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Vatusila
''Vatusila'' is a genus of land snail found in Oceania. It consists of five extant and one fossil species. Alan Solem described and named the genus in 1983. Taxonomic history The genus was circumscribed by the American malacologist Alan Solem in a 1983 monograph. He placed it in the subfamily Charopinae. Solem included six species in his original circumscription: ''V. eniwetokensis'', ''V. kondoi'', ''V. nayauana'', ''V. niueana'', ''V. tongensis'', and ''V. vaitupuensis''. Solem designated ''V. tongensis'' to be the genus's type species. The fossil species ''V. eniwetokensis'' was first described in 1958 by the American paleontologist Harry S. Ladd, who placed it in the genus '' Ptychodon''; Solem described the five other extant species in his 1983 monograph. The generic name ''Vatusila'' comes from a Fijian tribe of the same name which were located in the headwaters of the Sigatoka River on the island of Viti Levu. They are known for the 1867 murder and cannibalism of the m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vatusila Tongensis
''Vatusila'' is a genus of land snail found in Oceania. It consists of five extant and one fossil species. Alan Solem described and named the genus in 1983. Taxonomic history The genus was circumscribed by the American malacologist Alan Solem in a 1983 monograph. He placed it in the subfamily Charopinae. Solem included six species in his original circumscription: ''V. eniwetokensis'', ''V. kondoi'', ''V. nayauana'', ''V. niueana'', ''V. tongensis'', and ''V. vaitupuensis''. Solem designated ''V. tongensis'' to be the genus's type species. The fossil species ''V. eniwetokensis'' was first described in 1958 by the American paleontologist Harry S. Ladd, who placed it in the genus '' Ptychodon''; Solem described the five other extant species in his 1983 monograph. The generic name ''Vatusila'' comes from a Fijian tribe of the same name which were located in the headwaters of the Sigatoka River on the island of Viti Levu. They are known for the 1867 murder and cannibalism of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Solem
George Alan Solem (21 June 1931 – 26 March 1990),Coan E. V., Kabat A. R. & Petit R. E. (2009). ''2,400 years of malacology, 6th ed.'', February 15, 2009, 830 pp. + 32 pp. nnex of Collations American Malacological Society: http://www.malacological.org/publications/2400_malacology.html known professionally as Alan Solem, was an American malacologist, a biologist who studied mollusks. He was one of the most renowned land snail experts of his time and had earned a reputation for his comprehensive revisions of mainly terrestrial pulmonates. He worked on land snails from all regions of the world but became particularly known for his revisions of land snails from Australasia and various Pacific Islands. His 140 academic papers dealt with the snail phylogeny, feeding patterns and reproductive strategies. He named many taxa, amongst them about 350 species of Australian land snails, and several genera.Cameron, R. A. D., B. M. Pokryszko, and F. E. Wells. 2005. Alan Solem's work on the d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Baker (missionary)
Thomas Baker (6 February 1832 – 21 July 1867) was a Methodist missionary in Fiji, known as being the only missionary in the archipelago to be killed and eaten, along with seven of his Fijian followers. The incident occurred in the Navosa Highlands of western Viti Levu in July 1867, and the rock used to kill Baker is still displayed in the village of Nabutatau. The soles of his leather sandals, which were also cooked by the cannibal tribe, are preserved at the Fiji Museum in Suva. Records show that Baker was killed and eaten as a result of him touching a chief's head, which is considered disrespectful in Fijian culture. Final mission In July 1867, Baker led a party into the interior of Viti Levu, passing through the Taukei ni Waluvu's Christian enclave on the East bank of the Wainimala River. When Baker met a local chief of Navatusila, Baker presented a British comb as a gift and attempted to persuade him to convert to Christianity. When the chief refused, Baker decided to take hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including ''Nautilus'', ''Spirula'' and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the ammonites. A spiral shell can be visualized as consisting of a long conical tube, the growth of which is coiled into an overall helical or planispiral shape, for reasons of both strength and compactness. The number of whorls which exist in an adult shell of a particular species depends on mathematical factors in the geometric growth, as described in D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson's classic 1917 book ''On Growth and Form'', and by David Raup. The main factor is how rapidly the conical tube expands (or flares-out) over time. When the rate of expansion is low, such that each subsequent whorl is not that much wider than the previous one, then the adult shell has numerous whorls. When the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neogene
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. The Neogene is sub-divided into two epochs, the earlier Miocene and the later Pliocene. Some geologists assert that the Neogene cannot be clearly delineated from the modern geological period, the Quaternary. The term "Neogene" was coined in 1853 by the Austrian palaeontologist Moritz Hörnes (1815–1868). During this period, mammals and birds continued to evolve into modern forms, while other groups of life remained relatively unchanged. The first humans (''Homo habilis'') appeared in Africa near the end of the period. Some continental movements took place, the most significant event being the connection of North and South America at the Isthmus of Panama, late in the Pliocene. This cut off the warm ocean currents from the Pacific to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country's population of 58,413 people (at the 2018 World Bank Census) is spread out over five islands and 29 coral atolls, comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets. The capital and largest city is Majuro. It has the largest portion of its territory composed of water of any sovereign state, at 97.87%. The islands share maritime boundaries with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and Federated States of Micronesia to the west. About 52.3% of Marshall Islanders (27,797 at the 2011 Census) live on Majuro. In 2016, 73.3% of the population were defined as being "urban". The UN also indicates a population d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enewetak
Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 664 people (as of 2011) forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. With a land area total less than , it is no higher than and surrounds a deep central lagoon, in circumference. It is the second-westernmost atoll of the Ralik Chain and is west from Bikini Atoll. It was held by the Japanese from 1914 until its capture by the United States in February 1944, during World War II, then became Naval Base Eniwetok. Nuclear testing by the US totaling the equivalent of over 30 megatons of TNT took place during the Cold War; in 1977–1980, a concrete dome (the Runit Dome) was built on Runit Island to deposit radioactive soil and debris. The Runit Dome is deteriorating and could be breached by a typhoon, though ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuvalu
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Vanuatu, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna, and north of Fiji. Tuvalu is composed of three reef islands and six atolls. They are spread out between the latitude of 5th parallel south, 5° and 10th parallel south, 10° south and between the longitude of 176th meridian east, 176° and 180th meridian, 180°. They lie west of the International Date Line. Tuvalu has a population of 10,507 (2017 census). The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is . The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians, according to well-established theories regarding a History of the Polynesian people, migration of Polynes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaitupu
Vaitupu is the largest atoll of the nation of Tuvalu. It is located at 7.48 degrees south and 178.83 degrees east. There are 1,061 people (2017 Census) living on with the main village being Asau. Geography The island, which covers approximately , includes swamps, mangroves, a fringing coral reef, and a large lagoon. Vaitupu atoll consists of at least nine isles: * Luasamotu * Mosana (group of 2) * Motutanifa * Temotu * Te Motu Olepa * Tofia * Vaitupu proper * and at least one other islet The biggest island is Vaitupu proper, followed by Tofia. In the 2012 census, the population of the villages of Vaitupu were: * Apalolo - Saniuta: 263 * Tumaseu: 248 * Potufale: 230 * Asau: 198 In the same census, 502 people were recorded as being at Motufoua Secondary School. On 30 January and 1 February 1990, Cyclone Ofa had a major impact on Vaitupu, with around 85 percent of residential homes, trees and food crops being destroyed. In the 2011 Tuvalu drought, Vaitupu experienced th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately north-south. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest; Samoa to the northeast; New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west; Niue (the nearest foreign territory) to the east; and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest. Tonga is about from New Zealand's North Island. First inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by the Lapita civilization, Tonga's Polynesian settlers gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people. They were quick to establish a powerful footing acr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ʻEua
Eua is an island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is close to Tongatapu, but forms a separate administrative division. It has an area of , and a population in 2021 of 4,903 people. Geography Eua is a hilly island, the highest peaks are the ''Teemoa'' (chicken manure) 312 m, and the ''Vaiangina'' (watersprings) 305 m. The island is not volcanic, but was shaped by the rubbing of the Tonga Plate against the Pacific Plate, pushing Eua up and leaving the Tonga Trench on the bottom of the ocean, a short distance towards the east. The soil of Eua is volcanic, as is that of Tongatapu, but only the top layer, deposited by eruptions of nearby volcanoes ten thousands years ago. Under it are the solid rocks of pushed-up coral. Eua counts many huge caves and holes, not all of which have yet been explored. Eua and Niuatoputapu are the only islands in Tonga that have streams, and ʿEua had the only bridge in the kingdom until Vavau also built one. The stream drains into the harbour n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niue
Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. It is 604 kilometres northeast of Tonga. The island is commonly referred to as "The Rock", which comes from the traditional name "Rock of Polynesia". Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. The terrain of the island has two noticeable levels. The higher level is made up of a limestone cliff running along the coast, with a plateau in the centre of the island reaching approximately 60 metres (200 feet) above sea level. The lower level is a coastal terrace approximately 0.5 km (0.3 miles) wide and about 25–27 metres (80–90 feet) high, which slopes down and meets the sea in small cliffs. A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
