Samoa Islands Research Articles

Light as a Factor in Sexual Periodicity

WITH reference to the letter of Dr. F. H. A. Marshall on the above subject,1 I should like to direct attention to the relation of sexual maturity in marine invertebrates to the phases of the moon, a relation which was stated to exist many years ago and seemed at first scientifically incredible and imaginary, but which has been more recently verified by exact research carried out by several competent marine zoologists. The most famous case is that of the Palolo worm, Eunice viridis, the sexually mature posterior parts of which swarm at the surface of the sea off the islands of Samoa and Fiji in the mornings of the seventh, eighth, and ninth days after the full moon of November. The most recent paper on the subject is that by Silvio Ranzi of the Zoological Station of Naples.2 In many other species of Poly-chaeta the sexual maturity and discharge of mature ova and sperms has been shown to synchronise with particular days of the lunar cycle, but in some localities certain species show no evidence of such a relation.

Coming of Age in Samoa

Coming of Age in Samoa is a book by American anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978) based upon her research and study of youth on the island of Ta'u in the Samoa Islands which primarily focused on adolescent girls. Mead was 23-years old when she carried out her field work in Samoa. First published in 1928, the book launched Mead as a pioneering researcher and the most famous anthropologist in the world. Since its first publication, Coming of Age in Samoa is still the most widely read book in the field of anthropology. The book has sparked years of ongoing and intense debate and controversy on questions pertaining to society, culture and science. It is a key text in the nature vs nurture debate as well as issues relating to family, adolescence, gender, social norms and attitudes.[1] The foreword is written by another anthropologist, Franz Boas (1858 - 1942), a mentor of Meads and a strong opponent of the racial determinism theory, similar to the theory of social determinism. The book also mentions youth in Americ

Bees from the Tonga and Samoa Islands.

During July, 1924, Mrs. Cockerell visited the Tonga and Samoa Islands, and the collection of bees obtained by her, though small, is of more than ordinary interest.

Orthoptera and Hemiptera

Fifteen species of Orthoptera were obtained by Messrs. Gulliver and Slater, one of these was, however, in an immature condition, and therefore only its genus could be ascertained; four of the species appear to be endemic and new to science, the species of most interest being Phisis spinifera , a form nearly allied to P. pectinata from the Samoa Islands, Molluccas, and Ceylon. Of the Orthoptera previously described, seven are recorded from Mauritius and Bourbon, and three from Madagascar; two of the latter are, however, cosmopolitan species.

XLV.—On some new or undescribed species of Crustacea from the Samoa Islands

XLV.—<i>On some new or undescribed species of Crustacea from the Samoa Islands</i>

A List of the Musci collected by the Rev. Thomas Powell in the Samoa or Navigator's Islands. (Continued.)

A List of the Musci collected by the Rev. Thomas Powell in the Samoa or Navigator's Islands. (Continued.)

A List of the Musci collected by the Rev. Thomas Powell in the Samoa or Navigator's Islands.

A List of the Musci collected by the Rev. Thomas Powell in the Samoa or Navigator's Islands.