Reptile remains from Tiga (Tokanod), Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia

Archaeological excavations on Tiga provide the first vouchered herpetological records for this small island between Lifou and Maré in the Loyalty Islands. Eighty-three skeletal elements from four sites yielded material assignable to skinks (Emoia loyaltiensis, Lioscincus nigrofasciolatus), geckos (Bavayia crass i-collis, B. sp., Gehyra georgpotthasti, Nactus pelagicus), and a boid snake (Candoia bihroni) all known from elsewhere in the Loyalties, as well as undetermined material consistent with these and other Loyalties lizards. Diagnostic features of geckos versus skinks for elements commonly recovered from archaeological sites and from owl pellets are discussed. Gehyra georgpotthasti has a limited distribution in the Loyalties and its occurrence on Tiga clarifies its range. The boid snake is the only reptile likely to have been harvested by human inhabitants of Tiga. The presence of gekkonid geckos in pre-European times is confirmed and contrasts with the situation of Grande Terre fossil sites, where only diplodactylid geckos have been recovered. Although it is anticipated that all species recovered from archaeological sites are still present on the island, a modern herpetofaunal survey is needed

The Swiss bryophyte collection of Paul Frédéric Culmann (1860 –1936) in Zurich

The Swiss bryophyte collection of Paul Culmann in the herbarium Zurich (acronym: Z) has been digitalised and the data are now stored in a relational database. The collection contains 12,536 specimens with detailed information on locality, altitude, collecting date, and ecology. The specimens were collected between 1876 and 1923. They belong to 756 taxa, which is 69 % of the taxa known today from Switzerland. From a systematic point of view they well represent the Swiss bryophyte flora, as nearly all families are covered and there is no bias on either liverworts or mosses. Geographically, the data are less even distributed, because Paul Culmann collected preferentially in two regions: the canton of Zurich and the “Berner Oberland” (southern, alpine part of the canton of Bern). Therefore, many of his specimens are from higher altitudes, whereas lower regions are underrepresented. Despite the uneven geographical distribution, the data are a most valuable source for analysis of changes in the bryophyte flora of Switzerland