The Land Invertebrates of the New Hebrides and their Relationships

• Published in: Philosophical transactions. Biological sciences Vol. 272; no. 918; p. 391
• Main Author: G. F. Gross
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 13.11.1975
• ISSN: 0962-8436; 1471-2970
• DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1975.0095

Of the 30 000 and more specimens of land invertebrates collected by the expedition, studies on five groups, the Oligochaeta, Isoptera, Dermaptera, Hemiptera-Heteroptera and Rhopalocera, are sufficiently advanced to use them as indications of what may be learnt from the collection as a whole. We increased the number of known species there by from 30% to over 100% according to group, this increase being composed of approximately equal numbers of new species and new records. Our recovery of already recorded species was about 50%. Endemic species make about a third of the total. There are few genera. The rest of the species usually occur in more than one other nearby area. This is very similar to the Samoan and Tongan picture. There is little 'explosive speciation' and few unique relationships with Australia and New Caledonia. A series of tables are provided to illustrate these conclusions.