‐ (L) coercivity components was determined from decomposition of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) acquisition curves. The I and M components are interpreted to be carried by terrigenous maghemite, while the N‐I and L components represent biogenic magnetite. An inverse correlation between the ratio of anhysteretic remanent magnetization susceptibility (χARM) to saturation IRM (SIRM) and the I/N‐I ratio was confirmed for sediments across wide expanses in the Pacific Ocean. This implies that χARM/SIRM can be used to estimate the relative abundances of biogenic and terrigenous components in sediments. In the North Pacific, the relative abundance of the I and M components increases in glacial periods. Variations of χARM/SIRM and S ratio (S−0.1T) resemble each other and decrease in the same time intervals. These variations reflect increases of terrigenous input in glacial periods as eolian dust. On the Ontong‐Java Plateau in the western equatorial Pacific, on the other hand, minima in χARM/SIRM and S−0.1T occur at glacial‐to‐interglacial transitions, and the relative abundance of the I and M components increases in these periods. Terrigenous material in this region is considered to be transported mainly from the New Guinea and Solomon Islands by the Equatorial Undercurrent. The higher proportion of the terrigenous component at glacial‐to‐interglacial transitions is coeval with carbonate preservation maxima reported from the Ontong‐Java Plateau, suggesting a linkage between the two.

A Gulf of Guinea island endemic is a member of a Mediterranean‐centred bird genus

A Gulf of Guinea island endemic is a member of a Mediterranean-centred bird genus GARY VOELKER,* MARTIM MELO & RAURI C. K. BOWIE Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collections, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST ⁄NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, 3101Valley Life Science Building, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

New species of Cophixalus (Anura: Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea

We describe nine new species of the microhylid frog genus Cophixalus from the Southeastern Peninsula and adjacent islands of Papua New Guinea. All but one of the new species are small – adult males attain 20 mm in only one of the new forms. None of the new species has finger discs consistently larger than toe discs, a character state sometimes claimed to be diagnostic for the genus; most have finger discs distinctly and consistently smaller than toe discs. This raises the number of recognized Papuan members of the genus to 34, and several more undescribed forms exist, making this one of the largest frog genera in the region.

Governance at the Local Level in Melanesia – Absent the State

At independence the three Melanesian states of the Pacific Islands region – Papua New Guinea (1975), Solomon Islands (1978) and Vanuatu (1980) – opted for decentralised systems of government. In all cases a three-tier system of national, provincial and local government was introduced, although the specific arrangements and allocation of powers differed substantially. Since that time there has been a good deal of analysis about the policy processes of decentralisation itself and about the effectiveness (or otherwise) of national-level governance in these countries; but until recently little has been written about the lower levels.This short article surveys some of the recent research and commentary on local-level governance relating particularly to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands. It focuses on both the poor condition of formal local-level government as well as on the rise of informal governance-type activity at the local level which might be described as ‘civil society in formation’.

The Population Structure of Glossina palpalis gambiensis from Island and Continental Locations in Coastal Guinea

BackgroundWe undertook a population genetics analysis of the tsetse fly Glossina palpalis gambiensis, a major vector of sleeping sickness in West Africa, using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers. Our aims were to estimate effective population size and the degree of isolation between coastal sites on the mainland of Guinea and Loos Islands. The sampling locations encompassed Dubréka, the area with the highest Human African Trypanosomosis (HAT) prevalence in West Africa, mangrove and savannah sites on the mainland, and two islands, Fotoba and Kassa, within the Loos archipelago. These data are discussed with respect to the feasibility and sustainability of control strategies in those sites currently experiencing, or at risk of, sleeping sickness.Principal FindingsWe found very low migration rates between sites except between those sampled around the Dubréka area that seems to contain a widely dispersed and panmictic population. In the Kassa island samples, various effective population size estimates all converged on surprisingly small values (10<Ne<30) that suggest either a recent bottleneck, and/or other biological or ecological factors such as strong variance in the reproductive success of individuals.Conclusion/SignificanceWhatever their origin, the small effective population sizes suggest high levels of inbreeding in tsetse flies within the island samples in marked contrast to the large diffuse deme in Dubréka zones. We discuss how these genetic results suggest that different tsetse control strategies should be applied on the mainland and islands.

Bibliography of the History of Australian Science, No. 29, 2008

This bibliography, in geographic terms, covers principally Australia, but also New Zealand, New Guinea and other islands of the Pacific Ocean near Australia, and Antarctica. It includes material on the history of the natural sciences (mathematics, physical sciences, earth sciences and biological sciences), some of the applied sciences (including medical and health sciences, agriculture, manufacturing and engineering), and human sciences (psychology, anthropology and sociology). Biographical material on practitioners in these sciences is also of interest. The sources used in compiling this bibliography include those that have proved useful in the past in finding relevant citations. The library catalogues of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, the National Library of Australia and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga O Aotearoa were particularly useful sources of information. Journals that have yielded articles for previous bibliographies were checked, as were some titles that have not previously been scanned. Hence a number of citations are included that were published earlier than 2008. Assistance has been received from a number of people who sent items or information about items published in 2008 for inclusion in the bibliography. In particular, Professor Rod Home has been most helpful in forwarding relevant citations. Staff of the eScholarship Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, especially Helen Morgan, were of great assistance in the preparation of this bibliography. Readers may have access to information about relevant books, journal articles, conference papers, reports, Master's and PhD theses and reviews published in 2009. They are encouraged to send such information to the compiler at the above email address for inclusion in future bibliographies.

Late Pleistocene Sea level on the New Jersey Margin: Implications to eustasy and deep-sea temperature

We assembled and dated a late Pleistocene sea-level record based on sequence stratigraphy from the New Jersey margin and compared it with published records from fossil uplifted coral reefs in New Guinea, Barbados, and Araki Island, as well as a composite sea-level estimate from scaling of Red Sea isotopic values. Radiocarbon dates, amino acid racemization data, and superposition constrain the ages of large (20–80 m) sea-level falls from New Jersey that correlate with Marine Isotope Chrons (MIC) 2, 3b, 4, 5b, and 6 (the past 130 kyr). The sea-level records for MIC 1, 2, 4, 5e, and 6 are similar to those reported from New Guinea, Barbados, Araki, and the Red Sea; some differences exist among records for MIC 3. Our record consistently provides the shallowest sea level estimates for MIC3 (∼ 25–60 m below present); it agrees most closely with the New Guinea record of Chappell (2002; ∼ 35–70 m), but contrasts with deeper estimates provided by Araki (∼ 85–95 m) and the Red Sea (50–90 m). Comparison of eustatic estimates with benthic foraminiferal δ 18O records shows that the deep sea cooled ∼ 2.5 °C between MIC 5e and 5d (∼ 120–110 ka) and that near freezing conditions persisted until Termination 1a (14–15 ka). Sea-level variations between MIC 5b and 2 (ca. 90–20 ka) follow a well-accepted 0.1‰/10 m linear variation predicted by ice-growth effects on foraminiferal δ 18O values. The pattern of deep-sea cooling follows a previously established hysteresis loop between two stable modes of operation. Cold, near freezing deep-water conditions characterize most of the past 130 kyr punctuated only by two warm intervals (the Holocene/MIC 1 and MIC 5e). We link these variations to changes in Northern Component Water (NCW).

Taxonomic partitioning of Cyrtodactylus louisiadensis (Lacertilia: Gekkonidae) from Papua New Guinea

As recently understood, the gecko species Cyrtodactylus louisiadensis (de Vis, 1892) ranges across eastern New Guinea and adjacent islands, the Solomon Islands, and northern Queensland. Within that portion of its range encompassed by Papua New Guinea I show that five species are currently masquerading under this appellation. Two of these occur in sympatry at the type locality for the species, Sudest Island. Because the type specimen is lost, the taxonomy of this complex has been confused, and two species are present at the type locality, I designate a neotype for C. louisiadensis so as to stabilize taxonomy within this complex. I describe the four additional species, C. epiroticus sp. nov., C. klugei sp. nov., C. robustus sp. nov., and C. tripartitus sp. nov., which differ from each other in a variety of scalational, mensural, and color-pattern features. Four of these species are confined to single islands off the southeastern peninsula of New Guinea. The fifth occupies the eastern rim of New Guinea.

Morphological and Bioacoustic Characteristics of Frogs of the Genus Platymantis (Amphibia, Ranidae) in Irian Jaya, with Descriptions of Two New Species

On the basis of museum collections and field work, new discoveries were made concerning the morphology, distribution, bioacoustics and ecology of the hitherto New Guinean species Platymantis papuensis, P. punctata and P. batantae. Moreover, two species, Platymantis cryptotis and Platymantis bimaculata, are described as new. Eventual evolutionary relationships among Papuan Platymantis species are discussed. It is supposed that P. punctata is the most primitive of the Platymantis species from New Guinea and adjacent islands. Species pairs with derived characters are P. batantae and P. bimaculata as well as P. papuensis and P. cryptotis.

Island arcs, deep-sea trenches, and seismofocal zones of Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean: Similarity and distinctions

The available geological, gravimetric, and seismological data suggest that island arcs, deep-sea trenches, and seismofocal zones of Indonesia (as a part of the Alpine-Indonesian mobile belt) differ significantly from structures of the same names of the Pacific ring proper. Thus, seismofocal zones of the ring are characterized by the stress-strain conditions of subhorizontal across-strike compression at depths of 0–400 km. In seismofocal zones of the mobile belt, such conditions exist only in the depth interval ∼(0–40) km. At depths of about 40 to 400 km, lengthening (the T axis) is oriented along the dip-updip direction of a zone, whereas shortening (the P axis) is oriented along the strike of a seismofocal zone or, if individual P axes are not well ordered in this depth interval, they are scattered near the plane normal to the lengthening axis. We relate these distinctions to the fact that the mobile belt inherits a geosynclinal, rather than oceanic, basin that cannot be regarded as a huge bay of the paleo-Pacific. The aforementioned data imply that SW Melanesia (the New Guinea Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands) includes the recent Bismarck geosynclinal zone located on the strike of the Indonesian segment of the Alpine-Indonesian mobile belt.

Controls on magmatism in an island arc environment: study of lavas and sub-arc xenoliths from the Tabar–Lihir–Tanga–Feni island chain, Papua New Guinea

The Tabar–Lihir–Tanga–Feni (TLTF) islands of Papua New Guinea mainly comprise high-K calc-alkaline and silica undersaturated alkaline rocks that have geochemical features typical for subduction-related magmatism. Numerous sedimentary, mafic, and ultramafic xenoliths recovered from Tubaf seamount, located on the flank of Lihir Island, provide a unique opportunity to study the elemental and isotopic composition of the crust and mantle wedge beneath the arc and to evaluate their relationships to the arc magmatism in the region. The sedimentary and mafic xenoliths show that the crust under the islands is composed of sedimentary sequences and oceanic crust with Pacific affinity. A majority of the ultramafic xenoliths contain features indicating wide spread metasomatism in the mantle wedge under the TLTF arc. Leaching experiments reveal that the metasomatized ultramafic xenoliths contain discrete labile phases that can account for up to 50% or more of elements such as Cu, Zn, Rb, U, Pb, and light REE (rare-earth elements), most likely introduced in the xenoliths via hydrous fluids released from a subducted slab. The leaching experiments demonstrated that the light REE enrichment pattern can be more or less removed from the metasomatized xenoliths and the residual phases exhibit REE patterns that range from flat to light REE depleted. Sr–Nd isotopic data for the ultramafic residues show a coupled behavior of increasing 87Sr/86Sr with decreasing 143Nd/144Nd ratios. The labile phases in the ultramafic xenoliths, represented by the leachates, show decoupling between Sr and Nd with distinctly more radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr than the residues. Both leachates and residues exhibit very wide range in their Pb isotopic compositions, indicating the involvement of three components in the mantle wedge under the TLTF islands. Two of the components can be identified as Pacific Oceanic mantle and Pacific sediments. Some of the ultramafic samples and clinopyroxene separates, however, exhibit relatively low 206Pb/204Pb at elevated 207Pb/204Pb suggesting that the third component is either Indian Ocean-type mantle or Australian subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Geochemical data from the ultramafic xenoliths indicate that although the mantle wedge in the area was extensively metasomatized, it did not significantly contribute to the isotopic and incompatible trace element compositions of TLTF lavas. Compared to the mantle samples, the TLTF lavas have very restricted Pb isotopic compositions that lie within the Pacific MORB range, indicating that magma compositions were dominated by melts released from a stalled subducted slab with Pacific MORB affinity. Interaction of slab melts with depleted peridotitic component in the mantle wedge, followed by crystal fractionation most likely generated the geochemical characteristics of the lavas in the area.

ARGIOLESTES KULA, A NEW SPECIES OF DAMSELFLY FROM EASTERN NEW GUINEA (ODONATA: MEGAPODAGRIONIDAE)

Argiolestes kula n. sp. is described from eastern New Guinea and nearby offshore islands (Sariba, Basilaki, Fergusson), and a comparison is provided to the closely related species Argiolestes sidonia Martin. Figures of the male abdominal appendages, wing venation and breeding habitat are provided, accompanied by a distribution map. A checklist of Argiolestes species is also included.

Relationships of Afroablepharus Greer, 1974 skinks from the Gulf of Guinea islands based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA: Patterns of colonization and comments on taxonomy

Partial sequences of three mitochondrial DNA genes, 12S rDNA, 16S rDNA and cytochrome b, and one nuclear gene, c-mos, were used to assess the phylogenetic relationships of species belonging to the genus Afroablepharus from the volcanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea (West Africa) and neighboring continental Africa. Additionally, partial sequences of cytochrome b were used to compare levels of sequence divergence within populations. The three forms from São Tomé, Príncipe and Annobon (one per island) are genetically distinct, with high levels of divergence, supporting the recognition of a distinct species in each island. Populations within each island contain very low levels of genetic diversity. These three forms form a monophyletic group suggesting a single initial colonization followed by radiation to the other islands, possibly from São Tomé to Príncipe and Annobon. This is contrary to what was found in other reptiles from these islands such as Mabuya (sensu lato) and Hemidactylus, which colonized the islands multiple times. Assuming a molecular clock for cytochrome b of about 2% divergence per million years (usually applied to Sauria), the lineage on Annobon island exceeds the age of the island, thus casting further doubt on this widely used divergence estimate. Partial sequences of c-mos showed no variation within islands. Five to seven sites were variable among islands, which is a high value further supporting the treatment of each island form as a distinct species.

Annotated checklist of weevils from the Papuan region (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea)

The following checklist includes 2,955 species-group names and 553 genus-group names of weevils occurring in the Papuan region. Major islands treated are: Aru, Biak, Bougainville, Manus, Mysol, New Guinea, Salawatti, Trobriand, Waigeo, Woodlark, and Yapen Islands and the islands of the Admiralty, Bismarck, d’Entrecasteaux, and Louisaide Archipelagoes. Maps of the region with historically important collection localities are provided. Entomological expeditions to the region and collections containing significant weevil material are summarized. All available family-group, genusgroup and species-group names are arranged alphabetically for all families of Curculionoidea known from the region. All currently accepted species epithet are annotated with taxonomic references, notes on published distributions, past taxonomic changes, infrasubspecific names, and species-group synonymies. The following nomenclatural changes are proposed: the monotypic genus Neplaxa Casey is a new synonym of Pantoxystus Pascoe; its type species Neplaxa illustratus Casey is a new synonym of Pantoxystus rubricollis (Boisduval). Two subgenera of Neosynaptops, Neosynaptopsis Legalov and Pseudosynaptos Legalov are new synonymies of Euops (Neosynaptops) Voss revised status. Typespecies are designated for 25 genera, changes of rank or status are proposed for 19 taxa, and 88 new combinations are listed in “Nomenclatural changes.”