ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 183 DUCIE ATOLL: ITS HISTORY, PHYSIOGRAPHY AND BIOTA by Harald A. Rehder and John E. Randall Issued by TIIE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Washington, D.C., U.S.A. January 15, 1975 Contents In t roduct ion History Current Information on Ducie V i s i t t o Ducie i n 1971 Physiography of Land Masses Lagoon Channels and Water Exchange Submarine Features of Ocean Reef Botany Zoology Mammals Birds Rept i les Fishes (by John E . Randall) I n s e c t s Crustaceans Marine Mollusks (by Harald A. Rehder) Echinoderms Corals L i t e r a t u r e Cited Page 1 2 9 10 11 1 3 15 16 18 Figures 1 t o 29 follow page 40. DUCIE ATOLL: ITS HISTORY, PIiYSIOGRAPIlY AND BIOTA by Harald A , Rehder L/ and John E. Randall L/ INTRODUCTION Remote and uninhabited Ducie A t o l l (24O ~ O ' S , 124' 4 7 ' ~ ) , more commonly known a s Ducie I s l and , l i e s 293 mi les e a s t of P i t c a i r n and 830 miles west-northwest of Easter Is land. It i s t h e easternmost a t o l l of the vas t Indo-Pacif ic biogeographical r eg ion t h a t possesses a pure, though impoverished Polynesian b io t a . Cl ipper ton A t o l l (10' 18'N, 109' 1 3 ' ~ ) , t h e one a t o l l i n t h e P a c i f i c t h a t l i e s t o t h e e a s t of Ducie, has a fauna and f l o r a with a s i g n i f i c a n t admixture of Eastern P a c i f i c elements (Sachet, 1962; Salvat and Erhard t , 1970), Ducie, only one and a t h i r d mi les Long and a mile wide, i s one of the P i t c a i r n I s l ands , and together with t h e two o ther s a t e l l i t e i s l a n d s , Oeno and Henderson, was o f f i c i a l l y annexed t o P i t c a i r n i n 1902. Because of i t s geographical ly i s o l a t e d and biogeographical ly marginal pos i t i on , t h e au thors had long des i r ed t o c o l l e c t and study t h e marine fauna of Ducie A t o l l and compare t h e spec ies l i v i n g t h e r e wi th those of t h e i s l a n d s t o t h e west which have a more r i c h l y developed Indo-Pacif ic fauna. On two previous t r i p s t o P i t c a i r n i n 1964 and 1967, t h e senior au thor had hoped t o v i s i t Ducie but each time both l a c k of a v a i l a b l e t ime and shortage of necessary f u e l made t h e 300 mi le t r i p t o Ducie from P i t c a i r n impossible. When t h e i t i n e r a r y of t h e 1970-1971 National Geographic Society- Oceanic I n s t i t u t e Expedition t o Southeast Oceania was s e t up t o inc lude an extended s t a y a t P i t c a i r n I s l and , it was determined t h a t a v i s i t t o Ducie A t o l l would be an e s s e n t i a l p a r t of t h e program, With t h e 99-foot schooner WESTWARD a s our means of t r a n s p o r t a t i o n and base of opera t ions , we foresaw bad weather as t h e only f a c t o r t h a t might prevent us from a t 1/ Division of Mollusks, National Museum of Natura l History, - Smithsonian I n s t i t u t i o n , Washington, D. C. 20560. 2/ Division of Ichthyology, Bernice P, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii - 96818, (Manuscript received October 1973--Eds) . last v i s i t i n g Ducie. On January 10 , 1971, a f t e r spending 22 days on P i t c a i r n , t h e WESTWARD l e f t f o r Ducie A t o l l , which was reached a f t e r making a b r i e f s t o p a t Henderson I s l and . Two and a h a l f days were spen t a t Ducie, a f t e r which we re turned t o Henderson and then P i t c a i r n . The f a c t t h a t s o l i t t l e is known of t h i s r a r e l y v i s i t e d i s l a n d has induced us t o put on record not only our observa t ions , b u t ga ther toge the r a l l t h a t was previously known of Ducie. To the a u t h o r i t i e s of the National Geographic Society, e s p e c i a l l y t h e Committee on Research and Explorat ion, and to Taylor A. Pryor and h i s a s soc ia t e s of t h e Oceanic Foundation, we a r e g r a t e f u l f o r making t h i s t r i p poss ib le i n the f i r s t p lace . To Captain W. Roger Gray and h i s crew of the WESTWARD our thanks f o r g e t t i n g us everywhere t h a t w e wished t o go, p a r t i c u l a r l y t o those who a s s i s t e d us i n our inves t iga t ions a t Ducie A t o l l , e s p e c i a l l y Denis Hewett who made t h e t i d a l observat ions included i n t h i s account. We owe much t o t h e people of P i t c a i r n f o r t h e i r h o s p i t a l i t y and he lp , e s p e c i a l l y t o Steve Chr i s t i an and Noggy Young who accompanied us t o Ducie and t o Roy Clarke f o r passing on t o us the r eco l l ec t ions of h i s f a t h e r who was shipwrecked on Ducie i n 1881. To the Hydrographer of t h e Navy of the B r i t i s h Minis t ry of Defence, we a r e g r a t e f u l f o r t h e e f f o r t s t o l o c a t e the a e r i a l photographs taken during the survey by HMS LEANDER i n 1937 and f o r fu rn i sh ing us wi th a copy of t h e o r i g i n a l t r a c i n g made by the Commanding O f f i c e r of HMS LEANDER. We a r e g r e a t l y indebted t o t h e Direc tor of t h e Western P a c i f i c Archives i n Suva, F i j i , f o r l o c a t i n g and sending us a microfilm copy of the repor t of the survey of HMS LEANDER. F ina l ly , our thanks go t o Mrs. James P. Chapin and o the r s a t the American Museum of Natural History f o r fu rn i sh ing us wi th copies of the re levant po r t ions of the journa ls and l e t t e r s w r i t t e n by Rollo H . Beck, Ernest H . Quayle, and Charles C. Cur t i s during the Whitney South Sea Expedition, and by James P. Chapin while on t h e Templeton Crocker Expedition. We reg re t only t h a t our s t a y on Ducie was not long enough t o car ry out a more comprehensive survey, p a r t i c u l a r l y s ince i n r e t rospec t we r e a l i z e t h a t we might have made c e r t a i n observat ions t h a t would have added considerably t o t h i s account. We may only hope t h a t t h e publ ica t ion of t h i s s tudy w i l l induce o t h e r workers t o at tempt a more thorough and extended survey of t h i s i n t e r e s t i n g a t o l l . HISTORY Although i n many recen t re ferences t o Ducie Captain Edwards of t h e PANDORA i s s t i l l c i t e d a s the d iscoverer of the i s l a n d i n 1791, t h e t r u e d iscoverer has been i d e n t i f i e d by scho la r s f o r almost a hundred years a s Pedro de Quir6s i n 1606. Kelly, i n h i s s tudy of the voyage of Quir6s (Kelly, 1966, op. p. 62), gives an i n t e r e s t i n g t a b l e l i s t i n g t h e varying i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s given over the years t o the i s l a n d s encountered during t h i s voyage. From t h i s we see t h a t a s e a r l y a s 1837 Moerenhout suggested t h a t ~ u i r 6 s might have discovered Ducie. The f i r s t t o d e f i n i t e l y i d e n t i f y Ducie with the f i r s t i s l a n d encountered by Quir6s on h i s voyage was the German geographer Meinicke i n 1875-76. Ducie was discovered on January 26, 1606, during t h e expedi t ion headed by Pedro Fernandez de Quir6s which s a i l e d from Callao, Peru t o ca r ry C h r i s t i a n i t y t o t h e peoples of t h e i s l a n d s of t h e western P a c i f i c discovered on e a r l i e r Spanish expedit ions. It was t h e f i r s t i s l a n d seen by t h e l i t t l e f l o t i l l a of t h r e e sh ips a f t e r leaving Cal lao on December 21, 1605, t h e f i r s t of eighteen i s l a n d s discovered by Q u i r 6 s on h i s way t o ~ s p t r i t u Santo i n t h e New Hebrides, where h i s expedi t ion eventua l ly ended, I n h i s n a r r a t i v e Quir6s says t h a t on January 25 they "saw t h e f i r s t weeds'' (de Leza i n h i s account adds " l ike sargasso"), and on t h e following day "birds of s eve ra l kinds f l y i n g together" were seen (Markham, 1904,0 p, 192). On t h a t day, a t 11 o 'c lock they saw t h e a t o l l i n l a t i t u d e 25 . He described i t a s having "a circumference of 5 leagues, many t r e e s , and a beach of sand. Near t h e land t h e depth was 80 fathoms. I gave it t h e name of 'Luna-Puesta.'" (Markham, loc. c i t . ) . They d id not land a s it was l a t e so stood off during t h e n igh t , and t h e next morning found themselves t o leeward, and d id not at tempt t o approach t h e i s l a n d again but s a i l e d on towards t h e west, The name t h a t Quir6s f i r s t gave t h e i s l a n d s i g n i f i e s " s e t t i n g moon"; i n h i s memorial of 1609 he changed t h e name t o "La Encarnaci6n. " The chief p i l o t of Quir6s' f l e e t , Gaspar Gonzalez de Leza, has a l s o l e f t a n account of t h e voyage and here he g ives t h e fol lowing desc r ip t ion of t h e discovery of Ducie: This day [ the 26 th l we saw many b i r d s of d i f f e r e n t kinds a t about e igh t , g u l l s , f r i g a t e b i r d s , boobies and t e r n s , and a t noon we s ighted land: a t which a l l hands r e jo i ced , a good p r i z e being given t h e look-out man, The Capitana f i r z d a gun t o announce it t o t h e o the r , and we proceeded towards i t , sending t h e launch [the LOS TRES REYES, smal les t of t h e t h r e e ships]on ahead t o f i n d a por t . Having reconnoitered, they t o l d us they had been wi th in arquebus-shot of t h e land, and t h a t t h e r e was no bottom i n 200 fathoms, It seemed t o our General t h a t , i f we could ge t nearer , we might f i n d a po r t , and take i n wood and water, and some f i s h : f o r t h e i s l a n d seemed t o have these th ings i n abundance. It was very green and seemed l a r g e from what we could see , There were 3 or 4 leagues of very white beach, backedoby t r e e s . F i r s t Is land: Anegada.--In 25 S, 1000 leagues from Callao. This i s l a n d i s very f l a t , so t h a t one may be near i t and never see it. It runs NW and SE . . . t h e Almiranta . . t o l d us he had found bottom i s 80 fathoms, then no bottom with 300 fathoms." (Markham, 2 &. , p. 329). Fray Martin de Munilla, 0,F.M. "comissary of t h e Franciscans i n t h e expedi t ion and ' chapla in and Vicar of t h e Royal F l e e t ' " (Kelly, 1966, p. 6) a l s o kept a journa l and described Ducie a s "A small i s l a n d of about two leagues, l e v e l with t h e sea , wel l wooded, and of a very p leas ing appearance. There was a sandy beach a l l around i t . Apparently t h e r e was g r e a t depth because, a l though t h e launch drew q u i t e c l o s e t o i t , she d i d not f i n d bottom" (Kelly, 2. &. , p. 153). A l l t h e es t imates of t h e s i z e of t h e i s l and given i n t h e above c i t e d accounts a r e f a r too g r e a t , i f we consider t h e Spanish legua i n these accounts t o have been equal t o 3,2 n a u t i c a l miles (Kelly, SO a., p, 52), The Sumario breve of Juan de I t u r b e , overseer and accountant , g ives i t s s i z e a s one and a ha l f leagues (Kelly, 2. Go, p, 279), which i s s t i l l too l a rge . We can smile a t Munil la 's d e s c r i p t i o n of t h i s r a t h e r dreary a t o l l a s having "a very p leas ing appearance" and a t t r i b u t e it t o t h e f a c t t h a t i t was t h e i r f i r s t i s l a n d a f t e r t h i r t y - s i x days of probably not too comfortable voyaging. The sandy beaches t h a t a r e mentioned i n s e v e r a l of t hese accounts a r e a c t u a l l y f o r t h e most p a r t beaches and shore depos i t s of c o r a l rubble t h a t from a d i s t a n c e have t h e appearance of sand. Almost 200 years passed before t h e next recorded v i s i t i n t h e year 1791 t o Ducie. This was by HMS PANDORA, commanded by Captain Edward Edwards, while on a mission t o f i n d and a r r e s t t h e mutineers of t h e BOUNTY. I n h i s o f f i c i a l r e p o r t he merely l is ts t h e t h r e e i s l a n d s he discovered on t h e voyage between Cape Horn agd Tah i t i : " the f i r s t , whish I c a l l e d Ducie's I s l and , l i e s i n La t i tude 24 4 0 ' 3 0 " ~ and Longitude 124 3 6 ' 3 0 " ~ from Greenwich. It i s between 2 and 3 mil.es long" (Edwards and Hamilton, 1915, p, 29), The i s l a n d was s ighted on March 16, 1791. George Hamilton t h e surgeon on t h e PANDORA, published an account of t h e voyage i n 1793. He says "on t h e 16 th [of arch] we discovered a Lagoon I s l and of about t h r e e or four miles e x t e n t ; i t was wel l wooded, but had no inhab i t an t s , and was named ~ u c i e ' s I s l and , i n honour of Lord ~ u c i e " (Edwards and Hamilton, 1915, p. 101). F ranc i s Moreton, f o u r t h Baron Ducie of 'Tor twor th , was a cap ta in i n t h e Royal Navy. Apparently t h i s expedi t ion a l s o d id not land on Ducie. Ducie I s land appeared i n c e r t a i n New England newspapers i n 1821 and subsequent yea r s (Ward, 1967, pp. 198-217) a s t h e i s l and which t h e t h r e e boats from t h e i l l - f a t e d ESSEX, a t t a c k e d by a whale i n November, 1820, be l ieved they had reached a f t e r a month of voyaging on t h e open sea (Chase, 1821). Actual ly t h e i s l a n d on which they spent a week was Henderson I s l and , 200 miles t o t h e northwest, and not Ducie, When t h e t h r e e boats l e f t Henderson on December 27, 1820, they l e f t t h r e e crew members behind who chose t o remain and await a rescue; t h i s rescue d i d take place on Apr i l 5, 1821 when Captain Raine of t h e SURRY took them o f f . Two of t h e boats were f i n a l l y picked up by d i f f e r e n t vesse ls . The t h i r d boat became separa ted from t h e o the r two and was never seen again. Beechey, who v i s i t e d both Ducie and Henderson i n 1825, b r i e f l y r e l a t e s t h e s t o r y of t h e ESSM and i t s su rv ivor s (Beechey, 1832, pp. 50-51). I n h i s account he says t h a t a merchant sh ip , which he does not i d e n t i f y , found on Ducie t h e wreck of a boat and fou r ske le tons , and f e e l s it i s not improbable t h a t t hese remains were those of t h e l o s t t h i r d boat of t h e ESSM and her crew. I n Chase's account and i n t h e contemporary newspaper accounts, t h e name Ducie i s var ious ly spe l l ed a s Ducie's, Dernier ' s, Ducier ' s and Duces. The f i r s t ex tens ive desc r ip t ion of Ducie, r e p r i n t e d below, was furnished by Captain F. W. Beechey, R.N., who v i s i t e d t h e i s l a n d i n HMS BLOSSOM i n November 1825. Ile did not land but had t h e small boats circumnavigate t h e a t o l l (Gough, 1973, p, 74), ,I ~ u c i e ' s I s l and i s of c o r a l formation, of an oval form, wi th a lagoon or lake , i n the center , which i s sca rce ly above t h e wa te r ' s edge, The height of t h e s o i l upon t h e i s l a n d i s about twelve f e e t , above which t r e e s r i s e about fou r t een more, making i t s g r e a t e s t e l eva t ion about twenty-six f e e t from t h e l e v e l of t h e sea. The lagoon appears t o be deep, and has t h e en t rance i n t o i t f o r a boat , when t h e water i s s u f f i c i e n t l y smooth t o admit of passing over t h e bar . It i s s i t u a t e d a t t h e southeas t ex t remi ty , t o t h e r i g h t of two eminences t h a t have t h e appearance of s and-h i l l s , The i s l a n d l i e s i n a nor th-eas t and south-west d i r e c t i o n , i s one mi le and t h r e e q u a r t e r s long, and one mile wide. No l i v i n g th ings , b i rds excepted, were seen upon t h e i s l and ; but i t s environs appeared t o abound i n f i s h , and sharks were very numerous. The water was s o c l e a r over t h e c o r a l , t h a t t h e bottom was d i s t i n c t l y seen when no soundings could be had with t h i r t y fathoms of l i n e ; i n twenty four fathoms, t h e shape of t h e rock a t t h e bottom was c l e a r l y d i s t ingu i shed . The c o r a l - l i n e s [ s i c ] were of various co lours , p r i n c i p a l l y white, sulphur, and l i l a c , and formed i n t o a l l manner of shapes, g iv ing a l i v e l y and var iega ted appearance t o t h e bottom; but they soon l o s t t h e i r colour a f t e r be ing detached, 9 , By t h e soundings round t h i s l i t t l e i s l a n d , i t appeared, f o r a c e r t a i n d i s t ance , t o take t h e shape of a t runca ted cone having i t s base downwards. The nor th-eas tern and south-western ex t r emi t i e s a r e furnished with po in t s which p ro jec t under water wi th l e s s i n c l i n a t i o n than t h e s i d e s of t h e i s l a n d , and break t h e sea before i t can reach t h e b a r r i e r t o t h e l i t t l e lagoon formed wi th in , It i s s ingu la r t h a t t hese b u t t r e s s e s a r e opposed t o t h e only two qua r t e r s whence t h e i r s t r u c t u r e has t o apprehend danger; t h a t on t h e no r th -eas t , from t h e cons tant a c t i o n of t h e trade-wind, and t h a t on t h e o the r extremity, from t h e long r o l l i n g swell from t h e south-west, s o prevalent i n t h e s e l a t i t u d e s ; and it i s worthy of observat ion, t h a t t h i s b a r r i e r , which has t h e most powerful enemy t o oppose, is c a r r i e d out much f a r t h e r , and wi th l e s s abruptness than t h e o the r , 11 The sand-mounds r a i s e d upon t h e b a r r i e r a r e confined t o t h e e a s t e r n and north-western s i d e s of t h e lagoon, t h e south-western p a r t being l e f t low, and broken by a channel of water. On t h e rocky su r face of t h e causeway, between t h e lake and t h e sea , l i e s a s t ra tum of da rk rounded, p a r t i c l e s , probably c o r a l , and above it another , apparent ly composed of decayed vegetable substances. A v a r i e t y of ever green t r e e s t ake r o o t i n t h i s bank, and form a canopy almost impenetrable t o t h e sun ' s rays , and present t o t h e eye a grove of t h e l i v e l i e s t green." (Beechey, 1831, pp, 44-45). Beechey's account is copied almost verbatim i n Findlay 's Directory (Findlay, 1851, pp. 844-845; 1884, pp. 595-596). Beechey's survey was the b a s i s f o r t h e f i r s t published Admiralty cha r t of the i s l a n d , and f o r a hundred years i t was the only map a v a i l a b l e t o naviga tors (Figure 1 ) . 3bo years l a t e r , on December 7, 1827, t h e famous t r ave le r - co l l ec to r , Hugh Cuming, reached Ducie i n h i s v e s s e l DISCOVERER, n ine days a f t e r leaving Eas t e r I s l and . He was the f i r s t t o land on the a t o l l , and i n h i s l e t t e r t o D r . Hooler of t h e Royal Botanic Gardens a t Kew, he has t h i s t o say of Ducie, which h e c a l l e d " ~ u c i e s I s land" "This i s one of the low c o r a l lagoon i s l a n d s n o t 10 f e e t above t h e l e v e l of t h e sea: has a number of t r e e s and a smal l s tun ted grass . . . . Not any f r e sh water could one f ind." (S t , John, 1940, p. 86). One yea r l a t e r , on December 17, 1828, t h e i s l a n d was encountered by J. A. Moerenhout i n a voyage from Cobija, then a p o r t i n Peru bu t now i n Chi le , t o T a h i t i (Moerenhout, 1837, vol . 1, pp. 28-30). Moerenhout, a Belgian t r a d e r i n T a h i t i who l a t e r became U.S. Consul i n T a h i t i , is t h e au thor of one of the e a r l i e s t d e t a i l e d desc r ip t ions of the c u l t u r e of the i n h a b i t a n t s of French Polynesia . He spent only a few hours a t Ducie, and from h i s account we a r e not c e r t a i n t h a t he ac tua l ly landed on t h e i s l a n d , as h i s observat ions a r e very l imi t ed . He, l i k e Beechey, mentions t h e presence of a pass on the sou theas t s i d e . H i s desc r ip t ion of the vegeta t ion as cons i s t ing of Pandanus and Hibiscus must be taken with r e se rva t ions , and i s an i n d i c a t i o n t h a t he probably did not go ashore. Hugh Cuming, who v i s i t e d t h e i s l a n d a year e a r l i e r , does n o t mention t h e s e p l a n t s , and a s a c o l l e c t o r of bo tan ica l specimens would probably have commented on t h e i r presence had he found them the re ; i n h i s l e t t e r t o D r . W. J. Hooker, t h e b o t a n i s t , descr ib ing h i s t r i p and some of the p l a n t s he found, he mentions f ind ing "shrubs and palms [Pandanusl" on Henderson I s l a n d (St . John, 1. c . ) . Captain J. Worth, of HMS CALYPSO s igh ted the i s l a n d i n February, 1848, and comments on the d i f f i c u l t y of s ee ing the i s l a n d u n t i l wi th in 8 o r 9 miles of i t . He f u r t h e r s t a t e s t h a t t h e people of P i t c a i r n I s l and be l i eve the i s l a n d t o be inhabi ted , a s ta tement which he doubts (Findlay, 1851, p . 845). Since Beechey, the i s l a n d has r a r e l y been v i s i t e d . The people of P i t c a i r n r egu la r ly s a i l t o Oeno and Henderson I s l ands , v i s i t i n g t h e l a t t e r to obta in miro wood (Thes2esia populnea) f o r t h e i r carving, but of those l i v i n g now on the i s l a n d only 87-year-old Frederick Chr i s t i an has been t o Ducie; he was 1 9 a t the time. On 5 June, 1881, i n calm seas and with a b r i g h t moon sh in ing , t h e b r i g ACADIA, bound from San Francisco f o r Cork, I r e l and , by way of Cape Horn with a cargo of wheat was wrecked on Ducie. It took the crew 1 5 days, s t r u g g l i n g aga ins t bad s e a s and head winds i n two boats t o reach P i t c a i r n a f t e r a b r i e f s topover on Henderson. The crew remained on P i t c a i r n f o r seven months be fo re they were ab le t o g e t back t o t h e United S t a t e s and England. Two members of the crew re turned t o P i t c a i r n i n l a t e r yea r s t o make t h e i r homes there- -Phi l ip Coffin of Massachusetts and Lincoln Clark of Cal i forn ia . Both have descendants l i v i n g on t h e i s l and . I n t h e following year a ves se l t h a t v i s i t e d t h e i s l a n d saw t h e remains of "a l a r g e wreck ly ing on t h e NW s ide" (Findlay, 1901, p. 175), undoubtedly t h e remains of t h e ACADIA, During our v i s i t t o Ducie i n January, 1971, we found numerous pieces of wreckage t h a t very probably a r e t h e remains of t h e ACADIA--pieces of wood and copper sheathing--above t h e high c o r a l rubble rampart on t h e northwest s ide , under t h e Tournefor t ia t r e e s , and on t h e lagoon s i d e of t h e same p a r t of t h e a t o l l more wood, i r o n sp ikes , a much-rusted pa i r of b o l l a r d s , and a f a i r - l e a d chock. These were on t h e rubblestrewn area t h a t l i e s between t h e main clumps of Tournefort ia t r e e s and t h e lagoon shore l i n e ; i n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r p a r t of t h e i s l a n d t h i s a rea i s f a i r l y wide. I n 1902, Captain G. F. Jones, under a commission from M r . R. T. Simons, B r i t i s h Consul a t T a h i t i , went i n a c u t t e r with a crew of P i t c a i r n I s l ande r s , t o Oeno, Henderson, and Ducie, and formally annexed these i s l a n d s t o t h e B r i t i s h Empire. I n March, 1922, members of t h e Whitney South Sea Expedition, put i n t o t h e f i e l d by t h e American Museum of Natural History, spent eleven days a t Ducie. This group with Rol lo H, Beck a s l eade r and inc luding Ernest H, Quayle, and Charles C. C u r t i s , s a i l e d from P i t c a i r n on t h e schooner, FRANCE, and a f t e r s topping b r i e f l y a t Henderson I s l and , reached Ducie on t h e a f te rnoon of March 19, 1922, For t h e next eleven days, they went ashore almost every day, heaving t o a t n ight and o f t e n having t o beat t h e i r way back t o t h e i s l a n d a f t e r being blown out of s i g h t of t h e i s l and ; during t h e day they were a b l e t o anchor i n shallow water off t h e a t o l l . The cha r t t h a t t h e expedi t ion used was t h e c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e one based on Beechey's survey of 1825 and does not show t h e pass on t h e southwest s ide . None of t h e accounts of t h e i r v i s i t mentions circumnavigating Ducie t o discover o ther poss ib l e landing places. Their landings were apparent ly a l l made a t one spo t , on the e a s t s i d e of t h e nor theas t point of t h e a t o l l , where they were a b l e t o land through a space i n t h e reef d i r e c t l y on t h e sh ing le beach, Most of t h e i r study was concerned with t h e b i r d s of t h e i s l a n d but t h e members of t h e par ty a l s o noted o ther l i f e found here, a l l of which i s mentioned i n t h e fol lowing sec t ion on t h e fauna and f l o r a . I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e Tohonu t r e e s (Tournefort ia) Quayle notes "a few r a r e clumps of coarse g ras s Lepturus " and "one v ine of a comon Tuamotu shrub "Epigaea? " (Quayle, 1922). Considerable wreckage from t h e ACADIA was found, inc luding t h e "bottom of t h e hull-- kee l upward" (Quayle, 1922) r e s t i n g on t h e shore of t h e lagoon. The s c i e n t i f i c pa r ty and crew of the FRANCE su f fe red an a t t a c k from c iguatera poisoning, some t o a g r e a t e r ex tent than o the r s , a f t e r par tak ing of a f i s h c a l l e d by t h e crew "Ruhi," t h e Tuamotuan name f o r t h e A ack Caranx lunubris . This f i s h was ea t en without ill e f f e c t s a t enderson. On January 3, 1935, members of another o rn i tho log ica l expedition-- t h e Templeton Crocker Expedit ion, s a i l i n g on t h e ZACA--landed on t h e Ducie, Using a t r a c i n g of a c h a r t t h a t t h e cap ta in had found on P i t c a i r n , they landed on t h e north-west s i d e of t h e a t o l l , a c t u a l l y t h e no r th s i d e , apparent ly a l s o unaware of t h e pass i n t o t h e lagoon on t h e south s ide . James P. Chapin, t h e l eade r , mentions (Chapin, 1936, p. 293) t h a t t h e only p l an t they found on t h e a t o l l was Tournefort ia . The s tunted g r a s s Lepturus t h a t Hugh Cuming found over a hundred yea r s e a r l i e r , and t h a t was s t i l l present , a long with Epigaea, when t h e Whitney Expedition were on Ducie, may have vanished during one of t h e storms t h a t on occasion must sweep over t h e a t o l l , I n h i s f i e l d no te s Chapin l i s t s t h e b i r d s seen during t h e one day they spent on t h e a t o l l and mentions a l l o the r forms of l i f e seen; t h e s e a r e a l s o mentioned i n t h e l a t e r s ec t ion on t h e fauna of t h e a t o l l . I n January 1936, Captain I r v i n g M. Johnson on t h e schooner YANKEE reached Ducie, landing a l s o on t h e no r th s i d e of t h e a t o l l , The crew of t h e YANIWE, cons i s t ing of experienced s e a f a r e r s and learn ing young people spent only about t h r e e hours there . On leaving Ducie they a l s o experienced an epidemic of c igua te ra poisoning caused by e a t i n g f i s h caught while c ross ing Ducie's r ee f (Johnson, 1939, p, 83). This inc ident was repor ted t o t h e U.S, Hydrographic Off ice and was duly added t o t h e next e d i t i o n of t h e S a i l i n g Direc t ions f o r these i s lands . I n a personal communication from Johnson, he has s a i d t h a t he i s n ine ty percent c e r t a i n t h a t t h e f i s h t h a t poisoned them was t h e y e l l o w t a i l (Se r io l a l a l a n d i ) , a f i s h t h a t t h e crew had ea ten a t Eas ter I s l and with no ill e f f e c t s . This spec ie s has not previously been implicated, a s f a r a s we a r e aware, i n c igua te ra poisoning, though o the r members of t h e genus S e r i o l a have been involved, The genus belongs t o t h e same family, Carangidae, a s does t h e f i s h , Caranx lugubr i s , t ha t caused t h e poisoning experienced by t h e FRANCE and mentioned above, I n August, 1937, HMS LEANDER on her way from Europe t o New Zealand v i s i t e d Ducie a s wel l a s Henderson and Oeno, and c a r r i e d out an a e r i a l survey of a l l t h ree i s lands . This survey forms t h e b a s i s f o r t h e most r ecen t n a u t i c a l cha r t of Ducie. A t t h e same time t h e B r i t i s h f l a g was rep lanted on each i s l and ( P a c i f i c I s l ands Monthly, September 1937, p , 6). A new i n s c r i p t i o n was na i l ed up: "This I s l and Belongs t o H.B.M, King George V I . It Was Vis i ted by H.M,S, Leander on 4 th August 1937 signed 5. R , Rivett--Carnac, Capt. R.N." (Report Henderson, e tc . , 1937). The LEANDER a r r i v e d off t h e nor theas t corner of Ducie i n mid-morning on August 4 and almost immediately t h e Walrus, a s ingle-engine amphibian b ip lane , was launched t o c a r r y out an a e r i a l photographic survey. They repor ted t o t h e s h i p t h a t t h e only poss ib l e landing place was on t h e northwest coas t , a s s t a t e d i n t h e Sa i l ing Direct ions. A channel was seen runn2ng out t o t h e reef f l a t i n t h e southwestern corner but it appeared t o be genera l ly shallow and had a heavy sur f breaking ac ross t h e mouth, This sur f was due t o t h e b i g swe l l from t h e southwest not iced by t h e LEANDER a t t h e time of i t s v i s i t . From t h e a e r i a l photographs a t r a c i n g was made which was t h e b a s i s f o r t h e r ev i sed cha r t of t h e a t o l l ; t h e a t o l l was discovered t o be more rounded and oval , with i t s long a x i s or ien ted on an east-west a x i s (Figure 2) . A ha l f hour l a t e r a c u t t e r with s k i f f i n tow was launched and a shore pa r ty landed on t h e beach a few hundred yards e a s t of t h e northwest corner of t h e main i s l a n d , a f t e r wading across t h e l a s t twenty yards of r e e f . Here a f l a g s t a f f was e r e c t e d , t h e Union Jack hois ted , and t h e s i g n mentioned above was n a i l e d up, Af t e r an hour and a ha l f ashore spent i n i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e i s l a n d and lagoon f o r poss ib l e a i r c r a f t landing s i t e s , t h e par ty re turned t o t h e sh ip , not without d i f f i c u l t y , a s t h e s k i f f , while c ross ing t h e r e e f , was swamped by t h e s u r f , An intended f u r t h e r reconnaissance of t h e a t o l l was abandoned i n view of t h e landing d i f f i c u l t i e s , and because of t h e r epor t s from t h e a i r c r a f t , which had r e tu rned t o t h e s h i p s h o r t l y a f t e r noon. I n t h e e a r l y midafternoon, t h e LEANDER l e f t Ducie and headed f o r Henderson. CURRENT INFORMATION ON ISLAND Only a few l i n e s a r e devoted t o Ducie i n such books a s Thf P a c i f i c I s l ands Pilot, Vol. 3 (Hydrographic Dept,, Admiralty, London, 8 t h e d i t i o n , 1957, p. 61) and S a i l i n g Direc t ions f o r the P a c i f i c I s lands , Vol. 3 (U.S, Navy Hydrographic Office Pub. 80, 6 th e d i t i o n , 1952, p. 87) - A s mentioned above, an a e r i a l survey made i n 1937 during a v i s i t of HMS LEANDER t o t h e i s l and i s t h e b a s i s f o r t h e cha r t included on H-0 . 'Chart 1977 of t h e U, S, Navy Hydrographic Off ice (here reproduced a s Figure 2). The c h a r t shows t h e i s l a n d t o be 1.3 mi les i n g r e a t e s t diameter from NE t o SW, measured t o t h e o u t e r edges of t h e i s l e t s , t h e l a r g e s t extending along t h e e n t i r e n o r t h s i d e and about halfway down t h e eas t e rn s i d e ; t h i s i s l e t we have c a l l e d Acadia I s l and because of t h e presence on i t of remains of t h e wreckage from t h i s ves se l , The o ther th ree i s l e t s a r e on t h e south and southwest s i d e s ; from e a s t t o west we have named these Edwards, Pandora (both e a s t of t h e pass) , and Westward I s l e t on t h e west s i d e of t h e pass. A l l a r e shown on t h e cha r t a s wooded, although i n a c t u a l i t y Westward I s l e t i s without any vegetat ion, According t o t h e Sa i l ing Direc t ions , t h e only apparent en t rance t o . the lagoon i n 1882 was on t h e southeas tern s ide , but t h i s was blocked by a sand bar on which sur f broke. The HMS LEANDER stopped a t t h e i s l a n d i n 1937, and repor ted t h a t t h e r e was no boat passage t o t h e lagoon, A s we have seen above, t h e survey d i d r e p o r t a shallow channel leading from t h e lagoon, but a sur f breaking across i t s mouth made i t imprac t ica l t o use, Landing was poss ib l e only, with d i f f i c u l t y , on t h e nor thern s i d e , j u s t e a s t of t h e northwest point. It i s furthermore repor ted t h a t t h e i s l a n d was a maximum of 12 f e e t above sea l eve l , and t h a t t h e h ighes t t r e e s were 14 f e e t . The lagoon appeared t o observers t o be deep, and some of t h e f i s h e s i n t h e v i c i n i t y of t h e i s l and were s a i d t o be poisonous, a comment due t o t h e experience of Captain I r v i n g Johnson i n 1936. VISIT TO DUCIE I N 1971 The au thor s v i s i t e d Ducie I s l and f o r a period of 2 112 days beginning January 13, 1971, on t h e 99-foot schooner WESTWARD of t h e Oceanic Foundation of Makapuu Poin t , Hawaii, during t h e course of a marine b io logica l -archeologica l expedi t ion t o SE Oceania, supported by t h e National Geographic Society and t h e Oceanic Foundation, Most of t h e time was spent i n c o l l e c t i n g specimens i n our s p e c i a l a r e a s of i n t e r e s t , namely mollusks and f i s h e s , leaving i n s u f f i c i e n t time f o r general observat ions. When t h e WESTWARD a r r i v e d t h e wind was e a s t e r l y , about 15 knots, t h e sea wi th a moderately heavy swell. The wind gradual ly abated during our s t a y u n t i l , a t depar ture , i t was about 5 knots, s t i l l e a s t e r l y . The v e s s e l approached from t h e west coming up on t h e i s l a n d near i t s southwest poin t , j u s t west of t h e opening t o t h e lagoon a s depic ted on t h e cha r t . From t h e r e we turned nor th and completely c i r c l e d t h e i s l a n d with observers a l o f t (Figure 4 ) - We saw no p r a c t i c a b l e landing p lace on t h e no r th coas t of t h e a t o l l . Soundings were made us ing t h e fathometer, and i t was found t h a t t h e r e was an extens ion of t h e submarine she l f off both t h e nor theas t and northwest poin ts of t h e a t o l l (Figure 2; our observat ions have been recorded on t h i s c h a r t , a s t h e r ev i sed o f f i c i a l cha r t g ives no soundings). This cor robora tes Beechey's s tatement ( see pp. 5, 6 ) . A s we s k i r t e d t h e south s i d e of t h e a t o l l i t became apparent t h a t a boat passage ex i s t ed on t h e southwest s i d e where t h e break i n t h e reef i s shown on t h e char t . There was prominent sur f on e i t h e r s i d e of t h i s broad pass, and an occasional swel l came i n through t h e ou te r p a r t of t h e pass, but with e a s t e r l y wind no swel l s broke e n t i r e l y across t h e passage (Figure 5). On t h e day of our a r r i v a l , a t 1:30 p.m., a 15-foot, shoa ld ra f t boa t , powered by an outboard motor,was launched and taken through t h e passage, which became progress ive ly more shallow a s we approached t h e lagoon, wi th numerous c o r a l heads ly ing j u s t beneath t h e sur face . For about t h e l a s t 150 f e e t it was necessary t o walk t h e boat t o prevent t h e outboard p rope l l e r h i t t i n g t h e c o r a l , Again, on January 15, four of us were r e t u r n i n g from t h e lagoon t o t h e s h i p i n a 16 1/2-foot Boston whaler a t 1 p.m, (extreme low water) . The northwest s i d e of t h e channel was impassable a t t h i s time; on t h e other s i d e of t h e pass i t was poss ib l e t o walk t h e boat with t h e motor up but nea r ly an hour was spent i n passing through t h e maze of c o r a l heads i n t h e inner p a r t of t h e pass. A run through t h e passage wi th in two hours on e i t h e r s i d e of high t i d e would be p r a c t i c a l f o r an ordinary s h i p ' s boat providing t h e r e i s c a r e f u l s u r v e i l l a n c e f o r c o r a l heads; t h i s was a c t u a l l y experienced when we re turned from t h e lagoon t o t h e s h i p on t h e f i r s t day a t about 5 p.m, With a heavy swel l s e t t i n g from t h e south o r west, however, t h e passage would probably not be sa fe . The g r e a t e s t seaward extension of t h e r ee f occurs d i r e c t l y o f f t h e pass; t h e she l f beyond t h e breaker l i n e extends approximately 300 yards of fshore t o a depth of 100 f e e t and then drops off more s teeply . The WESTWARD anchored comfortably i n 36 f e e t of water nea r ly ha l f t h e d i s t ance from t h e pass entrance t o t h e drop-off, PHYSIOGRAPHY OF LAND MASSES To t h e west of t h e boat passage a t i t s en t rance i n t o t h e lagoon i s an i s l a n d shown on t h e cha r t a s an almost c i r c u l a r wooded i s l e t ; t h i s is what we a r e c a l l i n g Westward I s l e t . I n a c t u a l i t y , it: appears from t h e sea t o be a sandy i s l a n d without t r e e s , whereas i t i s i n f a c t composed mostly of c o r a l rubble , echinoid remains, and dead s h e l l s , the l a t t e r i n places cons i s t ing almost e n t i r e l y of Turbo argyrostomus L, (Figures '6 and 7), The i s l e t i s i n t h e form of a horseshoe-shaped r i d g e with t h e open end fac ing t h e lagoon, and a c e n t r a l depression with a su r face of f i n e sand mixed with coarser rubble. A t extreme h igh t i d e s and during storms with e a s t e r l y winds t h i s depression undoubtedly becomes f i l l e d with water from the lagoon which may account f o r t h e presence of sand. The h ighes t point of t h i s curved r i d g e i s about 15 f e e t above mean high water. It seems l i k e l y t o us t h a t t h i s i s l e t never had any t r e e s growing on i t i n modern times. It i s a l s o what Beechey i n h i s d e s c r i p t i o n of Ducie c a l l e d 11 two eminences t h a t have t h e appearance of sand-hi l l s . " From c e r t a i n angles viewed from off shore t h e horseshoe-shaped r i d g e does seem t o cons i s t of two low r i d g e s , and undoubtedly t h e form of t h i s i s l and must have undergone changes during t h e in t e rven ing years , From t h e i s l e t a rubble s p i t extends along t h e lagoon shore i n a northwester ly d i r e c t i o n i n a g e n t l y curving and narrowing a rc , ending on t h e lagoon shore about three- four ths of t h e d i s t ance shown on t h e cha r t towards t h e western end of t h e l a rge i s l and . This s p i t c o n s i s t s of a depos i t of c o r a l rubb le and some dead s h e l l s which appears t o be gradual ly encroaching on t h e r ee f f l a t t h a t i n t h i s a rea i s a n indurated pavement-- a conglomerate of c o r a l fragments and s h e l l s . Above t h e coarse rubble deposi t i s a secondary rubble r i d g e of more r ecen t o r i g i n , composed of smaller fragments whose angle of repose i s q u i t e s t e e p , and which appears t o be b u i l t up by wave a c t i o n from t h e lagoon (Figures 8 and 9). On t h e occasion of our v i s i t , a channel between lagoon and r ee f was cu t through t h i s r i d g e (Figure 9). Between t h e s p i t and t h e end of Acadia I s l and i s a reef f l a t of a hard indurated pavement with occasional t h i n sand l a y e r s and some low ra i sed rubble mounds which a r e ju s t dry a t high t i d e . Near t h e western end of Acadia I s l and i s a channel between t h e lagoon and t h e reef f l a t , which was divided a t t h e time of our v i s i t by a small sand-rubble i s l e t with t h e channel branch near Acadia I s l a n d deeper and about s i x f e e t wide and showing a cu r ren t of about two knots a t both high and low water; t h e other branch i s somewhat wider and more shallow, Between t h e shallow pass on t h e south s i d e of t h e a t o l l and t h e western end of Acadia I s l and is a r a t h e r broad reef f l a t (Figures 5 and 10) of which p a r t s a r e covered by water a t a l l t imes and o ther p a r t s a r e exposed and dry most of t h e time, p a r t i c u l a r l y nea r Westward I s l e t and i t s rubble s p i t (Figure 11) . Near t h e i s l e t a considerable a rea of o ld beach rock is exposed between i t and t h e reef f l a t (Figure 11) . The western end of Acadia I s l and i s composed again of c o r a l rubble r idges t h a t merge on the ocean s i d e i n t o the rubble rampart above the shore l i n e and t h a t continue on the lagoon s i d e as a s t e e p l y graded rubble beach (Figures 12 and 13) f o r about 800 yards before terminat ing i n the beach rock and loose c o r a l s l a b s and rubble t h a t l i n e t h e remainder of the lagoon shore of t h e i s l a n d (Figure 14) . The c o r a l rubble rampart on the ocean s i d e of the i s l a n d i s of varying he ight , reaching a maximum he igh t of about 12 f e e t . It has a r a t h e r s t e e p gradient and shows i n p laces a more o r l e s s narrow pla t form a t varying d is tances below the summit of the rampart which may be l e v e l with o r s l i g h t l y h igher than t h e c o r a l rubble su r face of t h e i s l a n d behind i t (Figure 15) . A t the water l i n e the rubble rampart e i t h e r merges d i r e c t l y i n t o t h e indura ted beach rock o r has s t r e t c h e s of sand between i t and the reef f l a t . The ocean reef behind t h e o u t e r edge, broad on the northwestern s i d e , becomes narrower on t h e nor thern s i d e of the i s l a n d (we d id not v i s i t the reef on t h e e a s t e r n s i d e of t h e a t o l l ) and c o n s i s t s f o r the most p a r t of a somewhat uneven reef pavement f l a t , genera l ly covered by a t h i n l a y e r of sand and f i n e a l g a l growth which may be t h i c k i n patches. On t h i s o u t e r t h i r d of the r ee f f l a t a conspicuous element of t h e fauna was the purple s l a t e -penc i l urchin Heterocentrotus t r igona r ius . Fur ther i n on the reef t h e mollusk Cerithium tubercul iferum was the most abundant spec ie s , with Conus m i l i a r i s and Morula uva l e s s common. Also r e l a t i v e l y abundant were specimens of t h e l a r g e worm s h e l l Dendropoma gigantea, t h e i r tubes cemented t o the su r face of the pavement rock. In one a rea nea r t h e boat passage l a r g e specimens of Conus ebraeus were r a t h e r common. Sca t t e red over t h e reef a r e occas ional small patches of l i v e co ra l , and e r r a t i c p ieces of storm-loosed c o r a l rock. Closer t o shore a r e r idges of beach rock of a more o r l e s s f i n e tex ture . In some p laces t h i s beach rock i s r e s t r i c t e d t o the shore l i n e and c o n s i s t s of broad t i l t e d s l a b s (Figure 16) . In o t h e r p laces the re a r e a s e r i e s of r idges p a r a l l e l t o the shore, more o r l e s s wave-worn, some showing a s e r i e s of t r ansve r se so lu t ion grooves worn i n t h e rock by the a c t i o n of t h e water pouring over them (Figure 17 ) . Frequently one encounters patches of i r r e g u l a r l y consol idated fragments of r ee f rock s t rong ly etched by atmospheric agencies (Figure 22 ) . The i r r e g u l a r hard bottom of the channels between these r idges is i n places covered with a t h i n l a y e r of sand, i n some a reas wi th an accumulation of wave-worn rocks of various s i z e s . In the sand Conus m i l i a r i s , C. nanus and Morula uva a r e moderately common, while on the - r idges and shore l ine rocks Drupa r i c i n u s and Morula granula ta a r e found i n t e r t i d a l l y . Behind the c r e s t of t h e ocean-side beach rubble rampart, t h e gray c o r a l fragments t h a t cover t h e su r face of the i s l a n d s t r e t c h across t o t h e lagoon s i d e . Almost immediately on leaving the rampart c r e s t , specimens of Tournefor t ia a r e encountered, a t r e e t h a t is found over the e n t i r e i n t e r i o r of t h e i s l a n d , forming i n p laces dense t h i c k e t s (Figures 18 and 19) . Under t h e t r e e s and a v a i l a b l e debr is on o r j u s t behind t h e c r e s t one can f i n d t h e hermit crab Coenobita p e r l a t a usual ly inhab i t ing s h e l l s of Turbo argyrostomus. The su r face of the i n t e r i o r of the i s l a n d c o n s i s t s of i r r e g u l a r c o r a l rocks exposed t o view. There a r e i n places shallow depressions and r idges i n the i n t e r i o r t h a t b r ing the maximum height of the i s l a n d t o about 15 f e e t . On the lagoon s i d e t h e r e i s i n most p laces a g r e a t e r expanse of open ground between the vegeta t ion and t h e water than on the ocean s i d e . Near t h e t r e e s , the su r face is covered wi th i r r e g u l a r c o r a l fragments, b u t towards the shore l ine one o f t e n encounters s t r e t c h e s of bare co ra l rock, a conglomerate of c o r a l fragments and sand and occas ional s h e l l s such a s Turbo argyrostomus and Tridacna maxima, t h e l a t t e r o f t en with both valves s t i l l t o ~ e t h e r . In t e r spe r sed with these a r e a s of bare rock a r e low r idges o r tongues of loose co ra l rubble, some of which cons i s t almost e n t i r e l y of smal l fragments of Acropora nasuta. The shore l ine is r a t h e r i r r e g u l a r with occas ional l i t t l e embayments, and c o n s i s t s mainly of loose co ra l blocks and fragments, although i n some p laces s o l i d and i r r e g u l a r c o r a l rock f r i n g e s the water. From v i s u a l observat ion, and from s ta tements made by t h e two P i t c a i r n I s landers who accompanied us t o Ducie, and who d id walk around the lagoon completely, on t h e e a s t e r n p a r t of Acadia I s l and t h e lagoon shore i s s i m i l a r t o t h a t of t h e western p a r t , except t h a t i t is narrower between the t r e e s and t h e water . The two smal le r i s l a n d s e a s t of t h e boat passage which we have named Pandora I s l e t ( t h e l a r g e r , more western one) and Edwards I s l e t ( t h e sma l l e r one t o t h e e a s t ) have a sand o r sand and f i n e c o r a l rubble beach bordering the lagoon. These beaches merge above i n t o t h e weathered co ra l blocks and rubble a s found on t h e su r face of Acadia I s land . The s t r e t c h of open reef between Acadia I s l and and Edwards I s l e t i s apparent ly dry most of the time under normal t i d a l condi t ions . Steve Chr i s t i an and Noggie Young, the P i t c a i r n I s landers who were wi th us on our v i s i t , crossed t h i s reef a t approximately mean high t i d e l e v e l and s t a t e d the re was no water coming over i t and no channel evident . It appears, therefore , t h a t t h e main and poss ib ly only channels between the , lagoon and the ocean a r e t h e boat passage on t h e southwest s i d e and the small channels t h a t a r e s i t u a t e d between Westward I s l e t and the western end of Acadia I s land . LAGOON When the LEANDER surveyed the a t o l l i n 1937, observat ions from the western end of Acadia I s l and and from t h e a i r showed t h a t t h e lagoon was r a t h e r shallow i n t h e cen te r and had apparent ly two almost p a r a l l e l channels of deeper water on t h e western s i d e . During our s t a y a t t h e a t o l l about e i g h t hours were spent by var ious members of our par ty i n explor ing t h e lagoon by diving, snorke l ing , and being towed on t h e sur face . The lagoon i s heavi ly i n t e r l a c e d wi th i r r e g u l a r c o r a l heads, many interconnected a t t h e i r bases. Some of t h e heads nea r ly reach t h e su r face but away from t h e shore and t h e channel most a r e a t l e a s t 6 f e e t below t h e surface. Ful ly ha l f of t h e bottom i s hard, t h e remainder sandy or s i l t y sand. The sandy f l o o r of t h e deeper p a r t of t h e lagoon has a depth of about 50 f e e t ; t h e deepest sounding we made was 53 f e e t , V i s i b i l i t y i n t h e lagoon was about 75 f e e t , and t h e water had a dark green color . A water sample from t h e deepest p a r t of t h e lagoon had a s a l i n i t y of 38%. The temperature of t h e lagoon wates a t noon near t h e cen te r , both a t t h e su r face and a t 53 f e e t , was 26.5 C, We f a i l e d t o t ake a temperature reading of t h e water ou t s ide t h e r e e f , bu t we not iced while d iv ing t h e r e t h a t t h e water was cooler . The sea temperature f i v e days e a r l i e r a t o P i t c a i r n , which l i e s a t nea r ly t h e same l a t i t u d e as Ducie, was 24.8 C, These readings, l imi t ed though they a r e , show temperatures not iceably cooler than those c i t e d f o r Kapingamarangi i n t h e Carol ine I s l ands , an a t o l l c l o s e t o t h e equator , and considerably deeper and l a r g e r than Ducie. Here i n t h e summer months t h e su r fa5e ternperatu5e near t h e cen te r of t h e lagoon was found t o be between 29.5 C. and 30.0 C - r while t h e sea su r face temperature i n t h e v i c i n i t y of t h e a t o l l averages 28 ,6 '~ . (McKee, e t a l . , 1959, p. 553). Lagoon temperatures f o r t h e more comparable a t o l l of I f a l u k , Carol ine I s l ands , were a l s o higher , showing a mean of 28 .4 '~ . near t h e shore (Tracey, e t a l . , 1961, p. 12) . The most s t r i k i n g t h i n g about t h e lagoon i s t h e pauci ty of l i f e . Most of t h e c o r a l heads cons i s t pr imar i ly of dead c o r a l rock, Usually small co lonies of l i v e c o r a l , mainly Montipora spec ies , a r e found, Occasionally, one may encounter a head which i s nea r ly a l l l i v e c o r a l (Figure 201, of which t h e p r i n c i p a l s o r t i s M o n t i ~ o r a sp. c f . E. bilaminata, The dominant a lgae on t h e c o r a l heads a r e t h e c o r a l l i n e red a lga (probably Porol i thon onkodes (Heydrich) F o s l i e and P. g a r d i n e r i (Fos l i e ) Fos l i e , according t o Roy T. Tsudaf, which forms small v ro iec t ions - " and g ives t h e c o r a l heads a p a l e p inkish hue near t h e su r face , and t h e green Microdictvon. The l a t t e r can cover nea r ly ha l f of t h e a r e a of t h e dead su r face of some of t h e heads. One o ther green a lga , Caulerpa racemosa (?), grew i n profusion i n she l t e red loca t ions i n some c o r a l heads i n t h e lagoon near t h e small boat passage. Except f o r a few bluegreens, no o the r a lgae were seen i n any quant i ty . The overturning of rocks and t h e cracking of dead c o r a l rock wi th a g e o l o g i s t ' s harmer revealed very few inve r t eb ra t e s , such a s ophiuroids, c rus tacea , and mollusks. A prolonged search f o r mollusks around a dead c o r a l head near t h e lagoon edge, i n about 4 f e e t of water uncovered only s c a t t e r e d dead valves of t h e b iva lve Barbat ia parva. A black holo thur ian , about 8 inches long, t o which sand g ra ins adhere was common on t h e lagoon shoals . Most obvious was t h e dear th of f i s h e s , One could s w i m around some c o r a l heads 20 f e e t or more i n he ight , and not see a s i n g l e f i s h i n s p i t e of c l o s e inspec t ion of holes and underneath ledges. This was p a r t i c u l a r l y t r u e away from t h e lagoon shore, A c o r a l head of comparable s i z e and shape t o those of t h e Ducie lagoon would be populated by s e v e r a l hundred small f i s h e s i n t h e lagoon of a t y p i c a l P a c i f i c a t o l l . During a t o t a l of about 8 hours of towing, snorkel ing, and d iv ing i n t h e Ducie lagoon, 47 spec ies of f i s h e s were s igh ted , The most common spec ies , r e l a t i v e l y speaking, on o r near t h e lagoon c o r a l heads were Kyphosus fuscus , leucopareius, Scarus gibbus, an undescribed yellow pomacentrid (perhaps Glyphidodontops) and Thalassoma lu t e scens , a l l of which a r e abundant i n outer r ee f a reas . Of t h e seven spec ies of b u t t e r f l y f i s h e s observed, Chaetodon u l i e t e n s i s was most of ten encountered (Figure 25) . Along t h e shore occas ional small schools of Kuhlia marninata and Neomyxus leuc iscus were seen, alld i n t h e rocky shallows on t h e no r th shore of t h e lagoon, a t l e a s t , t h e blenny I s t i b l e n n i u s paulus was abundant. None of t hese f i s h e s appear t o be plankton-feeding spec ies which may a l s o be r e f l e c t i n g the apparent low l e v e l of c i r c u l a t i o n i n the lagoon. Zooplankton f eede r s , such a s spec ies of Chromis encountered outs ide t h e r ee f a t Ducie, a r e t i e d t o s p e c i f i c a r e a s of reef and a r e thus dependent- on cu r ren t t o b r ing t h e i r food t o them. CHANNELS AND WATER EXCHANGE As has been mentioned e a r l i e r t h e only channels between the lagoon and t h e ocean a r e t h e boat passage on t h e southwest s i d e , and t h e small channels s i t u a t e d a t t h e northermost ex tens ion of Westward I s l e t and t h e western end of Acadia I s land , These smal le r channels, however, do not appear t o have a g rea t inf luence on t h e water exchange between ocean and lagoon. The boat passage on the southwest s i d e of t h e a t o l l , between Pandora and Westward I s l e t s , i s about 100 yards wide, and i s very shallow, e spec ia l ly on t h e western s ide. A t t h e ocean end of t h e passage t h e r e i s a broad she l f t h a t extends seaward some 300 yards from t h e outer end of t h e channel. A t low t i d e , which a t t h e time of our v i s i t was about 1230, even a shal low-draft boat must be pushed over and around t h e many c o r a l heads t h a t a r e s c a t t e r e d throughout t h e pass. A t high t i d e , a boat can be maneuvered through t h e pass, but even then a c l o s e watch must be kept t o avoid t h e c o r a l heads. Observations on t i d e s were made on January 14 ( f u l l moon was on January l l ) , p r i n c i p a l l y by Denis N. Hewett, and we a r e indebted t o him fo r t h e prepara t ion of t h e t i d a l graph (Figure 3) . With t h e pass s o shallow and broad no s t rong current was encountered on any of our passages. Denis Hewett, i n making h i s t i d a l observat ions. noted t h a t a t 0930 t h e cu r ren t near the pass was n e g l i g ~ b l e , and a t 1600, about midway between low and high water , the cu r ren t was about 2 knots . The shallowness of t h e boat passage, the f a i r l y small t i d a l f l uc tua t ion , about 1 4 t o 15 inches , and the f a c t t h a t t h e r e a r e no channels on the northern o r e a s t e r n s i d e s of t h e a t o l l open t o the p reva i l ing cu r ren t s , l ead to t h e conclusion t h a t t h e lagoon i s n o t w e l l f lushed. This may be a major f a c t o r accounting f o r the r e l a t i v e pauci ty of l i f e i n the lagoon. SUBMARINE FEATURES OF OCEAN REEF Most of the bottom o f f t h e ou te r reef c o n s i s t s of dead c o r a l encrusted with red c o r a l l i n e a lgae . A t one time i n the not- too-distant pas t , t h e o u t e r r e e f of Ducie at the a reas we inves t iga t ed was nea r ly completely covered with l i v e c o r a l of s e v e r a l spec ie s , p a r t i c u l a r l y an Acropora wi th branches of only a few inches i n length . The c o r a l l i n e red a l g a has not grown t o t h e e x t e n t of b r idg ing over the t i p s of the branches of t h i s c o r a l , whereas i t completely covers the p l a t e - l ike o r encrus t ing spec ie s . An observer was towed over a depth of about 20 t o 30 f e e t from the boat channel t o the northwest c o m e r of the a t o l l where the re is another seaward extens ion of r e e f . This e n t i r e d is tance presented a somewhat undulat ing bottom of a uniform pa le pinkish hue from the n u l l i p o r e s . Grooves with c o r a l rubble and coarse sand and l a r g e c o r a l blocks occasionalLy broke the monotony of t h e expanse of dead r e e f . One dive i n 30 t o 40 f e e t i n t h i s a r e a on the west s i d e r e s u l t e d i n the f inding of only a few smal l colonies of l i v e c o r a l . An exception was t h e colony of Acropora nasu ta about a foot i n diameter, from which d ive r Rich Coste l lo is shown tak ing a sample (Figure 21) . The deep blue Diadema -- -(2. savignyi o r 0. setosum, and the s l a t e penc i l urchin Heterocentrotus mamillatus (Figure 23) were very common on the o u t e r reef from about 20 t o a t l e a s t 80 f e e t ; t h e l a t t e r ranged i n co lors from l i g h t red to l i g h t - - - yellowish green. Inshore where the surge i s s t r o n g e r and up onto the o u t e r t h i r d of t h e reef f l a t , the deep purple s l a t e - p e n c i l urchin was abundant. A b r i e f explosatory dive from 100 t o 180 f e e t d i r e c t l y o f f t h e boat passage revealed a s lop ing bottom mainly of c o r a l rubble cons i s t ing of small branches of Acropora. Everyone d iv ing a t Ducie came up i n wonderment a t the obvious mass mor ta l i t y of the c o r a l s i n a l l a reas we inves t iga t ed . Although we d id not dive ou t s ide t h e a t o l l on the nor thern o r e a s t e r n s i d e s , we s t rong ly suspect t h a t t h e c o r a l s w i l l be dead and encrus ted wi th n u l l i p o r e s t h e r e too. It i s only n a t u r a l t o specu la t e on the cause of t h e death of the cora ls . One p o s s i b i l i t y would be the crown-of-thorns s t a r f i s h , Acanthaster p l a n c i ; however, w e co l l ec t ed only a s i n g l e l a rge ind iv idua l of t h i s a s t e r o i d on a lagoon c o r a l head and saw no o thers i n s p i t e of s p e c i a l e f f o r t t o f i n d more. Of course, a huge i n f e s t a t i o n of the s t a r f i s h which might k i l l o f f t h e co ra l s of t h e a r e a could d i e o f f a f t e r the c o r a l food supply was e l iminated . A more p l a u s i b l e explanat ion would be a k i l l by a drop i n temperature. A t 24O40' south l a t i t u d e , Ducie might be s u b j e c t a t r a r e i n t e r v a l s t o an i n t r u s i o n of cold water from more southern l a t i t u d e s . Outside t h e lagoon, t h e number of spec ie s of f i s h e s was much g r e a t e r than i n s i d e t h e lagoon, a s were t h e number of i nd iv idua l f i s h e s , but s t i l l t h e r ee f had notably fewer f i s h e s than one would expect t o f i n d on a P a c i f i c a t o l l - - p a r t i c u l a r l y an uninhabited one not sub jec t t o any f i s h i n g pressure. I n add i t ion t o t h e spec ie s which were most common i n t h e lagoon, t h e f i s h fauna of t h e ou te r r ee f a rea was dominated by t h e wrasse Thalassoma gu inquev i t t a t a? ( e s p e c i a l l y inshore) , t h e damself ish Eupomacentrus sp. , t h e goa t f i shes Parupeneus b i f a s c i a t u s (Figure 29) and Po cvclostomus, Chromis m a r g a r i t i f e r and an undescribed spec ies of Chromis-like pomacentrid, Among t h e l a r g e r f i s h e s t h e wrasse Coris avnula, t h e groupers Variola l o u t i , Epinephelus f a s c i a t u s and E, t auvina , and t h e jacks Caranx luaubr i s and Se r io l a l a l a n d i were most common (Figure 28). When t h e WESTWARD f i r s t c i r c l e d t h e i s l a n d f i v e of t h e S e r i o l a , from 500 t o 1080 mm f o r k length, were caught t r o l l i n g along, with one ye l lowfin tuna 850 mm f o r k length. A t anchorage b lack jacks (Caranx lunubr i s ) accumulated i n such numbers, a long wi th Kvphosus, t h a t i t was usua l ly not poss ib le t o ge t a ba i t ed hook through these f i s h e s t o t h e bottom without t h e b a i t being seized. Af ter keeping enough f o r shark b a i t , f u r t h e r C. lunubr is which were caught were marked by t y i n g a sc rap of r a g t o t h e t a i l , Some of these were caught aga in t h e same day, While swimming next t o t h e WESTWARD, one of t h e crew, James R , Haywood, was a b l e t o feed t h e b l ack jacks by hand with p ieces of octopus. I n "A Guide t o P i t c a i r n " ( rev ised ed i t ion , 1970) e i g h t l i n e s a r e devoted t o Ducie. Among t h e remarks i s t h e s ta tement , "The sharks a t Ducie I s l and a r e s a i d t o be extremely dangerous, ." While shark f i s h i n g a t anchorage t h e f i r s t a f te rnoon and evening, we caught t h r e e Galapagos sharks from 7 t o 7.5 f e e t long and one gray r e e f shark G. amblvrhinchos) 5.6 f e e t long. This would c e r t a i n l y seem t o cor robora te t h a t statement. I n s p i t e of continued shark f i s h i n g , however, during t h e r e s t of our s t a y we caught only a s i n g l e small gray, and while d iv ing only one shark, a gray about 5 f e e t long, was s igh ted i n t h e small boat passage, While handline f i s h i n g i n about 120 f e e t off t h e small boat channel, Guy S. Haywood, M.D,, and h i s son James of t h e crew of t h e WESTWARD brought a small shark t o t h e boat which they be l ieved was t h e wh i t e - t ip reef shark, Triaenodon obesus, but it was l o s t , Thei r ca t ch f o r t h r e e hours i n t h e morning cons i s t ed of 28 ind iv idua l s of Variola louti (245-480 mm SL), 8 of Epinephelus f a s c i a t u s (220 t o 240 mm SL), 4 of Bodianus b i lunu la tus , and one each of t h e following: Epinephelus tauvina (350 nun SL), Coris aygula (460 mm SL), Parupeneus t r i f a s c i a t u s , 2. cyclostomus, and Cheil inus rhodochrous. Most of t h e f i s h e s enumerated i n t h e l i s t t o fo l low were taken with rotenone and by spearing, Those l i s t e d a s s i g h t r eco rds a r e usua l ly represented by specimens from P i t c a i r n , Oeno, or Henderson Is lands . Although two and a h a l f days would seem i n s u f f i c i e n t t o claim t o have co l l ec t ed most of t h e spec ie s of f i s h e s of a n i s l a n d , we be l i eve we have taken o r observed more than three- four ths Our l a s t a f te rnoon of towing on t h e outer d iv ing a t two loca t ions revea led only two not seen previously a t t h e i s l and . It i s of the insho e f i s h fauna o Ducie. 5 r ee f along tLe west s i d e an spec ies of f i s h e s t h a t we had evident t h a t Ducie has a very impoverished f i s h fauna--even more than t h e i s l a n d s of P i t c a i r n , Oeno - and Henderson, I n view of i t s g r e a t e r i s o l a t i o n , t h i s i s not unexpected. Also t h e r e may be eco log ica l reasons f o r t h e absence of some spec ie s , For example, unicornf i shes Naso unicornis and N, l i t u r a t u s , which were not seen a t Ducie, a r e common a t P i t c a i r n where t h e many rocks of t h e inshore waters a r e t h i c k l y carpe ted with brown a lgae ( p a r t i c u l a r l y Sargassum cor i i fo l ium J, Ag., and t h e branching form of Lobophora va r i ega ta (Lam.) Womersley; s ee Tsuda, i n press. These spec ie s of Naso feed heavi ly on brown a lgae . No brown a lgae were seen a t Ducie. BOTANY A s mentioned e a r l i e r , t h e only Phanerogam t h a t we saw on Ducie i s t h e t r e e he l io t rope Tournefor t ia a rgentea Linnaeus f , , found abundantly on a l l t h e i s l ands of t h e a t o l l except Westward I s l e t . E a r l i e r v i s i t o r s record a g ra s s , probably of t h e genus Lepturus (Cuming, 1827, i n St. John 1940, p. 86; Quayle, 1922), and "one v ine of a common Tuamotu shrub" (Quayle, 1922). I n 1936, Chapin (1936, p. 293) could f i n d only t h e Tournefor t ia present on Acadia I s land . Species of l ichens were seen on t h e bark of t h e Tournefor t ia but were n o t co l l ec t ed . Two spec ies of c rus tose c o r a l l i n e a lgae were c o l l e c t e d , and i d e n t i f i e d by Dr. Roy T. Tsuda ( i n l i t t . ) a s P o r o l i t h n onkodes (Heydrich) F o s l i e and P. a a r d i n e r i (Fos l ie ) Fos l i e . ZOOLOGY Mammals We saw none during our v i s i t , bu t E. H. Quayle, i n h i s journa l f o r March 22, 1922, notes t h a t he "chased a r a t i n t o an o ld hollow log." This i s probably t h e Polynesian r a t Rat tus exulans Peale. The crew of HMS LEANDER a l s o noted see ing s e v e r a l r a t s during t h e i r v i s i t . Birds - The b i r d l i f e on Ducie i s t h e most s t r i k i n g element of t h e land fauna, but a s none of our group were o r n i t h o l o g i s t s we made no l i s t s of t h e spec ie s we encountered, I n my d ia ry (HAR) I did note t h e prevalence of t h e f a i r y and s o o t y t e r n s a n d t h e presence of s e v e r a l spec ie s of boobies. The fol lowing l i s t i s a c o l l a t i o n of t h e spec ies mentioned i n t h e journals of E. H, Quayle, R, H. Beck, and James P, Chapin, a s having been c o l l e c t e d and observed. I n a d d i t i o n t h e l i s t published by King (King, 1967) has been u t i l i z e d i n t h e prepara t ion of t h e present one, P roce l l a r i idae Pterodroma neglecta (Schlegel) Kermadec P e t r e l For a d iscuss ion of t h e c o l o r a t i o n of t h i s and t h e fol lowing t h r e e spec ies see Murphy and Pennoyer, 1952, Quay le ' s journa l should be consul ted f o r i n t e r e s t i n g notes and sketches on t h e s e and other b i r d s found on Ducie, Pterodroma alba (Gmelin) Phoenix P e t r e l Pterodroma arminjoniana h e r a l d i c a (Salvin) Herald P e t r e l Pterodroma ultima Murphy ~ u r p h y ' s P e t r e l Puff inus n a t i v i t a t u s S t r e e t s - Christmas Shearwater Phaethont i dae Phaethon rubicauda Boddaert Red-tailed Tropicbird Sulidae Sula d a c t v l a t r a Lesson - Blue-faced Booby Sula s u l a (Linnaeus) -- Red-footed Booby Fregat idae F r e ~ a t a minor (Gmelin) Great F r iga teb i rd Laridae Sterna fusca ta Linnaeus Sooty Tern Proce ls te rna ceru lea (Bennett) Blue-gray Noddy "Obtained four l i t t l e t e r n l e t s of t h e ha l f dozen p a i r s and a s i n g l e or two observed. The p a i r s were ev ident ly on t h e i r way seaward e a r l y i n the morning, but two s ing le s I found hanging around much l a t e r " (Quayle, p, 386). Anous s t o l i d u s (Linnaeus) Brown or Common Noddy Anous t e n u i r o s t r i s (Temminck) Black or Lesser Noddy Gygis a lba (Sparrman) -- White or Fa i ry Tern Scolopacidae Numenius t a h i t i e n s i s (Gmelin) Br is t le - th ighed Curlew 1 9 Two curlews . . . were seen" (Beck, p. 104) Crocethia & (Pa l l a s ) Sanderl ing I, A s i n g l e sander l ing . . . seen" (Beck, p. 104) l ie teroscelus incanus incanus (Gmelin) Wandering Ta t l e r - I , Several t a t l e r s . . . were seen" (Beck, p, 104) Dead b i r d s were p l e n t i f u l on t h e a t o l l , most of them more or l e s s mumified. On a s loping , curved rubble beach t h e bodies of dead b i r d s formed a windrow a foo t above the wa te r ' s edge (Figure 1 3 ) . Severa l b i r d s i n obviously weakened condi t ion were seen near t h e lagoon shore and i n t h e nearby shallow water. We were very much s t r u c k by t h i s phenomenon, never having encountered t h i s on any of t h e numerous c o r a l a t o l l s we had v i s i t e d , and discussed t h e poss ib le causes of t h i s mor t a l i t y . Regre t tab ly we d id not b r ing back wi th us any bodies of t h e dead b i r d s , That we were not t h e only ones t o meet with t h i s occurrence i s seen i n t h e fol lowing excerpt from t h e en t ry f o r January 3, 1935, i n J , P. Chapin's journal : "Some of these p e t r e l s [Murphy's P e t r e l ] today were found i n t h e water a s tho s ick . Jaques got one. Jack and I saw another ( the l a r g e r spec ies) Kermedec P e t r e l s t r u g g l i n g i n s u r f . Two dead ones (long decomposed) found on land," The f a c t t h a t none of t h e accounts of t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s of t h e e a r l i e r Whitney South Sea Expedition mention see ing dead b i rds ly ing on t h e ground during t h e i r ten-day v i s i t , makes i t appear l i k e l y t h a t t h i s occurrence i s of r e l a t i v e l y recent da t e , Chapin mentions seeing only two dead b i r d s i n 1935, whereas during our v i s i t we must have seen seve ra l hundred bodies i n varying s t ages of decomposition. Rep t i l e s Scincidae Emoia cyanura (Lesson) One specimen was shot by E. H. Quayle (AMNH No, 23719). This spec ies i s found from t h e Solomon I s l ands eastward t o t h e Marquesas, Ducie, and Rapa, Gekkonidae James Po Chapin r e p o r t s i n h i s journa l f o r January 3 , 1935: "Dr , Lyman repor ted seeing one l i z a r d , which he d id not ca tch , He seemed su re i t was not a skink, and s a i d i t looked more l i k e a small gecko, wi th dark chevrons on back, and a swollen (or broad) t a i l . " This may be e i t h e r of t h e two common Polynesian geckos - Gehyra oceanica (Lesson) o r Lepidodactylus lugubr is ( ~ u m 6 r i l and Bibron). Fishes (by John E. Randall) The only f i s h e s h i t h e r t o recorded from Ducie a r e s i n g l e specimens of two oceanic spec ie s taken from sea b i r d s during t h e Whitney South Sea Expedition i n 1922 and repor ted by Nichols (1923), He i d e n t i f i e d these a s t h e f l y i n g f i s h Halocypelus evolans (Linnaeus) and t h e snake mackerel Lemnisoma t h v r s i t o i d e s Lesson. These specimens were kindly sent on loan by Gareth J. Nelson of t h e American Museum of Natural History. The f l y i n g f i s h (AmH 6266, about 140 mm standard length) i s i n very poor condi t ion , It appears t o be Exocoetus, hence probably E , v o l i t a n s (Linnaeus). The other specimen (AMNH 8261, 193 mm SL) i s a - Gempylus with 31 d o r s a l spines. L i s t of Fishes Collected Carcharhinidae Carcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass and He l l e r ) Muraenidae Ophichthidae Muraenichthys l a t i c a u d a t a (Ogilby) Moringuidae Koringua c f . fz r ruginea Bliss Synodontidae Saurida a r a c i l i s (Quoy and Gaimard) P i s t u l a r i i d a e F i s t u l a r i a petimba Lac6p;de Ophidiidae ~ i n e m a t i c h t h y s sp. (yellow) Holocentridae Adioryx s p i n i f e r ( F o r s s G l ) Flammeo sammara (Forsskal) M y r i p r i s t i s s p a ( t o be described by D. W, Greenfield) M y r i p r i s t i s amaenus (Castelqau) M y r i p r i s t i s murdjan (For s s l a l ) Scorpaena sp, ; poss ib ly tinkhami Fowler Scorpaena sp. Apogonidae Apogon sp. with dark s t r i p e s Aponon spa Red, b lackish p o s t e r i o r l y on caudal peduncle Apoaon coccineus ~ u p p e l l Chei lodipterus quinquel ineatus Cuvier and Valenciennes Serranidae Genus sp. Cephalopholis argus Bloch andoSchneider Epinephelus f a s c i a t u s (Forsskal) Epinephelus melanostigma Schultz Epinephelus s o c i a l i s (GGntherl Epinephelus tauvina* (Forsskal) (350 nun SL) Variola louti ( ~ o r s s & l ) Pseudogranunidae Pseudozramma polyacantha (Bleeker) C i r r h i t idae P a r a c i r r h i t e s f o r s t e r i (Bloch and Schneider) P a r a c i r r h i t e s hemis t ic tus ( ~ G n t h e r ) Kuhliidae Kuhlia m a r ~ i n a t a (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Kyphosidae Kyphosus fuscus* (Lac&p&de) Pr iacanth idae Priancanthus c ruen ta tus (Lac&p&de) Carangidae Caranx lugubr is Poey -- Ser io l a l a l a n d i Cuvier and Valenciennes Lutjanidae Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskal) Mullidae Mulloidichthys van ico lens i s (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Parupeneus b i f a s c i a t u s (Lac6p;de) Parupeneus cyclostomus (Lac6pGde) Parupeneus t r i f a s c i a t u s (Lac6p;de) Chaetodontidae Chaetodon aur iga F o r s s G l Chaetodon f l a v i r o s t r i s Gunther Chaetodon lunula (Lacepzde) Chaetodon mer t ens i i Cuvier and Valenciennes Chaetodon ornat iss imus C u ~ i e r and Valenciennes Chaetodon quadrimaculatus Gray Chaetodon r e t i c u l a t u s Cuvier and Valenciennes Chaetodon u l i e t e n s i s Cuvier and Valenciennes Chaetodon unimaculatus Bloch Forc ip iger f lav iss imus Jordan and McGregor Pomacanthidae Centropyge hotumatua Randall and Caldwell Centropyge f lav iss imus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Centropyge l o r i c u l u s (Giinther) Pomacentridae Abudef duf sordidus ( ~ o r s s k h ) Genus sp . (Abudefduf sp . one of Harry, 1953) Chromis a g i l i s Smith Chromis v a n d e r b i l t i (Fowler) Glyphidodontops sp . (yellow) Eupomacentrus sp . (blackish nea r -ve r t i ca l l i n e s on body: caudal peduncle and . . f i n ell ow) Eupomacentrus f a s c i o l a t u s (Ogilby) imparipennis (Sauvage) Lab r i d a e Anampses caeruleopunctatus REppell Bodianus bi lur lulatus (~ac&;de) Cheil inus rhodochrous Giinther Coris aygula LacZpe'de Labroides dimidiatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Lab ro ides rubrolabia tus b n d a l l Macropharyngodon meleagris (Cuvier and Valenciennes); 1 8 p a r d a l i s " phase Pseudocheilinus t e t r a t a e n i a Schul tz S te tho j u l i s bandanesis (Bleeker) Thalassoma sp. c l o s e t o quinquevi t ta tus (Lay and Bennett) Thalassoma lu tescans (Lay and Bennett) Thalassoma purpurem (Forsskal) ; inc luding "umbrostygma" phase Scaridae Scarus chlorodon* (Jenyns) (405 mm SL. male; do r sa l f i lament 62 mm) Scarus fasc ia tus* Cuvier and Valenciennes ("schlegel i" phase, but deformed) Scarus f raenatus LacggSde -- Scarus ghobban Forsskal Scarus Ruppell Scarus jones i* ( S t r e e t s ) (345 mm SL. male) Scarus lepidus Jenyns Scarus sordidus For s sk i l -- --- Blenniidae C i r r ipec te s sp. Close t o j enn inas i Schul tz ; wi th dark spot behind eye. C i r r i p e c t e s sp. Brown, t h e p o s t o r b i t a l p a r t of head orange-red, Entomacrodus caudofasciatus (Regan) Entomacrodus r o f e n i Springer Entomacrodus s t r i a t u s (Quoy and Gaimard) I s t i b l e n n i u s g ibbi f rons (Quoy and Gaimard) I s t i b l e n n i u s paulus (Bryan and Herre) Rhabdoblennius rhabdotrachelus (Fowler and Bal l ) T r ip t e ryg i idae Helconrama sp, Gobiidae Eviota spp. (3 spec ies) Q u i s q u i l i u s c inc tus (Regan) Trirmna eviotops Schultz Zonogobius semidoliatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Trichodontidae Crys ta l lodvtes sp, Acanthuridae Acanthurus a c h i l l e s Shaw Acanthurus leucopareius (Jenkins) Acanthurus nubi lus (Fowler and Bean) Acanthurus t r i o s t e a u s (Linnaeus) Stenochaetus hawaiiensis Randall Ctenochaetus s t r i a o s u s (Bennett) Zebrasoma rostratum ( ~ i ' n t h e r ) Scombridae 2buxus a l b a c a r e ~ ? : (Bonnaterre) Bothidae Bothus mancus (Broussonet) B a l i s t i d a e Bhinecanthus rectannulus (Bloch and Schneider) Sufflamen bursa (Bloch and Schneider) Monacanthidae I;- .Jumerili (Hollnrd) Canchcrhincs na rda l i s ( ~ u p ~ e l l ) Tetraodontidae Arothron meleaPris (Lac6p;de) Diodontidae Diodon hvstrix':i Linnaeus (380 nun SL) "Specimens not re ta ined . Fishes Observed but not Col lec ted Carcharhinidae Triaenodon obesus (~L 'ppe l l ) (observed by G o S, and J. R. Haywood) Plugilidae Neomyxus l euc i scus ( ~ G n t h e r ) ( c h a p t a l i i of most au thors) Belonidae Platybelone a rga la (LeSueur) Aulostomidae Aulostomus chinens is (Linnaeus) I n both a s t r i p e d and a yellow phase. Holocentridae Adioryx tierg (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Serranidae Pseudanthias sp, - (Abundant a t 120-150 f e e t ; t o be described by J, Randall) Carangidae Carangoides f e r d a u ( ~ o r s s d 1 ) One ind iv idua l of t h i s bar red spec ie s speared i n t h e lagoon but i t escapedg Caranx i g n o b i l i s (Forsskal) Caranx melampygus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) Lethrinidae Monotaxis grandoculis ( ~ o r s s & l ) Mullidae Mulloidichtys f l avo l inea tus Lac6p;de Several observed i n lagoon, but not common Parupeneus sp. ( c lose t o pleurost igma (Bennett) ) Pempheridae Pempheris sp. Chaetodontidae Chaetodon pelewensis Kner Pomacanthidae Genicanthus sp. Light b lue wi th numerous dark ba r s ; speared one of about 200 mm i n 180 feet ,which escaped Pomacentridae Chromis mar a r i t i f e r Fowler Cnromx 3- b r u l s h , t h e median f i n s dark except p o s t e r i o r l y ; a l a rge black spot a t p e c t o r a l base. Labridae Coris sp. - Halichoeres t r imacula tus (Quoy and Gaimard) (one seen i n lagoon) Heminvmnus f a s c i a t u s (Bloch) Lep to iu l i s sp , ( t o be described by J, Randall) - Pseudocheilinus sp. Yellow; t o be described by 3 , Randall Pseudocheilinus oc to taenia Jenkins Acanthuridae Acanthurus thompsoni (Fowler) - Naso b r e v i r o s t r i s (Cuvier and Valenciennes) - Naso hexancanthus (Bleeker) - Zanclidae Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus) Zoogeographic comments on f i s h fauna As mentioned, Ducie has a very impoverished f i s h fauna; only 138 spec ies were c o l l e c t e d o r observed a t the a t o l l . Of these about 15 a r e confined t o southeas tern Oceania ( th ree of t hese range a l s o t o Easter Is land: M v r i p r i s t i s spec ie s , Centropvne hotumatua, and Gymnothorax w e n s i s , t h e l a t t e r occurr ing i n t h e e a s t e r n P a c i f i c a s wel l ) . Two spec ies , Se r io l a l a l a n d i and Chaetodon f l a v i r o s t r i s , a r e found a t i s l a n d s ac ross the southern p a r t of Oceania t o Aus t r a l i a ( t h e Se r io l a i n t h e eas t e rn P a c i f i c too) . Three spec ie s , Gvmnothorax euros tus , Acanthurus leucopareius, and Atenochaetus hawaiiensis appear t o be per iphera l i n t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n i n Oceania. Only one, Genicanthus s p e c i e s , i s r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e P i t c a i r n group. However, t h e r e a r e a few other endemics among t h e f i s h e s when t h e fauna of a l l fou r of t h e P i t c a i r n I s l ands i s considered. A l l t h e remaining f i s h e s a r e t r o p i c a l spec ie s t h a t occur throughout Oceania, and most of them range i n t o t h e western P a c i f i c and the Indian Ocean. I n s e c t s We have been unable t o l o c a t e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s f o r any of t h e i n s e c t s observed and poss ib ly c o l l e c t e d by members of t h e Whitney and Crocker expedit ions. Chapin says t h a t he be l ieves t h a t M r , Crocker c o l l e c t e d about s i x spec ies . These may be i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n s of t h e Ca l i fo rn ia Academy of Sciences. Both Chapin and Quayle r e p o r t seeing "a small f l y resembling t h e f r u i t f l i e s " (Quayle, p, 392). Chapin descr ibes it a s a " t iny light-brown - f l y not q u i t e a s b i g a s a m o . . I I Quayle mentions captur ing e igh t of these f l i e s . Flying about t h e blossoms of t h e Tournefort ia was a small moth whose wings "were veined with b l ack i sh and had a l i t t l e pinkish orange a s wel l near t h e ends" (Chapin i n journal) . Quayle l i s t s "a red and b lack bug and a Hymenoptera a l s o l i v i n g upon t h e blossom and seed of t h e one t r e e " (Quayle, p. 3 9 5 ) . The only other i n s e c t s mentioned a r e a c a t e r p i l l a r seen by Quayle, and a l a rge , b l ack i sh hippoboscid f l y of which Chapin found usual ly 12-18 about t h e f ace and neck of t h e Phaethon, Crustaceans The i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s of t h e few crus tacea t h a t were gathered have been furnished by Henry B, Roberts and Fenner A. Chace of t h e Division of Crustacea, National Museum of Natural History. Time unfor tunate ly d id not permit t h e systematic c o l l e c t i n g of groups of organisms other than f i s h , mollusks, and co ra l s . Paguridae Numerous fragments, e s p e c i a l l y of chelae and walking l e g s , were found i n t h e stomach and gut contents of Coris avgula and Diodon h v s t r i x s p e a r 4 i n t h e lagoon and off t h e outer r e e f . I n add i t ion seve ra l spec ie s were encountered inhab i t ing dead s h e l l s along t h e shore of both lagoon and ou te r r ee f f l a t . Coenobitidae Coenobita p e r l a t a Mi1ne:-Edwards. This l a rge , red hermit c rab was found abundantly under c o r a l s l a b s and driftwood underneath Tournefort ia t r e e s along t h e top of t h e rubble rampart on t h e outer s i d e , i nhab i t ing t h e s h e l l s of armrostomus. Calappidae Chelae and fragments of carapace and limbs of a spec ie s of Calappa, poss ib ly C . hepat ica (Linnaeus), were found among t h e contents of the d i g e s t i v e - s y ~ ~ o r i s aygula captured i n t h e lagoon. Portunidae A few fragments of carapace and chel iped were found wi th those of t h e preceding crab. Xanthidae Fragments of che l iped , carapace and eyes t a lk of a member of t h i s family were found i n t h e contents of gut and stomach of a Diodon h y s t r i x speared i n t h e lagoon. Graps idae Grapsus t e n u i c r u s t a t u s ( H e r b s t ) . Specimens of t h i s s p e c i e s were s e e n c lamber ing over r o c k s a l o n g t h e i n n e r s h o r e of t h e o u t e r r e e f , Its presence a t Ducie i s a l s o ment ioned by Chapin i n h i s j o u r n a l , Marine Mol lusks (by Hara ld A. Rehder) H a l i o t i d a e H a l i o t i s ou lcher r ima Gmelin, 1791 A s p e c i e s r e s t r i c t e d t o s o u t h e a s t e r n P o l y n e s i a , found o n l y i n t h e Tuamotus from Tikehau t o Temoe, i n c l u d i n g t h e b a r r i e r r e e f rnotus i n t h e Gambier I s l a n d s , and i n t h e c o r a l i s l a n d s of t h e P i t c a i r n I s l a n d s , namely Oeno, Henderson, and Ducie. Dead s h e l l s found among c o r a l r u b b l e . T u r b i n i d a e Turbo p e t h o l a t u s Linnaeus , 1758 - A dead specimen of t h i s w i d e l y d i s t r i b u t e d I n d o - P a c i f i c s p e c i e s found among t h e c o r a l r u b b l e . Turbo argyrostomus Linnaeus , 1758 Dead s h e l l s ve ry abundant on t h e s h e l l and c o r a l r u b b l e r i d g e on Westward Islet . A s m a l l specimen was found i n sha l low wate r on t h e west s i d e of t h e boa t channe l , and numerous f ragments were r e c o v e r e d from t h e g u t and stomach c o n t e n t s of two specimens of t h e f i s h C o r i s aywula and one Diodon h v s t r i x bo th s p e a r e d i n 8 t o 15 f e e t i n t h e lagoon. These specimens r e p r e s e n t t h e l a r g e , b road , s t r o n g l y s p i n o s e form found i n t h e P i t c a i r n group, t h e L ine I s l a n d s , e a s t e r n Tuamotus, and t h e A u s t r a l and Cook I s l a n d s . A s t r a l i u m c o n f r a ~ o s u m (Gould, 1849) Fragments of t h i s s p e c i e s were found i n t h e stomach and g u t of two specimens of t h e wrasse C o r i s a y z u l a , caught i n 8-10 f t . on t h e n o r t h s i d e of t h e lagoon, T h i s s p e c i e s o c c u r s throughout Micrones ia and P o l y n e s i a . N e r i t a p l i c a t a Linnaeus , 1758 T h i s common I n d o - P a c i f i c s p e c i e s was found a l o n g t h e s h o r e of b o t h t h e lagoon and t h e o u t e r c o a s t . Neri ta hane t i Recluz, 1841 One specimen was found on t h e rocks on t h e nor th s i d e of Acadia Is land. This black spec ie s i s r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e southern i s l a n d s of t h e Polynesian Province, from the Aus t r a l Is lands(Tubuai and Raevavae) t o the Cambiers, Rapa, P i t c a i r n I s l ands and Easter . Though most common on high volcanic islands,specimens a r e found on co ra l i s l a n d s and a t o l l s - - Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie i n t h e P i t c a i r n group, and motus on t h e b a r r i e r reef of t h e Gambier I s l ands . Ce r i th i idae Rhinoclavis s i n e n s i s (Gmelin, 1791) - A s i n g l e dead specimen was found i n shallow water on t h e r ee f f l a t a t the western end of t h e a t o l l , The spec ie s i s widely d i s t r i b u t e d i n the Indo-Pacif ic region, Pseudovertagus ( ~ r u g u i x r e , 1792) - Four specimens of t h i s handsome spec ie s were found i n t h e nor thern p a r t of t h e lagoon i n 12-20 f e e t . This uncommon spec ies hes t o da t e been found only i n New Caledonia, c e r t a i n l o c a l i t i e s i n French Polynesia - T a h i t i , Rurutu, c e r t a i n a t o l l s i n t h e southern Tuamotus, Gambier I s l ands - and i n t h e P i t c a i r n I s l ands - P i t c a i r n , Oeno, and Ducie. Cerithium sandvichense 'Sowerby1 Reeve, 1865 Fragments of t h i s r e l a t i v e l y r a r e spec ie s were found i n t h e stomach and gut of a pu f fe r , Diodon hys t r ix . We have a d d i t i o n a l specimens i n t h e National Museum c o l l e c t i o n s from T a h i t i , Gambier I s l ands , and t h e P i t c a i r n Is lands. It i s not known t o occur i n t h e Hawaiian I s l ands . Cerithium tubercul iferum Pease, 1869 This spec ie s was t h e most abundant mollusk on t h e f l a t pavement of the ou te r r ee f f l a t off t h e western end of Acadia I s land . It was found crawling he re i n 1/2 t o 2 f t , of water i n t h e t h i n sand l aye r covering t h e r ee f rock, It was a l s o found elsewhere on t h e outer r e e f , a s we l l a s t h e gut and stomach of Coris avgula and Diodon h v s t r i x caught both wi th in t h e lagoon and off t h e outer r e e f , The spec ie s i s c l o s e t o Cerithium mutatum Sowerby, but t h e s p i r a l s cu lp tu re i s s t ronge r , t h e grooves above and below t h e s e r i e s of l a r g e r nodes being deeper, and t h e r e s u l t i n g r i d g e s more nodulose. Geographically i t appears t o be r e s t r i c t e d mainly t o t h e c o r a l a t o l l s of Polynesia, from t h e a t o l l s of the Samoan I s l ands t o t h e Line Is lands. It has not been found on t h e volcanic Society I s l ands , but has been c o l l e c t e d a t P i t c a i r n , and Rurutu i n t h e Aust ra l I s lands . Vermetidae Dendropoma maximum (Sowerby, 1825) This l a rge spec ies was r e l a t i v e l y common on t h e f l a t pavement of t h e r ee f off t h e western end of Acadia I s l and . Commonly found l i v i n g i n and on c o r a l s of massive and dense growth h a b i t , it was found here c lose ly f ixed t o t h e su r face of t h e moderately coarse r ee f rock. The t h r e e specimens c o l l e c t e d on a s l a b of r e e f rock measuring roughly 12 by 10 inches var ied i n length from 7 1/2 t o 9 1/2 inches with t h e ape r tu re measuring 314 inches i n diameter, Hipponicidae Sabia conica (Schumacher, 1817) - This common Indo-Pacif ic spec ies was encountered spa r ing ly , once a s a dead s h e l l i n t h e beach d r i f t , and once i n t h e stomach and gut of Diodon h y s t r i x speared i n t h e lagoon. Cypraeidae Cypraea capu t se rpen t i s Linnaeus, 1758 Four dead s h e l l s found i n t h e beach d r i f t and i n shallow water on t h e outer r e e f . Cvpraea he lvola Gmelin, 1791 A dead s h e l l i n t h e d r i f t , and an immature specimen c o l l e c t e d i n 100 f t . off t h e southwest edge of t h e r e e f , Cvpraea t e s t u d i n a r i a Linnaeus, 1785 A dead s h e l l found i n t h e beach d r i f t . Cypraea maculifera (Schilder , 1932) Also found i n t h e beach d r i f t , Cypraea (Lvncina) schilderorum ( I r eda le , 1939) Two specimens picked up i n t h e beach d r i f t , This comon Polynesian spec ie s i s found from nor thern and e a s t e r n Micronesia (Guam and t h e Marshal l I s l ands ) eastward t o Hawaii and southeastward t o Ducie I s land . Cassidae Casmaria e r inacea (Linnaeus, 1758) One specimen of t h i s widely d i s t r i b u t e d Indo-Pacif ic spec ies was found i n t h e beach d r i f t , Other specimens were found during t h e same t r i p on Oeno and Henderson of t h e P i t c a i r n group. The Polynesian specimens of t h i s spec ie s belong t o t h e nominate subspecies , t h e subspecies kalosmodix Melv i l l being r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e leeward i s l a n d s of the Hawaiian chain. Muricidae Drupella elata ( B l a i n v i l l e , 1832) Fragments of t h i s spec ies were found i n the stomach and gut of specimens of Coris avaula speared off t h e outer r e e f . The spec ies i s found throughout t h e western and c e n t r a l P a c i f i c , from Cocos-Keeling, Indonesia, and southern Japan t o Hawaii and t h e P i t c a i r n I s lands . The Indian Ocean specimens sometimes r e f e r r e d t o t h i s spec ie s represent Drupella cornus ( ~ o d i n g , 1798), a d i s t i n c t spec ies , Morula a (Rading, 1798) This widely d i s t r i b u t e d Indo-Pacif ic mollusk was one of the most ubiqui tous spec ies on Ducie, being e s p e c i a l l y common on t h e reef rock and c o r a l fragments of t h e outer r e e f near t h e shore, Morula a ranula ta (Duclos, 1832) Found with t h e above spec ies but not a s abundantly; an except ional ly l a r g e specimen, 30 rmn i n he ight , was c o l l e c t e d here. Drupa r i c i n u s (Linnaeus, 1758) Only two specimens were found on t h e c o r a l rocks c lose t o t h e shore on t h e no r th s ide . Undoubtedly t h i s common spec ie s i s more abundant on o ther p a r t s of Ducie's r e e f . Drupa p r o s s u l a r i a ~ E d i n g , 1798 This spec ie s was moderately common on t h e hard bottom of t h e shallow channels between t h e r idges of beach rock p a r a l l e l t o t h e shore. Drupa e l e ~ a n s (Broderip and Sowerby, 1829) Fragments of a specimen of t h i s specieswere found i n t h e d i g e s t i v e system of a wrasse, Coris aygula, speared o f f t h e outer r ee f . This spec ies i s found only i n t h e a t o l l s of e a s t e r n Micronesia, t h e Tuamotus, and Henderson and Ducie i n t h e P i t c a i r n group. Drupa morum RGding, 1798 A l a rge specimen was found i n shallow water on t h e western s i d e of t h e boat passage. Nassa sertum (Xrugiere, 1789) - Two worn s h e l l s of t h i s widely d i s t r i b u t e d western and c e n t r a l P a c i f i c spec ies were found i n t h e beach d r i f t . Columbellidae Columbella (Euplica) a f f . palumbina Gould, 1845 Fragments of a s h e l l resembling those of so (E,) palumbina Gould were found i n t h e gut and stomach of Coris ayzula speared off t h e ou te r r e e f , The l a t t e r spec ie s i s found i n t h e Hawaiian I s l a n d s , with c l o s e l y r e l a t e d forms occurr ing i n the Line I s l ands , and i n Polynesia. The Ducie s h e l l most c l o s e l y resembles specimens found i n t h e Gambiers and Aust ra l Is lands. F a s c i o l a r i i d a e La t i rus nodatus (Gmelin, 1791) Three dead specimens were found i n t h e beach d r i f t on t h e no r th coas t . This spec ie s i s n o t r a r e i n Polynesia, from t h e Cook I s l ands t o t h e Marquesas, P i t c a i r n I s l ands , and Rapa, I n Micronesia i t i s found l e s s f requent ly , Mi t r idae Mitra ( S t r i g a t e l l a ) l i t t e r a t a Lamarck, 1811 A few specimens were found on and near rocks c l o s e t o the shore on t h e nor th coast and nea r t h e boat pass. Conidae Conus ebraeus Linnaeus, 1758 - Twelve l a rge specimens were found i n one t o four f e e t of water on t h e west s i d e of t h e boat passage. The bottom was hard c o r a l with patches of gravel and coarse sand, Conus nanus Sowerby, 1833 -- This spec ie s was found with t h e preceding spec ies a s we l l a s along t h e no r th coas t , on sand-covered hard c o r a l bottom i n t h e shallow channels between t h e r idges of t i l t e d beach rock. The major i ty of t h e specimens c o l l e c t e d were unusually l a rge . This appears t o be t h e most abundant spec ies on t h e a t o l l . It was found wi th t h e preceding spec ies , and i n shallow water, on t h e outer r ee f f l a t where it was crawling i n t h e t h i n sandy layer covering t h e hard co ra l s u b s t r a t e . Conus r e t i f e r Menke, 1829 - Conus geoaraphus Linnaeus, 1758 - Conus t u l i p a Linnaeus, 1758 Conus chaldeus ( ~ E d i n g , 1798) - Conus l i v i d u s Hwass, 1792 Dead s h e l l s of t h e above s p e c i e s were found i n t h e beach d r i f t on t h e no r th coas t . Conus r a t t u s Hwass, 1792 - A fragment of t h i s spec ies was found i n t h e gut and stomach of a Coris aygula co l l ec t ed off t h e ou te r r e e f . Terebridae Terebra subula ta (Linnaeus, 1767) A dead but f r e s h specimen was found i n 12 t o 20 f e e t i n t h e nor thern p a r t of t h e lagoon, Aplysi idae Dolabrifera c f . fusca, Pease, 1868 A s h e l l was found i n t h e gut and stomach of a Coris avzula speared off t h e northwest corner of t h e a t o l l , Without a knowledge of the animal i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o a s c e r t a i n t h e proper name of t h i s s h e l l . Bivalv ia Arcidae Barbat ia parva (Sowerby, 1833) Ducie i s t h e type l o c a l i t y f o r t h i s spec ies , Numerous dead va lves of t h i s spec ies were found on t h e western s i d e of t h e lagoon, i n the sand a t t h e base of c o r a l heads i n 3-4 f e e t of water. Fragments were a l s o found i n t h e gut and stomach of two specimens of Coris aygula caught i n t h e lagoon. A junior synonym of t h i s spec ie s i s Cal loarca (Barbarca) mamaluana Dall , Bartsch, and Rehder, 1938, from t h e Hawaiian Is lands . Isognomonidae Isognomon ( ~ e l i n a ) Derna (Linnaeus, 1767) This common western and c e n t r a l P a c i f i c spec ie s was found r a t h e r abundantly at tached by t h e byssus t o t h e under s i d e of c o r a l rocks near t h e shore on t h e western s i d e of t h e lagoon, Fragments of t h i s spec ies were found a l s o i n t h e stomach contents of Coris aygula speared i n t h e nor thern end of t h e lagoon, Isoanomon (Parviperna) d e n t i f e r a (Krauss, 1848) Specimens were found n e s t l i n g i n t h e c revices of c o r a l rock, along t h e ou te r shore a t t h e edge of t h e reef f l a t . Fragments were a l s o found i n t h e d i g e s t i v e system of a specimen of Coris a y ~ u l a speared i n t h e lagoon. P t e r i i d a e Pinctada m a r ~ a r i t i f e r a (Linnaeus, 1785) A l a r g e specimen of t h e common p e a r l oys t e r was c o l l e c t e d i n 12 t o 20 f e e t i n t h e nor thern end of t h e lagoon. Pinctada maculata (Gould, 1850) Numerous fragments of t h i s spec ie s were found i n t h e stomach and gut of a Coris aygula speared i n t h e no r the rn end of t h e lagoon. Ostrea spec ie s Unident i f iab le fragments of a spec ie s of oys ter were found i n the stomach and gut: of a Coris aygula speared i n t h e lagoon, Spondylidae Soondvlus spec ies A worn valve was found i n 20 t o 30 f e e t off t h e northwest corner of t h e r e e f , and two smaller va lves were found i n t h e beach rubble on t h e no r th s i d e of Acadia I s land . Un t i l t h e spec ies of t h i s genus a r e c r i t i c a l l y r ev i sed i t i s impossible t o i d e n t i f y pos t ive ly specimens such a s these . Chamidae Chama iostoma Conrad, 1837 - Two valves of t h i s r a t h e r common t r o p i c a l Western P a c i f i c spec ies were found i n t h e beach rubble, This spec ie s has been c a l l e d Chama imbricata Broderip, 1835, pre-occupied by C, imbricata Lamarck, - 1801. Lucinidae Codakia (Epicodakia) bells (Conrad, 1837) Fragments of t h i s widely d i s t r i b u t e d spec ie s were found i n t h e stomach contents of Coris aygula captured o f f t h e northwest corner -< L L - --,.,, - "I L L I r aL"LL ir. ?"t= 3(! fee t . Tridacnidae Tridacna maxima (Rading, 1798) Two valves of t h i s common Indo-Pacif ic spec ie s were found i n t h e beach rubble on t h e no r th s i d e of t h e a t o l l . Semele a u s t r a l i s (Sowerby, 1833) A valve was found on t h e no r th s i d e of Acadia Is land. This species i s found most abundantly i n Polynesia from t h e Cook I s l ands t o Hawaii and Eas ter I s land; but we a l s o have specimens reputed t o have come from Eniwetok i n t h e Marshalls, and L i fu i n t h e Loyalty I s l ands . Semelangulus nebulosus Dall , Bartsch, and Rehder, 1938 Four va lves very c l o s e l y resembling t h i s spec ies described from Hawaii were found i n t h e contents of t h e d i g e s t i v e system of Coris aygula c o l l e c t e d i n t h e no r th end of t h e lagoon. Because of t h e decidedly i n t e r n a l ligament found i n t h i s genus I cannot subscribe t o i t s a l l o c a t i o n i n the family T e l l i n i d a e by some recent authors . Cephalopoda Chapin r e p o r t s see ing squid come t o a submerged l i g h t while t h e ZACA was off Ducie. He r e l a t e s t h a t "3 squid (10-11 inches long) came round i t , swimming backward, t e n t a c l e s usual ly pressed t i g h t l y together , and f i n s seeming t o open and shu t , When below l i g h t they looked pinkish or salmon-color, As a c t i v e and swif t a s f i s h , when they f i r s t appeared, r a t h e r deep down and looking greenish gray, I thought they might be f l y i n g f i s h " (Chapin, 1934-35). Biogeographical Comment Of t h e 50 i d e n t i f i e d spec ie s 34 or 68% a r e wide-ranging spec ies found e i t h e r throughout t h e Indo-Pacif ic Region o r t h e Western and Central Pac i f i c . Nine spec ie s or 18% a r e r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e Micronesian and Polynesian Provinces, while 6 or 12% a r e found only i n Polynesia. One spec ies , Pseudovertagus c lava ( ~ r u g u i ' e r e ) , i n h a b i t s var ious separa ted - l o c a l i t i e s from New Caledonia t o Ducie A t o l l , The fauna of Ducie i s t h e r e f o r e b a s i c a l l y a depauperate Indo-Pacif ic one. It i s a l s o t y p i c a l l y Polynesian and po in t s up moreover, t h e f a c t t h a t t h e Polynesian fauna i s morc c lose ly r e l a t e d t o t h a t of Micronesia than t o t h e e a s t e r n Melanesian fauna (Samoan I s l ands , Tonga). Echinoderms Asteroidea Acanthaster idae Acanthaster p l anc i (Linnaeus) One specimen was c o l l e c t e d on a co ra l head i n t h e lagoon. Echinoidea Diadematidae Diadema savinnyi Michelin o r I). setosum (Leske) Very common on t h e o u t e r r ee f from 20 t o a t l e a s t 80 f e e t . Specimens were not kept , and t h u s i t i s impossible t o know t o which of these c lose ly r e l a t e d spec ie s t h e Ducie specimens should be r e fe r r ed . Echinometridae Heterocentrotus mamillatus (Linnaeus) Very common with t h e preceding spec ies . They ranged i n c o l o r from l i g h t red t o l i g h t yel lowish green. Heterocentrotus t r i g o n a r i u s (Lamarck) This deep-purple s l a t e - p e n c i l u rch in was abundant on t h e outer t h i r d of t h e reef f l a t i n seve ra l f e e t of water. Corals The c o r a l s , co l l ec t ed by Richard R. Coste l lo , were i d e n t i f i e d by D r . John W, Wells, Cornell Univers i ty , A l l a r e more o r l e s s well-known Indo-Pacif ic spec ies , Poci l lopor idae Poci l lopora elegans (Dana) Collected i n 100 f e e t off t h e r ee f on t h e southwest s i d e . Poci l lopora sp. c f , P. modumanensis Vaughan Found on t h e ou t s ide r e e f i n 20 t o 40 f e e t . Acr opor idae Acropora nasuta (Dana) This spec ies found i n t h e boat pass and on t h e outer r e e f , a s well a s i n t h e middle of t h e lagoon i n 50 f e e t , Astreopora myriopthalma (Lamarck) Found i n t h e western p a r t of t h e lagoon. Montipora c a l i c u l a t a (Dana) Found together wi th the preceding spec ies , Montipora composita Crossland Collected i n 100 f e e t off t h e ou te r reef on t h e southwest s i d e of t h e a t o l l . Montipora complanata (Lamarck) This and t h e following spec ie s were c o l l e c t e d i n 50 f e e t i n t h e middle of t h e lagoon. Montipora sp. c f . g. venosa (Ehrenberg) Montipora sp, a f f . g, bilaminata Bernard Found i n 50 f e e t i n t h e middle and western p a r t of t h e lagoon, Agar ic i idae Pavona ( P s e u d o c ~ l u m n a s t ~ r ~ ) sp , c f . z. (z.) p o l l i c a t a Wells This poss ib ly new spec ie s was c o l l e c t e d i n 100 f e e t off t h e southwest s i d e of t h e outer r e e f , Leptoser i s incrus tans (Quelch) This and t h e fol lowing two spec ie s were found together wi th t h e preceding spec ies . Fungiidae F u n ~ i a (P leu rac t i s ) s c u t a r i a (Lamarck) P o r i t idae P o r i t e s a u s t r a l i e n s i s Vaughan Faviidae P l e s i a s t r a e a vers ipora (Lamarck) The small-cal iced v a r i e t y was c o l l e c t e d both on t h e ou te r edge of t h e ou t s ide r ee f i n 20 t o 40 f e e t of water and i n the western p a r t of t h e lagoon, LITERATURE CITED Anonymous. 1937. B r i t a i n be f l ags t h r e e i s l ands . P a c i f i c I s l a n d s Monthly, September 1937, p. 6. Bain, K. Edi tor . 1970. A Guide t o P i t c a i r n , Revised ed i t ion . Suva, 51 pp., i l l u s t r . Beck, R, H, 1920-1923. Journa l of Whitney South Sea Expedition, vol . 1, September 1920 - June 1923. 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T i l t e d b e a c h r o c k a t i n n e r e d g e o f o c e a n r e e f , n o r t h s i d e o f A c a d i a I s l a n d . F i g u r e 1 7 . T i l t e d l a y e r of b e a c h r o c k w i t h s o l u t i o n c h a n n e l s ; i n n e r e d g e o f o c e a n r e e f , n o r t h s i d e o f A c a d i a I s l a n d . Beach r o c k shown i n F i g u r e 1 6 i s s e e n i n u p p e r r i g h t - h a n d c o r n e r .