Authors
Jenna M McCullough, Lucas H DeCicco, Mark W Herr, Piokera Holland, Douglas Pikacha, Tyrone H Lavery, Karen V Olson, Devon A DeRaad, Ikuo G Tigulu, Xena M Mapel, Lukas B Klicka, Roy Famoo, Jonathan Hobete, Lazarus Runi, Gloria Rusa, Alan Tippet, David Boseto, Rafe M Brown, Robert G Moyle, Michael J Andersen
Publication date
2023/4
Journal
Pacific Science
Volume
76
Issue
4
Pages
411-435
Publisher
University of Hawai'i Press
Description
The Solomon Islands host a diverse terrestrial vertebrate fauna which has played a formative role in the development of speciation theory. Yet, despite over a century of biological exploration in the region, there are many islands for which we have incomplete knowledge of the vertebrate fauna. In 2019, we spent 20 days on Tetepare Island in the Western Province, Solomon Islands. Tetepare has a long history of conservation action by local communities and it is now the largest uninhabited tropical island in the world. We recorded 57 species of birds, 13 mammals, 5 amphibians, and 21 reptiles. Of these, we documented six species for the first time on Tetepare by western scientists: one frog, three non-avian reptiles, and two mammals. These findings point to a continued need for basic biological inventory work to inform research, local conservation efforts, and to increase published knowledge of the biodiversity in …
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