Dipl. Biol. André KochPhD Student of Herpetology,
Data Manager BIOTA East Africa
Tel.: +49 (0)228 9122 277
Fax: +49 (0)228 9122 295
E-Mail: a.koch.zfmk[@]uni-bonn.de
"The Herpetofauna of Sulawesi with special Consideration of the Genus
Varanus (Reptilia: Varanidae): Systematic Investigations on Island Endemism and Biogeographic Implications"
Hardly any island on earth possesses such a complex and interesting biogeographic history as Sulawesi. Centrally situated within the Indo-Australian Archipelago between the Oriental and Australian faunal regions in the biogeographic transition zone called Wallacea, the island's geographic isolation over millions of years placed the animals and plants of Sulawesi on a course of independent evolution which has resulted in a high degree of insular endemism. Approximately 75% of the amphibians and 42% of the snakes are endemic to Sulawesi, which currently harbours ca. 150 species of amphibians and reptiles.
A water monitor from Tanahjampea Island, Southwest Sulawesi.
It is equally surprising that there have been relatively little scientific investigations of the fauna of this unique island, and especially its herpetofauna. This neglect together with the impoverished character of an oceanic island biota has resulted in relatively low species diversity. However, recent field work on Sulawesi and surrounding off-shore islands revealed several undescribed species.
A colourful patterned water monitor from Kalaotoa Island.
Our investigations show that the species inventory is far from complete and more intense descriptive work is necessary to fully understand the herpetofaunal diversity of Sulawesi. Understanding the systematics of Sulawesian amphibians and reptiles by using morphological and molecular methodologies, will be the basis of forthcoming analyses of biogeography and speciation within Sulawesi.
Me and a large water monitor, North Sulawesi.
By establishing the AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) fingerprinting method in varanids, insights into the systematics and phylogeography of Sulawesi water monitors are to be gained. These results are compared with morphological investigations and patterns of other organisms of Sulawesi.
The focus of the current project is:
(1) to understand historical processes and natural barriers that led to current biogeographic patterns for different organisms such as lizards, macaques, and grasshoppers to address such questions as:
(a) Was Sulawesi colonised by water monitors just once or several times? And (b) From which direction(s) took this/these colonisation(s) place?
(2) to study speciation in Sulawesi's animals: Was Sulawesi a continuous landmass in the past that was fragmented and then recently reunited (vicariance hypothesis) or was it always an archipelago until recent uplift unified these islands (dispersal hypothesis)?
(3) to identify areas of endemism and to recommend priority conservation areas in Sulawesi and surrounding islands.
Varanus togianus, an endemic of the Togian Islands, Central Sulawesi
Co-operation partners and funding:
Counterpart of the project is Evy Arida from the zoological museum in Bogor (Java). For the different parts of the project (i.e., "The herpetofauna of Sulawesi and Southeast Asia" and "Systematics and Phylogeography of Indo-Australian monitor lizards") I work together with the following co-operation partners from international institutions:
Thomas Ziegler (Cologne Zoo), Andreas Schmitz (Muséum d'Histoire naturelle Geneva, Switzerland), Jimmy McGuire (Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, USA), Djoko T. Iskandar (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia), Mark Auliya (TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Selangor, Malaysia), Maren Gaulke (Munich), Fabian Herder (ZFMK, Bonn), Amir Hamidy (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Cibinong, Indonesia), Awal Riyanto (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Cibinong, Indonesia), Nguyen Quang Truong (Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam), Onâ Maiocco and Aurélien Miralles (both Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris, France).
Thomas Ziegler (Cologne Zoo), Andreas Schmitz (Muséum d'Histoire naturelle Geneva, Switzerland), Jimmy McGuire (Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, USA), Djoko T. Iskandar (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia), Mark Auliya (TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Selangor, Malaysia), Maren Gaulke (Munich), Fabian Herder (ZFMK, Bonn), Amir Hamidy (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Cibinong, Indonesia), Awal Riyanto (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Cibinong, Indonesia), Nguyen Quang Truong (Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam), Onâ Maiocco and Aurélien Miralles (both Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris, France).
A water monitor from Palu, Central Sulawesi
