The Vanuatu rain forests are

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discon ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

which includes the islands of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of ...

, as well as the

Santa Cruz Islands The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the nation of Solomon Islands discovered by the Spaniards. They lie approximately 250 miles (400 km) to the southeast of the Solomon Islands ...

group of the neighboring

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. It is part of the

Australasian realm The Australasian realm is a biogeographic realm that is coincident with, but not (by some definitions) the same as, the geographical region of Australasia. The realm includes Australia, the island of New Guinea (comprising Papua New Guinea and th ...

, which includes neighboring

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

and the

, as well as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

Geography

The islands were created by the subduction of the northward-moving

Australian Plate The Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate in the eastern and, largely, southern hemispheres. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, Australia remained connected to India and Antarctica until approximately when India brok ...

beneath the

Pacific Plate The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate. The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and I ...

. The surface geology of Vanuatu consists mostly of Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanic rocks and uplifted coral limestone. The Santa Cruz Islands have areas of both uplifted limestone and volcanic ash over limestone. The oldest rocks in Vanuatu are 38 million years old. The Santa Cruz islands are younger, with the oldest rocks less that 5 million years old. Most of the islands are low-lying. The largest island is Espiritu Santo (3,955.5 km²). The highest peak is Mount Tabwemasana on Espiritu Santo (1,879 m). Nendö is the largest of the Santa Cruz Islands. The highest peak in the Santa Cruz islands (924 m) is on

Vanikoro Vanikoro (sometimes wrongly named ''Vanikolo'') is an island in the Santa Cruz group, located to the Southeast of the main Santa Cruz group. It is part of the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. The name ''Vanikoro'' is always used as thou ...

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical wet climate. The windward southeastern sides of the islands receive more rainfall. The leeward northwestern slopes of islands have a distinct dry season between April and October. Tropical cyclones occur regularly.

Flora

The natural plant communities on the islands include lowland rain forest, montane rain forest, seasonal forest and scrub, coastal strand, mangroves, vegetation on recent volcanic rocks, and secondary vegetation. Lowland rain forest occurs on the southeastern, or windward, sides of Vanuatu's islands. There are several lowland rain forest types. Complex forest scrub densely covered with lianas is the most widespread forest type on the larger northern islands. Other types include high- and medium-stature forests, alluvial and floodplain forests, and mixed-species forests without conifers. ''

Agathis ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely re ...

Calophyllum ''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. History Members of the genus ''Calophyllu ...

'' lowland forest is found on the southern islands of

Erromango Erromango is the fourth largest island in the Vanuatu archipelago. With a land area of it is the largest island in Tafea Province, the southernmost of Vanuatu's six administrative regions. Name The endonym for Erromango in Erromangan is ''Nel ...

and

Aneityum Aneityum (also known as Anatom or Keamu) is the southernmost island of Vanuatu, in the province of Tafea. Geography Aneityum is the southernmost island of Vanuatu (not counting the Matthew and Hunter Islands, which are disputed with New Caledoni ...

. Lowland rainforest is the predominant plant community on the Santa Cruz Islands, and has some differences from the lowland rain forests on the islands further south. Typical species include ''

Campnosperma brevipetiolatum ''Campnosperma brevipetiolatum'' is a species of tree in the Anacardiaceae family. It is native to an area in the west Pacific and Malesia from the Santa Cruz Islands to the Caroline Islands and Sulawesi. It is commonly used for its timber, inclu ...

Calophyllum vitiense ''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. History Members of the genus ''Calophyllu ...

Gmelina salomonensis ''Gmelina'' is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae. It consists of about 35 species in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Southeast Asia, India and a few in Africa. Some species such as ''G. arborea'' have been planted and/or become nat ...

Parinari corymbosa ''Maranthes corymbosa'' is a tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae. The specific epithet ''corymbosa'' is from the Greek meaning "cluster", referring to the clustered inflorescences. Description ''Maranthes corymbosa'' grows up to tall with a tru ...

Paraserianthes falcataria ''Falcataria falcata'' (syns. ''Albizia falcata'', ''Falcataria moluccana'' and ''Paraserianthes falcataria''), commonly known as the Moluccan albizia, is a species of fast-growing tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the Maluku Islands, ...

Pterocarpus indicus ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (commonly known as Amboyna wood, Malay padauk, Papua New Guinea rosewood, Philippine mahogany, Andaman redwood, Burmese rosewood, narra and asana in the Philippines, angsana, or Pashu padauk) is a species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'', and ''

Endospermum medullosum ''Endospermum medullosum'', commonly known as the whitewood, is a dioecious plant that grows in the tropical islands. It grows in tropical humid climates. The species is well known for timber. Distribution ''Endospermum medullosum'' grows natura ...

''. There is no well-developed montane forest, but the trees '' Metrosideros ornata,

Syzygium ''Syzygium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. ...

'' spp., and the conifers ''

'' and ''

Dacrydium elatum ''Dacrydium elatum'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., ...

'', which elsewhere are montane species, occur in the islands' lowland forests. Montane rain forests extent from as low as 500 meters elevation up to patches of stunted cloud forest on the islands' highest peaks. They include the conifers ''

'' and ''

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, “foot”) + καρπός (karpós, “fruit”). ''Podocarpus'' species ...

'', together with broadleaf evergreen trees ''Metrosideros ornata, Syzygium'' spp., ''

Weinmannia ''Weinmannia'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Cunoniaceae. It is the largest genus of the family with about 150 species. It is also the most widespread genus, occurring in Central and South America including the Caribbean, Madagas ...

'' spp., '' Geissois'' spp., ''

Quintinia ''Quintinia'' is a genus of about 25 evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Philippines, New Guinea, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Australia. Plants have alternate leaves. White or lilac flowers form at the end of stalks or on leaf ax ...

'' spp., and ''

Ascarina ''Ascarina'' is an ancient, woody, Flowering plant, angiosperm genus. It is a distinct genus of ''Chloranthaceae'' consisting of less than twenty species, found in the Australian region, the Pacific Islands and Madagascar. They can grow up to six ...

'' spp. The tree ferns '' Cyathea'' and ''

Dickinsonia ''Dickinsonia'' is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, China, Russia and Ukraine. The individual ''Dickinsonia'' typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval. Its a ...

'' are common, and the endemic palm '' Clinostigma harlandii'' is found on the islands

Ambrym Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit. Etymology Ambrym (also known as ''Ambrin'', ''"ham rim"'' in the Ranon language ...

, Aneityum, and Erromango. Seasonal forest, scrub, and grassland grow on the leeward sides of the islands. Semideciduous ''

Kleinhovia hospita ''Kleinhovia hospita'' (guest tree syn. ''Kleinhovia serrata'' Blanco, ''Grewia meyeniana'' Walp.) is an evergreen, tropical tree native to Indonesia, Malaysia and other parts of tropical Asia. It is monotypic, being the only species in the genu ...

Castanospermum australe ''Castanospermum australe'' (Moreton Bay chestnut or blackbean), the only species in the genus ''Castanospermum'', is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the east coast of Australia in Queensland and New South Wales, and to the ...

'' forests are a transition between rain forest and dry forest, and include some rain forest species. Forest of gaiac ('' Acacia spirorbis'') is found in drier areas, with a canopy up to 15 meters high. Thickets and savannas of the introduced tree '' Leucaena leucocephala'' and grasslands are also found on the leeward sides of the islands. Littoral forests include ''

Casuarina equisetifolia ''Casuarina equisetifolia'', common names ''Coastal She-oak'' or ''Horsetail She-oak'' (sometimes referred to as the Australian pine tree or whistling pine tree outside Australia), is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina''. The native ...

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common name ...

'' spp., '' Barringtonia asiatica,

Terminalia catappa ''Terminalia catappa'' is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almon ...

, Hernandia'' spp., and ''

Thespesia populnea ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

''. Coastal

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

forests are found on some islands, and contain species of ''

Rhizophora ''Rhizophora'' is a genus of tropical mangrove trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the red mangrove (''Rhizophora mangle'') but some other species and a few natural hybrids are known. ''Rhizophora'' ...

, Avicennia,

Sonneratia ''Sonneratia'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the ''Sonneratia'' and the ''Duabanga'', but these two are now placed in their own mono ...

, Xylocarpus'', and ''

Ceriops ''Ceriops'' is a genus of mangroves in family Rhizophoraceae. There are 5 accepted species and 17 known synonyms. List of species * ''Ceriops australis'' (C.T.White) Ballment, T.J.Sm. & J.A.Stoddart ** ''Ceriops tagal'' var. ''australis'' C.T ...

''.

Fauna

Bats are the only native mammals in the ecoregion. There are twelve species – four

megabat Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera ( bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera ''Acerodon'' and '' Pteropus''— flying foxes. They are the only member of the s ...

s and eight microbats – five of which are endemic. The four megabats –

Vanuatu flying fox The Vanuatu flying fox or white flying fox (''Pteropus anetianus'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu. It is most closely related to the Samoa flying fox The Samoa flying fox or Samoan flying ...

(''Pteropus anetianus''), Temotu flying fox (''Pteropus nitendiensis''), Vanikoro flying fox (''Pteropus tuberculatus''), and Banks flying fox (''Pteropus fundatus'') – are endemic. Native microchiroptera include the Fijian blossom bat (''Notopteris macdonaldi''), Fijian mastiff bat (''Chaerephon bregullae''),

Pacific sheath-tailed bat The Pacific sheath-tailed bat or Polynesian sheath-tailed bat (''Emballonura semicaudata'') is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae found in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa (where it is called ''pe'a vai ...

(''Emballonura semicaudata''),

large-footed bat The large-footed bat, large-footed mouse-eared bat, or large-footed myotis (''Myotis adversus'') is a species of vesper bat (family Vespertilionidae). It can be found in the following countries: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea ...

(''Myotis adversus''),

little bent-wing bat The little bent-wing bat or little long-fingered bat (''Miniopterus australis'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Miniopteridae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vanuatu. Taxonomy The species was first d ...

(''Miniopterus australis''), great bent-winged bat (''Miniopterus tristis''),

Temminck's trident bat Temminck's trident bat (''Aselliscus tricuspidatus'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (fren ...

(''Aselliscus tricuspidatus''), and

fawn leaf-nosed bat The fawn leaf-nosed bat (''Hipposideros cervinus'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae found in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vanuatu. Taxonomy The species was first described by John Gould in his Mamm ...

(''Hipposideros cervinus''). The endemic Nendo tube-nosed fruit bat (''Nyctimene sanctacrucis'') is presumed extinct. There area 79 native bird species in Vanuatu. Fifteen species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

– Vanuatu scrubfowl (''Megapodius layardi''), Santa Cruz ground-dove (''Gallicolumba sanctaecrucis''), Tanna ground-dove (''Gallicolumba ferruginea''), Tanna fruit-dove (''Ptilinopus tannensis''), Baker's imperial pigeon (''Ducula bakeri''),

palm lorikeet The palm lorikeet (''Vini palmarum'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane ...

(''Charmosyna palmarum''), chestnut-bellied kingfisher (''Todirhamphus farquhari''),

Vanikoro monarch The Vanikoro monarch (''Mayrornis schistaceus'') is a species of bird in the monarch family endemic to the Santa Cruz Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and it is threatened by habitat loss. Alternate na ...

(''Mayrornis schistaceus''), buff-bellied monarch (''Neolalage banksiana''),

black-throated shrikebill The black-throated shrikebill or black-faced shrikebill (''Clytorhynchus nigrogularis'') is a songbird species in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Fiji and Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland fo ...

(''Clytorhynchus nigrogularis''), Vanikoro flycatcher (''Myiagra vanikorensis''), Santa Cruz white-eye (''Zosterops santaecrucis''), yellow-fronted white-eye (''Zosterops flavifrons''),

Sanford's white-eye Sanford's white-eye (''Zosterops lacertosus'') is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Nendo Island. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. This species ha ...

(''Woodfordia lacertosa''), New Hebrides honeyeater (''Phylidonyris notabilis''), royal parrotfinch (''Erythrura regia''), Polynesian starling (''Aplonis tabuensis''), rusty-winged starling (''Aplonis zelandica''), and Mountain starling (''Aplonis santovestris''). The ecoregion corresponds to the Vanuatu and Temotu

endemic bird area An Endemic Bird Area (EBA) is an area of land identified by BirdLife International as being important for habitat-based bird conservation because it contains the habitats of restricted-range bird species (''see below for definition''), which are th ...

.BirdLife International (2020) Endemic Bird Areas factsheet: Vanuatu and Temotu. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 02/06/2020.

External links

*
Vanuatu and Temotu endemic bird area
BirdLife International.

References

{{coord, -15.33, 166.92, dim:1000000, display=title Australasian ecoregions Ecoregions of the Solomon Islands Environment of Vanuatu * * Geography of the Solomon Islands Geography of Vanuatu Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Vanuatu