Contributions to the Cladocera fauna from Papua New Guinea

Twenty-eight taxa of the Cladocera are identified in collections from Papua New Guinea, 17 being new records for New Guinea, bringing the total number of Cladocera taxa reported for this region to 39. Most of the taxa are circumtropical. One species (Sarsilatona papuana) is endemic to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. The species list includes two species that are normally listed as Holarctic:Alonella nana andAlona rustica. Widespread genera such asDaphnia, Pleuroxus, Disparalona, Acroperus were strikingly absent from the Papua New Guinean material.     

The seasonal factors influencing child malnutrition on the Nembi Plateau,Papua New Guinea

A sample of children from the Nembi Plateau, Papua New Guinea, is monitored for nutritional status, episodes of sickness and disease, diets, work activity of mothers, and weight changes; and health and census records are examined for seasonal patterns of disease, deaths, birth, and birth weights. A seasonal pattern in birth weight reinforced by a seasonal pattern in growth performance and compounded by a seasonal pattern of disease suggests that the time of year in which a child is born is important to the child's growth and health. Yields, labor, and ritual surrounding the gardens give rise to the seasonal pattern of events that impinge upon the health of children.     

Studies of endemic cretinism in Papua New Guinea: digital and palmar dermatoglyphic patterns

We have tested the hypothesis that the abnormal development of the central nervous system seen in endemic cretinism might be accompanied by concurrent abnormal dermatoglyphic patterns. We compared digital and palmar dermatoglyphics of normal individuals and endemic cretins inhabiting the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. The population sampled from the Irumu River Valley included 118 males and 114 females with 22 male cretins and 23 female cretins. The population sampled from the Wantoat River Valley included 72 males and 38 females with 12 male cretins. No pathognomonic patterns were found that could identify the endemic cretin subpopulation. However, the occurrence of a number of differences between controls and cretins suggests that subtle changes in dermatoglyphic patterns accompany the anomalous development of the CNS secondary to maternal iodine deficiency. We discuss the significance of these findings and compare the dermatoglyphic patterns of normal Irumu and Wantoat natives and 21 other populations of Papua New Guinea.     

Culture change and epidemiological patterns among the Hagahai,Papua New Guinea

The role of introduced epidemic disease in highland New Guinea is considered in light of recent debate concerning pre-contact adaptations. Seroepidemiological studies of the Hagahai, a small isolated group of hunterhorticulturalists in the fringe highlands of Papua New Guinea, document the recent introduction of mumps, hepatitis B, specific types of influenza, and rotavirus. Results are related to ethnographic findings, detailing past levels of intergroup contact and recent changes in settlement patterns, travel, feasting, health care, and other cultural factors. Data suggest that intergroup disease transmission is greatly increased decades before officially recorded time of contact and that mortality levels documented soon thereafter are not indicative of the pre-contact adaptation.     

Malaria vectors of Papua New Guinea

Understanding malaria transmission in Papua New Guinea (PNG) requires exact knowledge of which Anopheles species are transmitting malaria and is complicated by the cryptic species status of many of these mosquitoes. To identify the malaria vectors in PNG we studied Anopheles specimens from 232 collection localities around human habitation throughout PNG (using CO₂ baited light traps and human bait collections). A total of 22,970 mosquitoes were individually assessed using a Plasmodium sporozoite enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to identify Plasmodiumfalciparum, Plasmodiumvivax and Plasmodiummalariae circumsporozoite proteins. All mosquitoes were identified to species by morphology and/or PCR. Based on distribution, abundance and their ability to develop sporozoites, we identified five species as major vectors of malaria in PNG. These included: Anophelesfarauti, Anopheleshinesorum (incriminated here, to our knowledge, for the first time), Anophelesfarauti 4, Anopheleskoliensis and Anophelespunctulatus. Anopheleslongirostris and Anophelesbancroftii were also incriminated in this study. Surprisingly, An. longirostris showed a high incidence of infections in some areas. A newly identified taxon within the Punctulatus Group, tentatively called An. farauti 8, was also found positive for circumsporozoite protein. These latter three species, together with Anopheleskarwari and Anophelessubpictus, incriminated in other studies, appear to be only minor vectors, while Anophelesfarauti 6 appears to be the major vector in the highland river valleys (>1500 m above sea level). The nine remaining Anopheles species found in PNG have been little studied and their bionomics are unknown; most appear to be uncommon with limited distribution and their possible role in malaria transmission has yet to be determined.     

进口巴布亚新几内亚原木上截获吉丁虫的鉴定

描述江苏口岸首次从巴新原木上截获的8种吉丁虫,隶属于窄吉丁Agrilus,澳纹吉丁Anilara,星吉丁Chrysobothris,胸斑吉丁Belionota,驼翅吉丁Cyphogastra。编制族属检索表,介绍8种的鉴别特征,并配以8种吉丁虫的原色图,对检疫性害虫窄吉丁非中国种的分类状况作了简介。     

Mapping forest-cover disturbances in Papua New Guinea with AVHRR data

Abstract. Land management and land-use planning in a forested country such as Papua New Guinea, which is subject to various anthropogenic pressures, requires an accurate mapping of forest-cover disturbances. The central hypothesis of this study was that remote sensing indicators of forest-cover conditions can be used to measure and map the impact of long-term forest-cover disturbances. This was tested with single year NOAA's Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometer sensor (AVHRR) data at 1.1 km resolution. First, an ordinal scale of forest-cover disturbance was defined from field observations, a set of thematic maps and high spatial resolution satellite sensor data. Secondly, we analysed the relationship between the forest-cover disturbance scale and several biophysical indicators derived from AVHRR data at two seasons. Thirdly, a statistical analysis identified the optimal combination of biophysical indicators and observation dates to discriminate between the forest disturbance levels defined previously. A forest-cover disturbance map was then produced over part of Papua New Guinea. Finally, a regionalization of the study area in terms of aggregate degree of disturbance was produced and the spatial patterns of forest disturbances were interpreted for each region in terms of broad processes of forest-cover change. The overall accuracy of the forest-cover disturbance map was 79%. Nine regions, homogeneous in regard to the distribution and spatial pattern of disturbance categories, were identified.     

Descent Group Composition and Population Pressure in a Fringe Enga Clan, Papua New Guinea

Genealogical data, land clearance patterns, and garden inheritance histories from a patrilineal clan in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea are used to reconstruct population size and agrarian resources for the descent group over a period of 170 years. The resulting analysis reveals a strong relationship between fluctuations in population pressure on agrarian resources and changes in the composition of social groups that in turn accelerates change, then regulates it. Two quantitative relationships show that numbers of outsiders incorporated into the group and their kinship distance both covary closely with pressure on land as measured by an occupational density index.     

The impacts of dependent development on community and resources in Kilenge,Papua New Guinea

In recent years, many rural Third World communities have suffered from the gradual degradation of the natural resources on which they depend. The Kilenge people of West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, offer such an example. The paper examines some of the nutritional, economic, social, and political impacts of these changes on the individual, on the household, and on the community in one Kilenge village. It argues that there may be alternatives to dependent development for this community. It concludes that redirected priorities can assist indigenous communities like Kilenge to achieve sustainable selfdirected economic improvement.     

Caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Papua New Guinea,with the description of a new species

This is the first study of caprellid amphipods from the coast of Papua New Guinea. Several collections from Madang Lagoon (north) and Bootless Bay (south) have been studied. Seven species in seven genera are recorded, of which Pseudoproto papua sp. nov. is described as new to science. The genus Pseudoproto Mayer, 1903 has consisted, so far, of only one species, Pseudoproto fallax Mayer, 1903. Although only a single male has been found of Pseudoproto papua sp. nov., differences in antennae, mouthparts, gnathopod 2 and pereopods 3 and 4 have revealed that it represents a new species of Pseudoproto. Lateral view figures of all species, together with a key to species level for the Caprellidea from Papua New Guinea are also included. Communicated by H.-D. Franke     

The effect of permethrin-impregnated bednets on a population of Anopheles farauti in coastal Papua New Guinea

The effect of introducing bednets impregnated with 0.4 g/m2 permethrin on local populations of the malaria vector mosquitoes Anopheles farauti Laveran and An. koliensis Owen was monitored in a coastal village of Papua New Guinea. Whole-night landing collections were undertaken for 25 consecutive nights before and 21 nights after the introduction of the nets. Capture-recapture experiments and resting collections were also performed before and after the introduction of the nets. Following the introduction of treated nets, the biting population of An. farauti, the predominant vector, dropped from an average of 689 to 483 per man-night and the oviposition cycle became irregular, although survival rates (determined by time series analysis of the landing catches and log regression of recapture rates) were not significantly affected. The densities of An. farauti resting in and around houses and the human blood index of the engorged females also decreased significantly after introduction of the treated bednets. The population of An. koliensis dropped prior to the introduction of the nets. However, the number of nulliparous females in the landing catches remained more or less constant which implies that, in this species, survival rates were affected by the nets but that recruitment to the population was not.     

Parabrosmolus novaeguineae,a new genus and species of the subfamily Brosmophycinae from Papua New Guinea (Bythitidae,Ophidiiformes)

Parabrosmolus novaeguineae, a new genus and species of the subfamily Brosmophycinae (family Bythitidae) is described, based on a single specimen from Papua New Guinea. The genus is unique in the tribe Brosmophycini in having six branchiostegal rays and ten precaudal vertebrae, and is also similarly distinguished from two brosmophycine genera,Melodichthys andBeaglichthys, tribal allocations of the two latter being uncertain.Parabrosmolus also differs from all other genera in the subfamily by the following combination of characters: head scaly, anal fin origin slightly before midpoint of body, eye diameter shorter than snout length, three developed rakers on first gill arch and 16 (14+2) caudal fin rays.     

Evidence for a 'memorized' home range in Anopheles farauti females from Papua New Guinea

Evidence is presented that female Anopheles farauti Laveran released in an alien village dispersed more, in their first oviposition cycle after release, than females released in their village of capture. In a subsidiary experiment transporting the mosquitoes did not affect dispersal; wind speed or direction was not sufficient to account for the phenomenon. It is hypothesized that these permanent-pool breeding mosquitoes make appetitive long-range flights to oviposition sites. Mosquitoes blood-fed before midnight had a shorter oviposition cycle than those fed just before dawn. Nulliparous females, and those with well-defined ovariolar dilatations, predominated in the early evening whereas females that had oviposited recently were largely collected in the middle and later parts of the night.     

The vertical distribution of flying insects in lowland rain-forests of Panama, Papua New Guinea and Brunei

Ultra-violet light traps were hung at four vertical levels, to monitor the distribution of flying insects in the rain-forests in Panama, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and two sites in Brunei. Large insects were excluded. Ninety-eight thousand, five hundred and sixty-nine insects were trapped and the entire catch was analysed to order and in some cases to lower taxa. Clear vertical stratification was shown by most taxa and, in some cases, there was a marked concentration of numbers in the upper canopy at all four sites. In others there was no such concentration and considerable differences in vertical distribution were seen between the sites. These differences are discussed in relation to the forest structure at each site and in relation to the results obtained in Zaire. We conclude that flying insects in tropical rain-forests are not always concentrated in the upper canopy, although there is a tendency for this to occur where topography and forest structure are simple.     

Yams and megapode mounds in the lowland rain forest of Papua New Guinea

Kubo people of Papua New Guinea sometimes grew Dioscorea yams in mounds of forest litter that were made as egg-incubation sites by birds (Megapodiidae).' The small yam plots were included within larger banana gardens and, in the latter, it was yams, not bananas, that took precedence in the gardening decisions of people. The technique would be viable in the absence of a larger garden. It is interpreted as an expression of an ancient pattern of small-scale plant domestication.     

Fasu Solidarity: A Case Study of Kin Networks, Land Tenure, and Oil Extraction in Kutubu, Papua New Guinea

In the Fasu region of Papua New Guinea's fringe highlands, the oil extraction industry has imposed development values and the identification of corporate groups as beneficiary landowners. In response, Fasu males have tightened the boundaries of their agnatic descent groups to become exclusive patriunits. Cash royalties are incorporated into sociopolitical exchange, so the formation of exclusive kin groups allows males to expand social networks to other regions, whilst ensuring continuing wealth for future generations. Consequently, males are becoming isolated from pre–oil exchange networks, and females are becoming isolated within villages. In this article, I map the transition of Fasu kin networks from an ideology of descent to a dogma of descent and patrilineal solidarity, locating the transition in the symbolic codes that inform kin categories. I aim to highlight some consequences of "development" and to advance knowledge on the link between kinship and descent in a postcolonial, industry-dominated Papua New Guinea.     

Life Without Pigs: Recent Subsistence Changes Among the Irakia Awa, Papua New Guinea

Beginning in the late 1980s, the Irakia Awa commenced changing their basic subsistence adaptation. This included altering gardening practices, changing basic food consumption patterns, and most importantly, eliminating the production of domestic pigs. These changes were undertaken as part of an effort to improve the life experience of local residents and usher in a new plan of village improvement. The plan promoted the disintensification of subsistence production and increased involvement in cash-earning and recreational pursuits, as well as Christianity. If successful, the promoters of the plan hope that the village will become a more attractive place to live, migrants living away will return home to help revitalize the community, and Irakia will flourish in the new cash-oriented modern economy.     

Changing household composition,labor patterns,and fertility in a highland New Guinea population

The European demographic transition of the nineteenth century is often proposed as a model for demographic change in twentieth century developing nations, and economic development is seen as leading to an inevitable reduction in total fertility in these nations. This paper examines data from the Gainj of Papua New Guinea, a natural fertility population with very low reproductive output, and suggests that the effects of development on fertility change are much more complex than a simple demographic transition model would suggest. Looking at two variables known to contribute significantly to low total fertility among the Gainj, late age at first birth for women and long interbirth intervals, the paper suggests that households, in their recruitment and allocation of labor, may exert a mediating influence in the relationship between economic development and fertility.     

Multivariate analysis of periphytic and benthic diatom assemblages from Papua New Guinea

The benthic and periphytic diatom flora is studied in 136 fresh waters in Papua New Guinea. DCA ordination and TWINSPAN are used to describe 20 diatom assemblages. Conductivity, water temperature and altitude are the main sources for the variation in the data. Laing Island Biological Station publication n° 214 Laing Island Biological Station publication n° 214