Darkness Falls

• These isolated ecosystems present unparalleled opportunities to study evolution, and the archipelagos of the southwest Pacific are no exception.
• So their total land area may be small, but south-west Pacific islands punch well above their weight in terms of their contributions to global biodiversity.
• Let’s meet five charismatic species you’ve probably never have heard of, but simply must get to know.

1. Black dorcopsis or black forest wallaby (Dorcopsis atrata)

• It looms more than 2,500 metres above sea level, but it’s only about 3,900 metres wide – at the widest point.
• Here among the clouds is the only place you’ll find black dorcopsis.
• Black dorcopsis often have very worn claws, suggesting they spend a great deal of time digging for truffles in the rocky soil.

2. Waigeo cuscus (Spilocuscus papuensis)

Conservation status: vulnerable Distribution: Waigeo (Indonesia) Waigeo cuscus have a remarkable coat. Irregular black splotches stand out against a background of almost pure white. In young animals these contrasting colours are subdued by the presence of blackish-grey tips to the hairs. The cuscus have been photographed in the branches of fruiting fig (Ficus spp.) and breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) trees, so they have a taste for fruit.

3. Bougainville melomys (Melomys bougainville)

• Conservation status: data deficient Distribution: Bougainville (Papua New Guinea), Choiseul and Mono (Solomon Islands) Pacific Island native rodents have proven vulnerable to disturbance, but thankfully Bougainville melomys seems to remain relatively common.
• An active climber, Bougainville melomys can be found tiptoeing along thin woody vines (lianas), in fruiting trees among Bismarck common cuscuses (Phalanger breviceps), or scaling the trunks of wild betel nut palms (Areca spp.).

4. Lesser sheath-tailed bat (Mosia nigrescens)

• Lesser sheath-tailed bats are alert little creatures with good eyesight.
• They rest in small groups huddled together under the cover of a palm leaf where they’re sheltered from the rain.
• Lesser sheath-tailed bats are among the first to emerge of an evening, leaving their palm tree tents while there is still plenty of twilight.

5. Palau flying-fox (Pteropus pelewensis)

• Conservation status: vulnerable Distribution: Ulithi, Yap (Federated States of Micronesia), Palau The south-west Pacific supports an incredible diversity of endemic Pteropus flying-foxes.
• Thankfully the introduction of restrictions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species stabilised populations of the Palau fying-fox.

So much to learn

• So many unique species evolved here, on discrete areas of land separated by ocean.
• There is still much to learn about many of these mammals.