Fauna of Timor

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Timor Island

The island of Timor is part of the Wallacea area . The fauna of Timor is thus part of the biogeographical transition zone between the Asian and Australian flora and fauna , which is why the fauna of the island is composed of both species from the Asian region and species from the Australian region . Most land animals, however, are recruited from Asian animal groups, while relatively few come from Australia and New Guinea. Several animal species, especially different birds, can only be found on Timor, its offshore islands and the neighboring Wetar and are therefore endemic here . That is why the region was declared a Timor and Wetar Endemic Bird Area .

Since the sources of information do not always make a clear separation of the regions, the fauna of the islands of Atauro and Jaco, which belong to the state of East Timor, are included here in addition to the fauna of the island of Timor .

Extinct species from ancient times

Fossil shell from Baucau

In the Pliocene lived large lizards, similar to today's Komodo dragon on Timor. In addition, as in Java , Sulawesi and Flores , a dwarf form of the Stegodon with only 1.2 meters shoulder height and giant rats, such as the Bühler rat ( Coryphomys buehleri ), the remains of which were found in a limestone cave in the Indonesian West Timor , developed here. In 2010, the remains of the giant rat Coryphomys musseri were discovered in East Timor , which at 6 kg is probably the largest species of this genus. It probably became extinct 1,000 to 2,000 years ago.

Mammals

The number of mammals from the Asian region is somewhat larger, but overall also rather small, as the island is separated from the mainland by deep moats. Occurring only in the region Timor and Wetar, so endemic, are Timor-horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus montanus) , Moluccan Flying Fox (Pteropus chrysoproctus) , Timor shrew (Crocidura tenuis) and Timor rat (Rattus timorensis) .

The bat species are diverse . There are more than 30 different species, such as the Timorese subspecies of the Canuts horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus canuti timoriensis ). About ten different flying foxes ( fruit bats ) play an important role in the distribution of tree seeds. This includes, for example, the Timor round-leaf nose ( Hipposideros crumeniferus ).

Among the 24 flightless species mane deer ( Cervus timorensis ), cynomolgus monkey ( Macaca fascicularis ), Civet ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ), shrews (eg Crocidura maxi and musk shrew ) and some rodents , such as Polynesian rat ( Rattus exulans ) and Asian black rat ( Rattus tanezumi ).

With the exception of the Java shrew ( Crocidura maxi ), rice field rat ( Rattus argentiventer ), long-tailed macaques, Timor shrew and Timor rat , all other species are considered to have been introduced or immigrated. The gray couscous ( Phalanger orientalis ) was introduced to Timor 9000 years ago by people from New Guinea . As a marsupial , it is a typical representative of the Australian animal world. For Timorese, couscous are popular prey in the cooking pot. They are one of the main prey for the local population. The oldest traces of the Gray Cuscus found on the eastern tip of Timor are dated to the early Holocene . Remains of dogs and pigs at the same site indicate that they did not appear on the island until the introduction of pottery in Timor 3,500 years ago. The Sulawesi pustular pig , water buffalo , Bali cattle , chickens , cats , goats and horses were introduced as other domestic animals . The Timor pony is the native breed of horse.

Is found on the coasts of the region Dugong , of the manatees belongs. Various dolphins , humpback whales and short-finned pilot whales can be found on the north coast .

Birds

The Timor and Wetar Endemic Bird Area

There are more than 20 species of birds that are unique to the Timor and Wetar Endemic Bird Area (TWEBA), which also includes the islands of Atauro , Jaco , Semau , Roti and Sawu . 17 of them live on both main islands, the other species only occur on Timor and some of its offshore islands, which makes Timor particularly interesting for ornithologists . The approximately 260 bird species in East Timor include numerous parrots , for example the Timor yellow-cheeked cockatoo ( Cacatua sulphurea parvula ), as well as nutmegs , black- faced swallowstar ( Artamus cinereus ), sumbawa thrush ( Zoothera dohertyi ), Timor zebra finch ( Taeniopyia ) Tiger finch , timor pigeon ( Geopelia maugei ), green timor pigeon ( Treron psittacea ), black kite ( Milvus migrans affinis ) and pygmy quail .

A big surprise in 2009 was the discovery of a population of golden-winged bluecatchers ( Muscicapella hodgsoni ) on Monte Mundo Perdido, which was previously only known from Sumatra and Borneo . The taxonomic status of this group is still being investigated.

The Mayr bush warbler ( Bradypterus timorensis ) has not been detected since two specimens were found on Mount Mutis in West Timor in 1932, but the species was first discovered in East Timor in 2009 and then on the Indonesian island of Alor . It is assumed that there are two separate populations. The Mayrbuschsänger is considered endangered.

In 2004 and 2007, a total of 97 bird species were recorded on the island of Atauro , which belongs to East Timor, and almost all of them are also found on Timor. Only a few come from the neighboring island of Wetar .

The remains of birds up to 40,000 years old have also been found in the Jerimalai and Matja Kuru 1 caves . The most common of these were pheasants , rabbits and pigeons . Most of them still occur in Timor today. The exceptions are the remains of a crane ( Grus sp. ) From the late Pleistocene , which were found in Jerimalai, and a large runner of the genus Turnix from Matja Kuru 1, whose age was at least 1372 to 1300  cal BP .

Including Atauros, 17 regions in East Timor are currently classified as Important Bird Areas.

IBA “trigger” bird species on Timor
Bird species status Further information
Great cuckoo pigeon ( Macropygia magna ) not endangered Also found on islands north and northeast of Timor.
Timor pigeon (Black Timor pigeon, Turacoena modesta ) low risk Only in Timor and Wetar.
Wetar pigeon ( Gallicolumba hoedtii ) endangered Occurrence on Wetar, Liran and Timor. Photographed for the first time in East Timor in 2005
Green Timor Dove ( Treron psittaceus ) endangered Occurs only on Timor and Semau.
Pink-headed fruit pigeon ( Ducula rosacea ) low risk Not found on Roti and Sawu, but on numerous other small islands in the Malay Archipelago.
Slate-backed fruit pigeon ( Ducula cineracea ) endangered Occurs only on Timor and Wetar. engl. : Timor Imperial-pigeon
Yellow-cheeked Cockatoo ( Cacatua sulphurea ) threatened with extinction National bird of East Timor
Yellow-headed Lorikeet ( Trichoglossus euteles ) not endangered Occurrence in East Timor, many islands in East Nusa Tenggaras and the South Moluccas . Not on Sawu, Roti and Liran
Iris Lorikeet ( Psitteuteles iris ) low risk Occurs only on Timor and Wetar.
Timor Parakeet ( Aprosmictus jonquillaceus ) low risk Lives on Timor, Semau, Roti ( A. j. Jonquillaceus ) and Wetar ( A. j. Wetterensis ) Missing on Atauro and Sawu .
Timorliest ( Todiramphus australasia ) low risk Spread between West Nusa Tenggara and South Moluccas .
Temminck honey eater ( Meliphaga reticulata ) not endangered Occurs only on Timor, Semau and Jaco.
Timor leather head ( Philemon inornatus ) not endangered Occurs only on Timor and Semau.
Timor Honeyeater ( Lichmera flavicans ) not endangered Endemic to Timor.
Tricolor honeyeater ( Myzomela vulnerata ) not endangered Endemic to Timor and Jaco.
Timorgerygone ( Gerygone inornata ) not endangered Except for Jaco on all islands of the TWEBA.
Orpheus thick head ( Pachycephala orpheus ) not endangered Occurrence on Timor, Jaco, Atauro, Liran and Wetar.
Fig pyrole ( Sphecotheres viridis ) not endangered Occurrence on Timor, Semau and Roti.
Sundapirol ( Oriolus melanotis ) not endangered On all islands of the TWEBA except Liran and Sawu.
Timor Bush Warbler ( Buettikoferella bivittata ) not endangered Occurrence on Timor and Semau.
Timorese tail ( Urosphena subulata ) not endangered Exact distribution not known, but common in Wetar and Timor.
Timor Warrior ( Phylloscopus presbytes ) not endangered Occurrence on Timor, Atauro, Roti and Flores .
Spotted-breast- eyed bird ( Heleia muelleri ) low risk Occurrence on Timor, Jaco and Semau
Sumbawa thrush ( Zoothera dohertyi ) low risk Occurrence on Timor and some western islands up to Lombok .
Timor Thrush ( Zoothera peronii ) low risk Occurrence on all islands of the TWEBA except Sawu, also on some islands of the southern Moluccas.
Timor wheatear ( Saxicola gutturalis ) low risk Occurrence on Timor, Jaco, Semau and Roti.
Chest-band groundcatcher ( Ficedula timorensis ) low risk Endemic to Timor and Jaco.
Hyacinth flycatcher ( Cyornis hyacinthinus ) not endangered Occurrence on all islands of the TWEBA except Atauro and Liran.
Macklot mistletoe ( Dicaeum maugei ) not endangered Not on Wetar and Liran, but on numerous other islands in the Lesser Sunda Islands .
Sun nectar bird ( Cinnyris solaris ) not endangered Not on Sawu, but also on many islands, west from Timor to Sumbawa .
Blue-green parrot finch ( Erythrura tricolor ) not endangered Not on Roti and Sawu, but also on the islands of the South Moluccas.
Timor Rice Finch ( Padda fuscata ) low risk Occurrence on Timor, Roti and Semau.

Reptiles

Timor monitor lizard in lore
The "Timor Tortoise" ( Chelodina mccordi ): In the picture below you can see how it retracts its neck when in danger.

For some years the biodiversity of the reptiles of East Timor has been studied more thoroughly, while previously research was limited to the Indonesian West Timor. A diversity comes to light, especially in the case of lizards, which may also contain new, previously unknown species.

The Timor monitor lizard ( Varanus timorensis ) is named after the island and is found near the coast near palm trees and other trees that it uses as a refuge. The Timor kite is a flying lizard that can sail 30 to 50 meters through the air. As elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Tokeh lives in Timor , one of the largest geckos at 35 cm. The Eremiascincus timorensis , a smooth lizard species, is endemic to the island .

The island also gave its name to the Timor water python ( Liasis mackloti ) and the Timor reef snake ( Aipysurus fuscus ) Despite its name, the Timor python is very unlikely to occur on the island, because in Timor's extensive leather and Live animal trade turned up no skin of the python. It is believed that the animal on which the first description goes back was only exported via Timor and originally came from another island. The island pit viper ( Trimeresurus insularis ) is the only land snake in Timor whose bite can be fatal to humans. Sea snakes can be found in the sea .

In 2007, a subspecies of the McCord's snake neck turtle ( Chelodina mccordi ) was first described in Lautém municipality . It occurs only in the area of ​​Lake Ira Lalaro , its backwaters and wetlands and possibly in the Irebere River . It shows features that they place between the McCord's snake necked turtle and the New Guinea snake necked turtle ( Chelodina novaeguineae ). Sometimes it is also regarded as a separate species Chelodina timorensis . On an East Timorese postage stamp from 2010 it is referred to as a Timor tortoise . Especially at the eastern end of Timor, sea ​​turtles come to the beaches to lay their eggs.

The estuarine crocodile, which lives in the sea and rivers, is of particular cultural importance in East Timor ( see The good crocodile ). The crocodile can be seen regularly on Timor in the calmer rivers east of Dili and on the south coast. Even on the shores of the East Timorese capital Dili, specimens keep appearing.

Amphibians

The Timor Frog

From Timor only frogs are known as representatives of the amphibians . The most widespread are the black-scarred toad that immigrated from Southeast Asia in recent years , the representatives of the genus rice frogs ( Fejervarya ) belonging to the real frogs and of the row frogs the species Polypedates leucomystax . In addition, the Australian tree frog Litoria everetti and, as the only native species of its genus, the Timor frog ( Limnonectes timorensis ) could be detected.

Compared to other, larger islands in the Malay Archipelago , the amphibian fauna of Timor is relatively poor in species. Zoogeographically , the low diversity of amphibians can probably be interpreted through the relatively remote location of Timor within the Indonesian archipelago - the settlement of this area took place over the land bridge of the Malay Peninsula , from which Timor is particularly far away.

So far, no amphibians have been detected on the island of Atauro, which belongs to East Timor.

Fish and marine life

Freshwater fish

The only pure freshwater fish in the rivers of Timor are the only four centimeters long endemic Oryzias timorensis from the family of rice fish (Adrianichthyidae) and Craterocephalus laisapi from the genus of the hard-headed species , which is endemic to the East Timorese river Irasiquero . The other species are better known from the brackish water of the estuaries and mangroves , including the families of the cross catfish (Ariidae), the gobies (Gobiidae), the archer fish (Toxotidae) and Kuhlia mugil from the family of the flag tails (Kuhlia). The carp , the African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) and the Cyprinodontiformes Guppy , mosquitofish and Panchax ( Aplocheilus panchax ) were introduced by man. A total of 21 different fish species live in the Ira Lalaro, and 56 species in all of East Timor.

Marine fish

Caught fish in Maubara

The waters around Timor belong to the so-called Coral Triangle , a region with the greatest biodiversity of corals and reef fish in the world. 55,600 hectares of sea area on the eastern tip of the island are part of the Nino Konis Santana National Park . The endemic Eviota santanai was discovered here in 2013 . The north coast, for example in front of Atauro , Metinaro and Liquiçá , has a marine world that is rich in species and colors. There are currently 967 different species of fish known on the coasts of East Timor. 643 different species were found just off the Atauros coast. In 2017, two new species were added with Banjos peregrinus and Helcogramma atauroensis .

Other animals

Attacus dohertyi , one of the largest butterflies in the world
A representative of the turtle bug

Butterflies that occur in Timor are for example Vanessa dilecta and Troides plato .

During a scientific expedition, 111 species of ants from 32 genera were identified in Timor, 64 (out of 25 genera) of them in the Lautém community alone , where systematic searches were carried out. 76% of the region's native ant species are of Southeast Asian origin, while 18% (mainly Iridomyrmex , Rhytidoponera and the bottom-nesting subgenus Polyrhachis ) show weak characteristics of Australian ants. 8% are widespread in the Indo-Australian region. The genera found in Lautém included Camponotus (10 species), Polyrhachis (10 species), Tetramorium (7 species) and Paratrechina (5 species). The subfamilies with the most species in Lautém were Formicinae (32 species), Myrmicinae (19 species) and Dolichoderinae (eight species). You can also find scorpions and millipedes up to 15 cm long on Timor.

52 dragonfly species are currently known in Timor, 46 of which are found in East Timor.

In the caves of East Timor, many different arthropods are found among the troglobiont and stygobiont creatures: arachnids , crustaceans and insects . Including amblypygi ( Uropygi ), dwarf whip scorpions ( Schizomida ), amphipods ( amphipods ), decapods ( Decapoda ), centipedes ( Chilopoda ), cockroaches ( Blattodea ) and diving beetles ( Dytiscidae ). There is also widespread species of millipedes ( Diplopoda ) so Chondromorpha xanthotricha and Cylindroiulus hirsutus in caves in the municipality of Baucau . Palm thieves , crabs up to 40 centimeters in size, live in caves in Tutuala . Other types are new discoveries. For example Sarax timorensis , an endemic flagellum spider that was scientifically described for the first time in 2019. They were discovered in the Puropoko Cave .

Twice a year, Meci worms are collected at the Mechi Festival at certain points on the eastern tip of Timor . The harvest of these maritime annelids marks the beginning of a new annual cycle for agriculture and is celebrated by the Fataluku . The Isognomon ephippium mussel is found in the mangroves .

See also

literature

  • RE Goodwin: The bats of Timor: Systematics and ecology. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 163: 75-122 (1979).
  • KA Monk, Y. De Fretes, G. Reksodiharjo-Lilley: The ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku . Periplus 1997, ISBN 962-593-076-0 .
  • T. Tomascik, A. Nontji, MK Moosa: The Ecology of the Indonesian Seas. Part 1, Periplus 1997, ISBN 962-593-078-7 .
  • T. Tomascik, AJ Mah: The Ecology of the Indonesian Seas. Part 2, University of New South Wales Press, 1997, ISBN 962-593-163-5 .

Web links

General

Commons : Animal  Pictures from East Timor - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Sea animals of East Timor  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual areas

Historical

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Julien Louys, Gilbert J. Price, Sue O'Connor : Direct dating of Pleistocene stegodon from Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara , 2016 , accessed March 11, 2016.
  2. ^ Entry on Coryphomys buehleri ​​on the red list
  3. ↑ KP Aplin, KM Helgen: Quaternary Murid Rodents of Timor. Part I: New Material of Coryphomys buehleri Schaub, 1937, and Description of a Second Species of the Genus. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 341, 2010, pp. 1-80, doi: 10.1206 / 692.1
  4. ↑ WWF - Timor and Wetar deciduous forests ( Memento of February 26, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ a b Report of Findings on the Proposed Iralalaro Hydro-ElectricPower Scheme, Timor-Leste (pdf; 3.2 MB) Haburas Foundation and the Australian Conservation Foundation. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  6. ↑ GOVERNMENT OF TIMOR-LESTE, THROUGH THE SECRETARIA DE ESTADO DOS RECURSOS NATURAIS: Tasi Mane - Suai Supply Base EIA Terrestrial Flora and Fauna Technical Report , March 23, 2012.
  7. ^ Bird life International: A lost world in Timor-Leste. Mount Mundo Perdido. A profile of its biodiversity and conservation (PDF file; 737 kB)
  8. ↑ John Norman Miksic, Geok Yian Goh, Sue O'Connor: Rethinking Cultural Resource Management in South East Asia: Preservation, Development, and neglect. 2011, ISBN 978-0-85728-389-4 , pp. 43-55.
  9. ^ ABC, December 18, 2007, NT helping E Timor establish first marine park
  10. ↑ Timor a Global Hotspot for Whales and Dolphins ( Memento of the original from October 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 48 kB)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nt.gov.au
  11. ↑ a b c d Colin R. Trainor and Thomas Soares: Birds of Atauro Island, Timor-Leste (East Timor) In: Forktail. 20 (2004), pp. 41-48.
  12. ^ Colin Richard Trainor, Brian Coates, David K. Bishop: Aves de Timor-Leste. Burung-burung di Timor-Leste. The Birds of Timor-Leste , p. 61
  13. ↑ a b Bird life International, October 27, 2009, Endemics thrive on Timor-Leste's "Lost World" mountain
  14. ^ Bird Life International: Timor Bush-warbler rediscovered ; Colin R. Trainor et al. a .: Rediscovery of the Timor Bush Warbler Locustella timorensis on Alor and Timor, Wallacea: clarifying taxonomic affinities, defining habitat and survey recommendations. 2011.
  15. ^ Colin R. Trainor, Pedro J. Leitão: Further significant bird records from Atauro Island, Timor-Leste (East Timor). In: Forktail. 23 (2007), pp. 155-158.
  16. ↑ Hanneke JM Meijer, Julien Louys, Sue O'Connor: First record of avian extinctions from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene of Timor Leste , 2018 , accessed on November 23, 2018.
  17. ↑ Birdlife International IBAs in Timor-Leste ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 1.9 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.birdlife.org
  18. ↑ IBC: Olive-shouldered Parrot (Aprosmictus jonquillaceus)
  19. ↑ a b c d Government of Timor-Leste, November 28, 2010, Prime Minister officially launches the new stamp models for Timor-Leste
  20. ↑ DG Barker, TM Barker: The Lesser Sundas Python (Python timoriensis): Taxonomic History, Distribution, Husbandry, and Captive Reproduction . Advances in Herpetoculture 1996, pp. 103-108.
  21. ↑ a b Gerald Kuchling, Anders GJ Rhodin, Bonggi R. Ibarrondo, Colin R. Trainor: A New Subspecies of the Snakeneck Turtle Chelodina mccordi from Timor-Leste (East Timor) (Testudines: Chelidae) . In: Chelonian Conservation and Biology 6 (2): 213-222. 2007 doi : 10.2744 / 1071-8443 (2007) 6 [213: ANSOTS] 2.0.CO; 2 .
  22. ↑ a b Hinrich Kaiser u. a., PhD, Department of Biology, Victor Valley College: The herpetofauna of Timor-Leste: a first report
  23. ↑ a b Mark O'Shea et al. a .: Herpetological Diversity of Timor-Leste Updates and a Review of species distributions. In: Asian Herpetological Research. 2015, 6 (2): pp. 73-131., Accessed on July 17, 2015.
  24. ↑ Craterocephalus laisapi on Fishbase.org (English)
  25. ^ Fishbase : List of Freshwater Fishes for East Timor
  26. ↑ Helen K. Larson, Duncan Buckle, Jessica Lynas, Andrew Storey, Chris Humphrey: Additional records of freshwater fishes from Timor-Leste, with notes on the fish fauna of the unique closed Irasiquero River system
  27. ↑ a b Country’s First New Species of Fish Discovered, December 11, 2013 , accessed December 13, 2013
  28. ^ The Guardian: Atauro Island: scientists discover the most biodiverse waters in the world , accessed on August 21, 2016.
  29. ↑ Matsunuma, M., & Motomura, H. (2017): Review of the genus Banjos (Perciformes: Banjosidae) with descriptions of two new species and a new subspecies. Ichthyological Research, 19 January 2017. DOI: 10.1007 / s10228-016-0569-9
  30. ↑ Ronald Fricke, Mark V. Erdmann: Helcogramma atauroensis, a new species of triplefin from Ataúro Island, Timor-Leste, eastern Indian Ocean (Teleostei: Tripterygiidae) , doi : 10.5281 / zenodo.377034 , accessed on March 18, 2017.
  31. ^ Colin Trainor: The ant fauna of Timor and neighboring islands: potential bridges between the disjunct faunas of South East Asia and Australia. In: Australian Journal of Zoology. 2010, 58, pp. 133-144.
  32. ↑ Ministry of Education East Timor, SIDA, UNICEF: Vida Selvagem de Timor-Leste ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Timor Flipchart Ecology (Portuguese, tetum), accessed May 31, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.livelearn.org
  33. ↑ Rui Miguel da Silva Pinto, Jafet Potenzo Lopes, Colin Richard Trainor & Malte Seehausen: New records of Odonata from the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands of Timor, Semau, Rote, and Alor, with discovery of Hemicordulia eduardi (Odonata: Corduliidae) , 31 December 2018, Faunistic Studies in South-east Asian and Pacific Island Odonata, A Journal of the International Dragonfly Fund , accessed August 18, 2020.
  34. ↑ M. Freire, P. Pinto, M. Soares, S. Medeiros, ASPS Reboleira, A. Reis, M. Gomez: Fatuk-Kuak Hosi Timor Lorosa'e: Caves of Timor-Leste p. 35, Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Speleplogy, 2017, accessed January 1, 2020.
  35. ↑ Gustavo Silva de Miranda & Ana Sofia Reboleira: texte intégral Amblypygids of Timor-Leste: first records of the order from the country with the description of a remarkable new species of Sarax (Arachnida, Amblypygi, Charinidae). ZooKeys, N ° 820, pp. 1-12, 2019.
  36. ↑ Brochure of the National Park Nino Konis Santana (English; PDF; 3.8 MB), accessed on December 25, 2012