Guinea Islands Research Articles

National-Scale Geochemical Baseline and Anomalies of Chromium in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is located at the convergence edge of the Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate, consisting of three units. There are three chromium mineralization types in PNG. Based on national-scale geochemical mapping in PNG during 2015–2018, 1399 samples of stream sediments were collected from Highland Region, Papua Peninsula, and New Guinea Islands. This paper preliminarily studied chromium’s geochemical background, spatial distribution characteristics, and geochemical anomalies. The chromium concentration ranged from 3 ppm to 74,600 ppm, with a median value of 145 ppm, which was higher than the upper crustal abundance of chromium and the chromium geochemical baseline of Europe, Australia, North America, and China. In terms of stream sediment samples in different tectonic units, as mafic–ultramafic magmatic rocks are widely developed, the median chromium values of the New Guinea Orogen, including the Papuan Fold Belt, the New Guinea Thrust Belt, the Finisterre Terrane, the Aure Fold Belt, the Eastern Fold Belt, and the Eastern Papuan Composite Terrane, were higher than the value of the Melanesian Arc. The ophiolitic complexes, such as the April ophiolite, the Marum ophiolite, and the Papua ultramafic belt, significantly correlated with the higher chromium concentration. Eleven chromium high anomalies with mineralization potential were delineated, including three laterite and podiform prospecting areas and eight placer prospecting areas. Based on the chromium–nickel integrated anomaly map, comprehensive exploration and exploitation of nickel and chromium can be carried out in 1 and 11 high anomaly areas related to lateritic mineralization.

A new species of scops-owl (Aves, Strigiformes, Strigidae, Otus) from Príncipe Island (Gulf of Guinea, Africa) and novel insights into the systematic affinities within Otus.

A new species of scops-owl (Aves, Strigiformes, Strigidae, Otus) is described from Príncipe Island, São Tomé and Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea, Africa). This species was discovered for science in 2016, although suspicions of its occurrence gained traction from 1998, and testimonies from local people suggesting its existence could be traced back to 1928. Morphometrics, plumage colour and pattern, vocalisations, and molecular evidence all support the species status of the scops-owl from Príncipe, which is described here as Otusbikegila sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that this species descended from the first colonisation of the Gulf of Guinea islands, being sister to the clade including the mainland African Scops-Owl O.senegalensis, and the island endemics Sao Tome Scops-Owl O.hartlaubi and Pemba Scops-Owl O.pembaensis. The most diagnostic trait in the field is its unique call which, curiously, is most similar to a distantly related Otus species, the Sokoke Scops-Owl O.ireneae. The new species occurs at low elevations of the old-growth native forest of Príncipe, currently restricted to the south of the island but fully included within Príncipe Obô Natural Park. Otusbikegila sp. nov. takes the number of single-island endemic bird species of Príncipe to eight, further highlighting the unusually high level of bird endemism for an island of only 139 km2.

Backyard conservation in traditionally owned lands

Backyard conservation is a community-based approach aiming to weave traditional knowledge, management practices, customary land ownership, and Indigenous-driven solutions with other scientific knowledge to enhance conservation. The islands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) provide an important example towards understanding the role of backyard conservation in culturally diverse and complex societies.

Origin of microplates under oblique subduction system in New Guinea: Inferences from gravity and magnetic data

The New Guinea Island is formed under the oblique subduction of the Pacific Plate. The formation and evolution of the microplates around the New Guinea Island are complex and still poorly understood. Here we use the published gravity, magnetic datasets and the CRUST1.0 model, combined with the wavelet multi-scale decomposition and residual crustal gravity anomaly separation, to analyze the crustal structure and boundary characteristics of different microplates. The results show that the gravity and magnetic anomalies have good responses to microplate boundaries, such as deep-seated large-scale faults and subduction zones. Seven microplates (including the Caroline, the North Bismarck, the Manus, the South Bismarck, the Solomon Sea, the Woodlark and the Ontong Java Plateau microplates) have been identified based on their different geophysical properties. Combined with other geological records and plate reconstruction, we analyze the regional tectonic activity, dynamics and microplate evolution in this region. The New Guinea Island was formed and shaped by the oblique subduction of the South Pacific since the Late Cretaceous. Several key events are recorded at 45 Ma, 25 Ma and 5 Ma, which are highly related to the formation of the microplates in the convergent margin. The key events mainly involve the formation and termination of the Melanesian Arc, the collision between the Ontong Java Plateau and the Solomon Islands, and the arc-continent collision at the New Britain Island Arc. These events contributed to a series of island arcs and back-arc basins that further evolved into relatively independent microplates. By analyzing the formation patterns and boundaries of microplates, we classify these microplates into the accretion-derived, collision-derived and back-arc rifting-derived types. The evolution history of each type of microplate is reconstructed in details, which provides additional constraints on the Cenozoic tectonic reconstruction of the Southwest Pacific region.

New Guinea uplift opens ecological opportunity across a continent

Sahul unites the world's largest and highest tropical island and the oldest and most arid continent on the backdrop of dynamic environmental conditions. Massive geological uplift in New Guinea is predicted to have acted as a species pump from the late Miocene onward, but the impact of this process on biogeography and diversification remains untested across Sahul as a whole. To address this, we reconstruct the assembly of a recent and diverse radiation of rodents (Murinae: Hydromyini) spanning New Guinea, Australia, and oceanic islands. Using phylogenomic data from 270 specimens, including many recently extinct and highly elusive species, we find that the orogeny and expansion of New Guinea opened ecological opportunity and triggered diversification across a continent. After a single over-water colonization from Asia ca. 8.5 Ma, ancestral Hydromyini were restricted to the tropical rainforest of proto-New Guinea for 3.5 million years. Following a shift in diversification coincident with the orogeny of New Guinea ca. 5 Ma and subsequent colonization of Australia, transitions between geographic regions (n= 24) and biomes (n= 34) become frequent. Recurrent over-water colonization between mainland and islands demonstrate how islands can play a substantial role in the assembly of continental fauna. Our results are consistent with a model of increased ecological opportunity across Sahul following major geological uplift in New Guinea ca. 5 Ma, with sustained diversification facilitated by over-water colonization from the Pleistocene to present. We show how geological processes, biome transitions, and over-water colonization collectively drove the diversification of an expansive continental radiation.

Influence of the Gulf of Guinea Islands on the Atlantic Equatorial Undercurrent Circulation

AbstractIn the easternmost portion of the Gulf of Guinea, Bioko Island marks the beginning of an island chain that stretches NE–SW to the Equator, where São Tomé Island sits in the path of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). In this study, we explore the meso‐to‐large‐scale effects of local flow‐topography interactions that escalate from the EUC encounter with the Gulf of Guinea islands. A mean shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler section captures the EUC as a strong subsurface jet that ultimately hits São Tomé. Motivated by these observations, we ran two ocean general circulation model simulations that differ by the presence versus absence of the Gulf of Guinea islands. Diagnostics of salinity and potential vorticity (PV) from these simulations show that the EUC bifurcates at 6°E, triggering mesoscale activity that spreads the EUC waters. On both sides of São Tomé, the EUC branches roll up into eddies that propagate westward. These low‐PV anticyclones carry high salinity through the tropical Atlantic, introducing PV anomalies along eddy corridors mirrored by the Equator. The formation of such eddies is affected by diapycnal and isopycnal mixing and friction, and their distribution between hemispheres is intrinsically related to the location of São Tomé. The eddies are modulated at both seasonal and interannual scales. A strong EUC generates numerous and stronger eddies, while seasonal equatorial upwelling indirectly hinders their formation. Convergence of the EUC upstream of São Tomé reveals intense downwelling and freshening, whereas divergence and upwelling are associated with the EUC negotiating the island.

Assessing Human Genome-wide Variation in the Massim Region of Papua New Guinea and Implications for the Kula Trading Tradition.

The Massim, a cultural region that includes the southeastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea (PNG) and nearby PNG offshore islands, is renowned for a trading network called Kula, in which different valuable items circulate in different directions among some of the islands. Although the Massim has been a focus of anthropological investigation since the pioneering work of Malinowski in 1922, the genetic background of its inhabitants remains relatively unexplored. To characterize the Massim genomically, we generated genome-wide SNP data from 192 individuals from 15 groups spanning the entire region. Analyzing these together with comparative data, we found that all Massim individuals have variable Papuan-related (indigenous) and Austronesian-related (arriving ∼3,000 years ago) ancestries. Individuals from Rossel Island in southern Massim, speaking an isolate Papuan language, have the highest amount of a distinct Papuan ancestry. We also investigated the recent contact via sharing of identical by descent (IBD) genomic segments and found that Austronesian-related IBD tracts are widely distributed geographically, but Papuan-related tracts are shared exclusively between the PNG mainland and Massim, and between the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagoes. Moreover, the Kula-practicing groups of the Massim show higher IBD sharing among themselves than do groups that do not participate in Kula. This higher sharing predates the formation of Kula, suggesting that extensive contact between these groups since the Austronesian settlement may have facilitated the formation of Kula. Our study provides the first comprehensive genome-wide assessment of Massim inhabitants and new insights into the fascinating Kula system.

Seven new species of Licuala (Livistoninae, Arecaceae) from New Guinea

Based on newly gained insights from intensified fieldwork, we describe seven new species of Licuala from New Guinea and adjacent islands. All species are illustrated and provided with information on their habitat, conservation status and morphological affinities.

A New Species of the Genus Thinophilus Wahlberg, 1844 (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) from New Guinea, New Records and a Key to Species from New Guinea and Adjacent Islands

A New Species of the Genus Thinophilus Wahlberg, 1844 (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) from New Guinea, New Records and a Key to Species from New Guinea and Adjacent Islands

Sex-specific distribution and classification of Wolbachia infections and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups in Aedes albopictus from the Indo-Pacific.

The arbovirus vector Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) is common throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where most global dengue transmission occurs. We analysed population genomic data and tested for cryptic species in 160 Ae. albopictus sampled from 16 locations across this region. We found no evidence of cryptic Ae. albopictus but found multiple intraspecific COI haplotypes partitioned into groups representing three Asian lineages: East Asia, Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Papua New Guinea (PNG), Vanuatu and Christmas Island shared recent coancestry, and Indonesia and Timor-Leste were likely invaded from East Asia. We used a machine learning trained on morphologically sexed samples to classify sexes using multiple genetic features and then characterized the wAlbA and wAlbB Wolbachia infections in 664 other samples. The wAlbA and wAlbB infections as detected by qPCR showed markedly different patterns in the sexes. For females, most populations had a very high double infection incidence, with 67% being the lowest value (from Timor-Leste). For males, the incidence of double infections ranged from 100% (PNG) to 0% (Vanuatu). Only 6 females were infected solely by the wAlbA infection, while rare uninfected mosquitoes were found in both sexes. The wAlbA and wAlbB densities varied significantly among populations. For mosquitoes from Torres Strait and Vietnam, the wAlbB density was similar in single-infected and superinfected (wAlbA and wAlbB) mosquitoes. There was a positive association between wAlbA and wAlbB infection densities in superinfected Ae. albopictus. Our findings provide no evidence of cryptic species of Ae. albopictus in the region and suggest site-specific factors influencing the incidence of Wolbachia infections and their densities. We also demonstrate the usefulness of ddRAD tag depths as sex-specific mosquito markers. The results provide baseline data for the exploitation of Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in dengue control.

Rugabinthus, a new genus of Lebinthina (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Eneopterinae) from New Guinea

Brachypterous crickets from the monophyletic group of Lebinthina were traditionally grouped under the genus Lebinthus. However, the morphology and calling song are highly diversified, prompting the erection of numerous genera to reclassify the species. Based on the strong characteristic fold carrying the diagonal vein of the male forewing, a new genus of cricket from the subtribe Lebinthina is described: Rugabinthusgen. nov. This brachypterous genus is endemic to the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. We redescribe the type species Rugabinthus leopoldi (Chopard, 1931) comb. nov. and describe 12 new species, R. manokwarisp. nov., R. kencanasp. nov., R. maokesp. nov., R. nabiresp. nov., R. albatrossp. nov., R. karimuisp. nov., R. yayukaesp. nov., R. biakissp. nov., R. mamberamosp. nov., R. tarikusp. nov., R. faowisp. nov., and R. badurisp. nov. We also transferred R. newguineae (Bhowmik, 1981) comb. nov. and provide a key to all known species of Rugabinthusgen. nov.

Diversification of the orchid genus Tridactyle: Origin of endemism on the oceanic islands of São Tomé & Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea

AbstractAimOceanic islands have played an important role in our understanding of the diversification of organisms, and phylogenetic estimates have been used in this context to investigate the origin of island diversity and its relationship to the continent. Using a typical orchid genus rich in island endemics and with widespread continental relatives, we aim to compare alternative hypotheses of diversification with a focus on island endemism.LocationTropical Africa and the Gulf of Guinea Islands of São Tomé & Príncipe, Central Africa.TaxonTridactyle genus (Orchidaceae).MethodsWe used genome skimming to sequence the whole chloroplast genome and nuclear ribosomal genes from 157 individuals of 34 Tridactyle species and 15 individuals of 12 other orchid genera (outgroups) to infer a time‐calibrated phylogenetic tree of the genus Tridactyle. We also used multiple statistical methods to infer the geographical ranges of the ancestral nodes from the estimated phylogeny. Alternative hypotheses for the origins of endemism on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were investigated based on the biogeographical reconstruction of the genus.ResultsThe estimated phylogeny of Tridactyle and reconstruction of geographical ranges for the ancestral nodes suggested a general history of allopatric speciation for the genus, in particular via colonization of the islands of the Gulf of Guinea that induced a long period of geographical isolation. The most parsimonious hypothesis to explain island endemism in Tridactyle involved six independent colonizations of the islands from the continent.Main conclusionsIn contrast to other cases of oceanic island endemism that involved adaptive radiation on an island or within an archipelago, endemism in Tridactyle is better explained by multiple colonization events from the continent to São Tomé and Príncipe, with subsequent divergences due to geographical isolation but only one potential instance of further diversification on the islands.

Loss of mitochondrial diversity in invasive populations of Asian honey bees, Apis cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae), in the Austral‐Pacific

AbstractIntroduced species are a significant global concern because they can disrupt native ecosystems and cause economic damage to agricultural systems and infrastructure. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity of invasive populations can help to identify the source and number of incursions and reveal whether these populations have maintained standing genetic variation that might allow mitochondrial genomes to adapt to new environments. We investigated mitochondrial diversity in native and invasive populations of the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana). We generated 144 sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) from samples spanning three invasive populations (Australia, New Guinea and Solomon Islands) and three native‐range Indonesian populations (Java, Sulawesi and Flores). We then analysed these sequences together with published COI sequences to evaluate changes in mtDNA diversity associated with the recent spread of A. cerana across the Austral‐Pacific region. Mitochondrial COI diversity was consistent with invasive A. cerana populations having endured severe founder event bottlenecks during colonisation of New Guinea from Java, and then again during colonisation of Australia and the Solomon Islands from New Guinea. Mitochondrial diversity of native‐range Indonesian populations was high (26 COI haplotypes detected), particularly on Java (20 haplotypes), while all samples from invasive populations carried the same COI haplotype. Indeed, the single COI haplotype of invasive A. cerana populations is consistent with invasive populations being founded by just one, or very few, queens, as previously suggested from nuclear markers. Further investigation is needed to understand the fitness effects, if any, of mitochondrial diversity loss in invasive A. cerana populations of the Austral‐Pacific.

PRESERVATION OF SCIENTIFIC, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF N. N. MIKLOUHO-MACLAY IN THE CONTEXT PF DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL TIES BETWEEN RUSSIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The idea of modern state cultural policy of the Russian Federation lies in creation and development of a system of education for citizens on the basis of traditional for Russia moral values and patriotism. This is achievable through learning the historical and cultural heritage of Russia, world culture, development of creative abilities of the individual, aesthetic perception of the world, accession to different types of cultural activity. As an example of preservation of scientific, historical, cultural and ideological heritage the MiklouhoMaclay Online Museum is discussed, which has opened online in October 2021. It represents the activities of the famous scientist and traveler of the late nineteenth century, which made a great impression on his contemporaries. For example, L. N. Tolstoy praised the researcher’s writings, for in them he saw a confirmation of his thoughts that true civilization can be brought to peoples not by violence, but by education and care for them. The Online Museum contains those results of exploration and scientific study of the South Pacific that help to maintain international contacts and promote intercultural dialogue. Particular attention is given to the description of the collection, which was created with the help of the indigenous people of the North-East of the New Guinea Island (Maclay Coast), where the exhibits were collected. The exhibits in the Online Museum are also interesting because they are showcased in comparison with their counterparts from N. N. Miklouho-Maclay collections of the nineteenth century. Links to the descriptions are available on the resources of those museums where they are stored. Museums today are considered as one of the most important means of education, they specifically perform the functions of additional education—a symbolic act of meeting the past and the present. In the educational process, clearly structured museum materials can be useful for various age categories of students. The establishment of the Miklouho-Maclay Online Museum is also a significant step on the way of enhancing the relations between the Russian Federation and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, because it contributes to the development of cultural relations between the states. It is a site, which with the help of information about the outstanding scientist and his achievements, shows the connection between generations, gives specific knowledge about the study of the South Seas by Russia from the nineteenth century until today.

Systematic Detection of Anomalous Ionospheric Perturbations Above LEOs From GNSS POD Data Including Possible Tsunami Signatures

In this paper we show the capability of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Precise Orbit Determination (POD) Low Earth Orbiter (LEO) data to detect anomalous ionospheric disturbances in the spectral range of the signals associated to earthquakes and tsunamis, applied to two of these events in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands during 2016. This is achieved thanks to the new PIES approach <i>( POD-GNSS LEO Detrended Ionospheric Electron Content Significant Deviations)</i>. The significance of such ionospheric signals above the Swarm LEOs is confirmed with different types of independent data: in-situ electron density measurements provided by the Langmuir Probe (LP) on board Swarm LEOs, DORIS and ground-based GNSS co-located measurements, as it is described in the paper. In this way we conclude the possible detection of the tsunami related ionospheric gravity wave in PNG 2016 event, consistent with the most-recent theory which shows that a tsunami (which is localized in space and time) excites a spectrum of gravity waves, some of which have faster horizontal phase speeds than the tsunami. We believe that this work shows as well the feasibility of a future potential monitoring system of ionospheric disturbances, to be made possible by hundreds of cubesats with POD GNSS receivers among other appropriate sensors, and supported for real-time or near real-time confirmation and characterization by thousands of worldwide existing ground GNSS receivers.

New taxa of the subtribe Lebinthina (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Eneopterinae: Lebinthini) from New Guinea and nearby islands

Four new species from three genera of Lebinthina crickets are described here. These include one species of Gnominthus: Gnominthus milneus sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea; two new species of Macrobinthus: Macrobinthus kei sp. nov. and Macrobinthus mamai sp. nov. from Maluka (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea, respectively; and one species of Microbinthus: Microbinthus elegans sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea.

The first Nocticola Bolivar 1892 (Blattodea: Nocticolidae) from New Guinea.

A new species of highly troglobitic cockroach, Nocticola baumi n. sp., is described from limestone caves of Papua Province, Indonesia. The new species is the first Nocticola reported in New Guinea island and differs from other known Nocticola spp. by the combination of the following characters: compound eyes and ocelli absent, tegmina fully developed extending beyond the abdomen, hind wings absent, legs extremely long. The discovery of the genus on New Guinea bridges the gap between Oriental and Australian distribution of the genus and stresses the unknown diversity of the genus.

Cyana (Cryptanaema) halmahera, a new species from the Maluku Islands (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini)

A new species of the genus Cyana Walker, 1854, Cyana halmahera sp. n. is described from the island of Halmahera, the Maluku Islands. The new species belongs to the subgenus Cryptanaema de Vos, 2017 and is similar to Cyana fumea (Hampson, 1900) known from the islands of New Guinea and Kar Kar. The subgenus Cryptanaema is reported from the Maluku Islands for the first time. Adults and male genitalia of both species are illustrated.

Integrating community-based verbal autopsy into civil registration and vital statistics: lessons learnt from five countries

This paper describes the lessons from scaling up a verbal autopsy (VA) intervention to improve data about causes of death according to a nine-domain framework: governance, design, operations, human resources,...

A new species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the northern versant of New Guineas Central Cordillera.

We describe a new species in the Cyrtodactylus loriae group from the northern versant of New Guineas Central Cordillera in far western Papua New Guinea. Cyrtodactylus hutchinsoni sp. nov. can be distinguished from related taxa by its large size, absence of serrate tubercles on the tail and ventrolateral fold, and further aspects of scalation and colouration. Genetic data suggest the new species is closely allied to C. serratus from the southern versant of the Central Cordillera of New Guinea, providing a potential example of a species pair isolated by Pliocene uplift of these mountains. The recognised diversity of Cyrtodactylus from New Guinea and other islands east of Lydekkers Line now stands at 30 species, of which 22 have been described in the last 20 years.