The distribution and life-history of Milionia isodoxa Prout (Lepidoptera, Geometridae), a Pest of planted hoop pine in papua New Guinea

1974 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. R. Wylie

AbstractMilionia isodoxa Prout is a serious defoliator of planted hoop pine, Araucaria cunninghamii, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The insect has been found in seven mainland districts, and larvae have been collected from naturally occurring hoop pine in the Madang and Southern Highlands Districts. M. isodoxa is multivoltine, the life-cycle taking approximately eight weeks. The durations of the five larval instars are 4, 4, 4, 5 and 10 days, respectively, and of the pupal period approximately two weeks. The males feed primarily on organic solutes, the females on nectar, so that the sex ratio of adult M. isodoxa in the hoop pine plantations at Bulolo varies with the time of day and locality. Pupae may be attacked by two species of Ichneumonidae and one of Braconidae, and the ants Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) and Oecophylla smaragdina (F.) are particularly effective larval predators in the Bulolo plantations; some adults are killed by spiders. The fungus Beauveria bassiana is responsible for high pupal mortality in the Highlands. Frass-drop frequency studies of M. isodoxa larvae in the laboratory showed that feeding activity is greatest in the early instars, and is greater at night for all instars. Larvae reared at 21°C required 14 days more for development than did those reared under the normal daily fluctuation, 19–31°C.

1976 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 695-711
Author(s):  
B. Gray

AbstractA branchlet-mining scolytid beetle, Hylurdrectonus araucariae Schedl, has invaded the hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantations at Bulolo and Wau in Papua New Guinea. A study of the infestation pattern in a plot of 184 young (5–6 year-old) trees at Bulolo from February 1968–August 1972 revealed four major phases: (i), a relatively prolonged but small build-up of the population on most trees over a period of 12–18 months following the first attack; (ii), a dramatic upsurge in the infestation over the following 12–18 months, reaching a peak infestation with the severe attack of nearly all trees in the plot; (iii), a sharp decline in the number of attacks and population over the next 12–18 months due to a lack of nest sites and food and (iv), a slow decline over a protracted period. The variation (313 to 6220) in the maximum number of infested branchlets on the trees in the plot at peak attack was great, due to the differing amounts of foliage and size of the trees, but it usually represented an estimated 85–95% of the foliage.A comparative study of seedling resistance of the two major plantation species, hoop pine and klinkii pine (Araucaria hunsteinii) was carried out at Bulolo in 1967 using seedlings from the local nursery and placing them in cages with large quantities of infested foliage. Over a two-month period, no colonies of H. araucariae were established in the klinkii pine seedlings and only three of 32 attacks recorded in the hoop pine seedlings had produced brood. Infestation of seedlings was extremely rare in the plantations and natural stands. On the other hand, most trees aged 2·5 to 12 years in the plantations at Bulolo and Wau were susceptible to severe infestation. Older trees were seldom severely attacked. Klinkii pine has proved non-susceptible to attack. In studies of impact in three plots of 1000 trees at Bulolo from 1967–1971, least growth increment and highest mortality was recorded in the plot that had been initially severely affected by the scolytid. In contrast, good growth and low mortality was recorded in the plot of healthy trees. They were later exposed to severe infestation from the adjacent plantation of young 3–4 year-old trees, but escaped relatively unscathed. In another study of impact at Bulolo from 1967–1972, the effect of two levels of pruning on subsequent growth and re-infestation was examined. The results indicated that site also strongly affected the situation, with little growth and high mortality evident on poor sites. Secondary insects, notably the weevil Vanapa oberthueri Pouillaude, were an important factor contributing to mortality among the stressed trees.


1975 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gray ◽  
K. P. Lamb

AbstractHylurdrectonus araucariaeSchedl is a major pest in hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantations at Bulolo and Wau in Papua New Guinea, establishing itself in nests inside the branchlets. The length of the excavation is proportional to the age of the nest. Colour changes in infested branchlets reflect changes in colony composition and in excavation activity as the colony ages; the branchlet eventually dies and falls off and severely infested trees lose much of their foliage. Data from field observations between 1967 and 1972 show that there are 5–10 overlapping generations ofH. araucariaein a year. The life-cycle takes place wholly within the branchlet, except for a brief period of flight or walking by the adult when seeking new nesting sites. The eggs incubate for 5–15 days, larvae take 10–25 days, pupae 10–15 days, and the immature adult 2–10 days; the adult may live 60 days or more. The colony composition is fairly stable in heavily infested areas throughout the year, except during drought. Colony composition and size vary from branchlet to branchlet or from tree to tree, but are more similar on trees with a similar stage of infestation. No significant natural enemies were found.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Chris Urwin ◽  
Quan Hua ◽  
Henry Arifeae

ABSTRACT When European colonists arrived in the late 19th century, large villages dotted the coastline of the Gulf of Papua (southern Papua New Guinea). These central places sustained long-distance exchange and decade-spanning ceremonial cycles. Besides ethnohistoric records, little is known of the villages’ antiquity, spatiality, or development. Here we combine oral traditional and 14C chronological evidence to investigate the spatial history of two ancestral village sites in Orokolo Bay: Popo and Mirimua Mapoe. A Bayesian model composed of 35 14C assays from seven excavations, alongside the oral traditional accounts, demonstrates that people lived at Popo from 765–575 cal BP until 220–40 cal BP, at which time they moved southwards to Mirimua Mapoe. The village of Popo spanned ca. 34 ha and was composed of various estates, each occupied by a different tribe. Through time, the inhabitants of Popo transformed (e.g., expanded, contracted, and shifted) the village to manage social and ceremonial priorities, long-distance exchange opportunities and changing marine environments. Ours is a crucial case study of how oral traditional ways of understanding the past interrelate with the information generated by Bayesian 14C analyses. We conclude by reflecting on the limitations, strengths, and uncertainties inherent to these forms of chronological knowledge.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0310057X2110278
Author(s):  
Terence E Loughnan ◽  
Michael G Cooper ◽  
Pauline B Wake ◽  
Harry Aigeeleng

The most recent estimates, published in 2016, have indicated that around 70% of anaesthesia providers in Papua New Guinea are non-physician anaesthetic providers and that they administer over 90% of anaesthetics, with a significant number unsupervised by a physician anaesthetist. Papua New Guinea has a physician anaesthetist ratio estimated to be 0.25 per 100,000 population, while Australia and New Zealand have a ratio of 19 physician anaesthetists per 100,000, which is 75 times that of Papua New Guinea. To reach a ratio of seven per 100,000, recommended as the minimum acceptable by the Lancet Commission in 2016, there will need to be over 35 practitioners trained per annum until 2030, at a time when the average annual numbers of recent years are less than three physicians and less than five non-physician anaesthetic providers. We review the development of anaesthesia administered by non-physician indigenous staff and the stages of development from heil tultuls, dokta bois, liklik doktas, native medical assistants, aid post orderlies, and Anaesthetic Technical Officers up to the current Anaesthetic Scientific Officers having attained the Diploma in Anaesthetic Science from the University of Papua New Guinea.


Author(s):  
Matthew Allen ◽  
Zahid Hasnain

This paper examines a number of recent empirical studies of local-level decision-making in relation to development planning and, especially, the allocation of state development funds in Papua New Guinea. The discussion is framed by the extensive theoretical and Papua New Guinea literature on patronage politics and political culture, by the recent history of decentralisation reforms, and by the frequently articulated, but largely anecdotal, observations about the functioning of district and local-level governance processes.In contrast to the anecdotal vision of widespread and chronic dysfunctionality, the studies considered here paint a picture of considerable spatial and regional variation. We offer some tentative hypotheses to explain this variation, while flagging the need for more empirical work. We outline how these preliminary findings have informed a program of research that is currently being undertaken at the district and local government levels with a view to gaining a better understanding of the extent and nature of spatial variation in the local-level governance of state development funds in Papua New Guinea.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Yearwood

AbstractOriginally intended to provide an accessible overview for colleagues in Papua New Guinea, this article outlines the emergence of the continental division of the world in classical antiquity. In medieval Europe this survived as a learned conception which eventually acquired emotional content. Nevertheless, the division was still within the context of universal Christianity, which did not privilege any continent. Contrary to the views of recent critics, the European sense of world geography was not inherently ‘Eurocentric’. While Europeans did develop a sense of continental superiority, Americans, Africans, and many Asians also came to identify themselves with their continents and to use them as weapons against European domination. The application of the division to Melanesia is also considered.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document