Tuesday, May 24, 2011

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Avifauna

Red Throated Lorikeet Charmosyna amabilis
         These lorikeets are entirely green except for red cheeks, throat and thighs. Their red throat is outlined with yellow and also has yellow under-tail and tail tips. They get easily confused with the Collared Lory and they utter high-pitched squeaks while feeding or while flying. Red Throated Lorikeets can be found in small flocks high in the canopy of flowering trees, feeding on nectar and pollen in remote forest areas like Mt Tomaniivi on Viti Levu. They are found on the islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Ovalau of Fiji. This species is qualified as Critically Endangered because despite recent survey efforts, it has not been seen or heard which suggests it has a very small population. This may be the result of predation from introduced rats as well as habitat loss. This has led to its labeling as Critically Endangered.



 Masked Shining Parrot Prosopeia personata 
            This species can be identified by its bright green color, a long tail and an orange-yellow breast and belly. It has a dark head that becomes sooty-black towards the beak. The tail and flight feathers have a dark blue tint and it has a black bill and black feet. Its calls include a variety of raucous, penetrating squawks and screeches that they voice during flight and when perched.  It feeds mostly on fruit, but also flowers, insects, seeds and berries, and nests in holes or a crack in a large forest tree, or a cavity in the top of a stump. The Masked Shining Parrot is suspected to have undergone a moderately rapid decline due to forest loss and conversion. It is endemic to the one island of Viti Levu so it has a small range. However, it is not yet severely fragmented or restricted to a few locations so therefore it is classified as Near Threatened.


Monday, May 23, 2011

Herpetofauna (terrestrial)

Brachylophus fasciatus (Fiji Banded Iguana)


Brachylophus fasciatus has bright-green to dark-green background color, white to bluish spots on neck and broad transverse white bands on side of its body; females are usually uniform green.Their eyes are reddish orange ans nasal scales are orange. They occur on the large Fijian islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The Fiji Banded Lizard is strongly arboreal and occurs in coastal and lowland forests. Diet appears to be mixed insectivory and herbivory. They appear to be diurnal, and sleep on low, horizontal branches in sheltered locations. Males appear to be territorial and aggressively defend their area from intruding males. Social encounters typically evoke profile changes in males as well as color changes. Courtship and mating begins in November and egg laying occurs in January to early March. The eggs require 125-210 days to hatch. Populations of these iguanas have been declining over the past century due to habitat destruction, and more significantly, the introduction of mongoose and house cats to the islands. It's status on IUCN is endangered. Fiji iguanas are considered a national treasure by the government of Fiji, and its likeness has been featured on postage stamps, currency, and phone book covers.

Brachylophus vitiensis (Fijian Crested Iguana)
 Brachylophus have a green to nearly black background color; narrow, white, black-edged diagnol stripe on neck, and narrow, white, black-edged transverse bands on sides of body. These lizards are presently known from Yadua Tabu and the northern islands of the Yasawa group. They are strongly arboreal and lives in dry-beach-lowland forest. Crested iguanas appear to be entirely diurnal. Adults appear to be strictly herbivorous and, in captivity, eat large quantities of bananas, papayas, and flowers; hatchlings and juveniles eat insects as well as fruit and flowers. . Courtship and mating begin in January and extend through March. There appears to be 1 female in each male's territory, and females migrate en masse to nesting areas in April and May. Eggs require 32-36 weeks to hatch. The biggest threat this iguana faces is habitat loss due to fires, storms, agricultural development, and competition from feral goats. A secondary threat is introduced predators in the forms of rats, mongooses, and cats which prey on the iguanas and their eggsInvasive Leucaena trees threaten the regeneration of native food trees for the iguanas, but the government of Fiji has taken steps to eradicate the treesAdditionally the iguana has been hunted as a food source and for the illegal animal trade.

Candoia bibroni (Bibron's bevel-nosed boa)



Cryptoblepharus eximius (Pygmy snake-eyed skink)
Emoia caeruleocauda (Pacific Bluetail Skink)
Emoia concolor (Fiji Green Tree Skink)
Emoia cyanura (Brown-tailed copper-striped skink)
Emoia nigra (Pacific Black Skink)
Emoia parkeri (Fijian copper-headed skink)
Emoia trossula (Dandy Skink)
Gehyra oceanica (Oceanic Gecko)

Gehyra oceanica has a uniformly light olive to dark olive-brown on head and body; often orange spots or bands on posterior surface of hindlimbs. These geckos can occur as a human commensal and in forests. Its occurence on buildings tends to be associated with rural conditions where forests and gardens are nearby. They also occur reularly and abundantly in forests, from early successional to closed-canopied forests. Its diet appears to be exclusively insectivorous, including other arthropods as well, although other geckos may be a major dietary component. They are predominantly nocturnal in activity. The species shares communal nests of not more than twelve eggs in each, with only two eggs being laid by a female at a time. These eggs have a long incubation time, up to 115 days.
  
Hemidactylus frenatus (House Gecko)

Hemidactylus frenatus has a uniform beige to grayish beige color, or a series of olive-brown crossbarsand stripes on a beige background. Venter pale yellow or beige; underside of tail and vent area often pale orange, always orangish in hatchlings and juveniles. 



Hemidactylus garnotti (Fox Gecko)

Hemiphyllodactylus typus (Indopacific Tree Gecko)