The recapture  of four  of 13 male and 15 of 553 female adult Chelonia  mydas tagged at  breeding  sites in  Yap  State,  Western  Pacific Ocean, between  1990 and  1992 is documented.  Post-breeding migrations of  tagged  turtles  to  areas  in  Yap  State,  the  Philippines,  Papua  New Guinea  and  the  Marshall  Islands  involved  distances  ranging from  170 to  over  3400  km,  and  demonstrate  that  green  turtles  which  breed  in Yap  State range widely within  the  Pacific and  southeast  Asian  regions. In addition,  tagged turtles  migrated  14-101 km  between  breeding  sites in eastern Yap State, and one male and one female turtle were recaptured near their  tagging sites during  a breeding season three  years subsequent to  that  in  which  they  were tagged. 

This is  the  first  systematic  survey  of  vertebrates  on  Mokil and Pingelap atolls, Pohnpei  State, Federated State of Micronesia. Fourteen  species of reptiles,  17 birds,  and  four mammals  are recorded  from Mokil Atoll,  five of the  reptiles  and  four  of the  birds  for the  first time. Eleven  species  of  reptiles,  20  birds,  and  four  mammals  are  recorded from  Pingelap Atoll, two of the  reptiles and  14 of the birds  for the  first time.  Previous  records  of  the  lizard Lipinia  noctua and  four  birds  on Mokil are considered hypothetical  or represent  introductions  that  never became  established,  and  they  have  been  omitted  from  the  faunal  list. No  terrestrial  vertebrate  is  endemic  to  any  of  the  islands  and  all  the resident  species tend  to  be  widespread  in  Micronesia.  The  established introductions  include all of the mammals (Felis catus, Sus scrofa, Rattus exulans), the  Red  Junglefowl (Gallus  gallus), and  the  monitor  lizard (Varanus indicus). Introduced  dogs (Canis familiaris) have  been  extirpated  in  recent  years. The  Micronesian  Starling (Aplonis  opaca) is  the only  resident  land  bird,  occurring  on  Mokil  but  not  Pingelap.  All the terrestrial  reptile  species occur  in forest, the  most  common  habitat,  but show perch  site  selectivity and  other  habitat  preferences. 

The spatial  distribution of the melon aphid, Aphis  gossypii (Homoptera:  Aphididae) in a cucumber  field was influenced by the direction  of  wind  and  the  dosages of  nitrogen  and  potassium  fertilizer. The leeward side of the field had  more aphids than  the windward side. In the fertilized plots lower leaves had more aphids than the upper leaves in  the  vines.  Increase in  fertilizer application  rate  increased the  aphid population  but  any  adverse  impact  of  this  was  overshadowed  by  increased cucumber  yield. 

A variety of indigenous animals and plants have become endangered  or  extirpated  this  century  on  Guam  in  the  Mariana  Islands. Taxa experiencing losses include nearly all resident birds, all mammals, sea turtles,  many lizards, four tree snails, and  several plants.  This  paper reviews the  status  of endangered  species in  the  northern  portion  of the island. A large segment of this area is included  in the  newly established Guam  National  Wildlife Refuge. Northern Guam still holds the island's largest populations of Mariana crows  (Corvus  kubaryi), Micronesian starlings (Aplonis  opaca), Mariana  fruit  bats (Pteropus mariannus), two tree  snails (Partula  radiolata and P.  gibba), and  the  trees Serianthes nelsonii and Heritiera  longipetiolata, as well as several important  turtle nesting beaches. The  demise  of these species is primarily  related  to  the introduction  of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) and other exotic animals,  overhunting,  and  the  destruction  or  modification  of  natural habitats. 

Two sediment cores from the Orote Peninsula, Guam  provide a  Holocene  environmental  record  beginning about  7900 years e.P. An active  fault  possibly separates the  two cores, accounting  for differences in  their  sedimentary  records.  Pollen  analysis of one  core differentiated six zones and  subzones of vegetation.  Among the  more  significant findings were  an  abrupt  decline  in Pandanus after  2150 years B.P., and  a similarly  abrupt  decline  of  other  littoral  trees  and  shrubs  after  about 2700 years B.P. These declines are probably related to prehistoric human activities  such  as  land  clearance  for  agriculture.  The  construction  of megalithic latte stone  monuments   apparently  occurred  well  after  the start  of  land  use  intensification.  Coconut  pollen  in  pre-human  sample intervals  suggests its  arrival  on  Guam  by  natural  rather  than  human transport.  Charcoal  particles  first  occur  in  the  stratigraphic  record  ca. 3550 years B.P. Besides indicating  the  probable  antiquity  of human  occupation  on  Guam,  this date  suggests that  fires did  not  naturally  occur during  the  Holocene. 

Golden algae up to several centimeters  long occur on the reefs of Guam  and  other  western  Pacific islands.  In  particular,  a sometimes-abundant  saccate chrysophyte  occurs that  does not  fit any of the  known genera.  This  alga  forms fragile colonies with the cells dispersed in a common matrix,  and  forms  motile  cells by two successive divisions  of the  vegetative  cells. The  motile cell possesses two  unequal,  lateral  flagella. These features suggest that  this alga is a new member  of the order Sarcinochrysidales  in  the  class  Chrysophyceae.  Another  macroscopic member of the Sarcinochrysidales, the filamentous Chrysonephos lewisii (Taylor)  Taylor, also occurs on Guam,  together with  some  stiff gelatinous colonies and  the enigmatic alga Phaeocystis taylori Lewis et Bryan.

The snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus), widespread  in  the  Pacific Basin, has  been characterized  as terrestrial,  arboreal, beach-associated, and forest-dwelling, depending on the part of the range  surveyed. All these  habitat  characterizations are  represented in the  Mariana  Islands, but  except  on  Guguan  the  species  may  occupy different subsets of these, even  on  adjacent  islands.  While reasons for these island habitat  differences in  the  Marianas  are enigmatic, this apparent plasticity may explain colonization success throughout the Pacific Basin. 

We report  new records  of  23 bird  species from  the  Commonwealth  of the Northern  Mariana  Islands  (CNMI),  that  constitute 14 new  island  records,  one new breeding record, three  first Marianas  records and  10 first island  or Marianas specimen  records,  and  one  first  Micronesian  record.  We  include  a  few  older records  from  1989 that  were overlooked  by  Stinson  et al. (1991). Abbreviations for specimen numbers  include CRCM (Charles R. Conner  Museum,  Washington State  University,  Pullman,  Washington,  USA), CFA  (Celestino  F.  Aguon,  Div. of Aquatic  and  Wildlife Resources, Guam),  and  DFW  (CNMI  Div.  of Fish  and Wildlife). Species names  and  taxonomic  arrangement  follows Sibley & Monroe (1990). 

Using data  taken  from  birth  certificates, we document  differences in  the  sociodemographic characteristics of  mothers  of  infant salmonellosis and  shigellosis patients in Guam. The results of an analysis of covariance indicate that mothers of salmonellosis infants are more likely to  be  Caucasian  and  less likely to  be  Filipino.  Mothers  of  shigellosis infants  appear  to  be  from  lower socioeconomic status  levels. Our  analysis also  reveals a  relationship  of  mothers'  ethnicity  to  educational  attainment   levels,  and  indicates  that  unmarried  Chamorro mothers who have not graduated from high school are more likely than others  to  have  infants  with  shigellosis. The  results  suggest that  risk factors for  infant  salmonellosis and  shigellosis are  dissimilar and  that measures that  may  be  useful in  reducing the  incidence  of  infant  shigellosis in Guam may not be effective in controlling infant salmonellosis. 

Women in Palau, Micronesia regularly collect sea cucumbers, mollusks,  urchins,  crabs,  and  reef  fish  from  shallow  nearshore  areas according to  a  survey of  54 Palauan  women.  This  article describes the most common  methods  Palauan women utilize to collect marine species for  subsistence  and  local  commercial  purposes.  Of  the  women  interviewed, most collect invertebrates by reef gleaning. Some women collect mangrove  clams,  commercially  their  most  important   species.  Some women  catch  land  crabs,  coconut  crabs  or  mangrove  crabs.  Many women  use handlines  to  catch  reef fish. Few women  use  spearguns or nets to catch fish. There is some concern among the women that  several of the  invertebrates  they collect are  harder  to  find now than  they were in  the  recent  past.  In  particular,  the  women  are  concerned  about  the status  of stocks of giant  clams,  short-spined  urchins,  mangrove  clams, and  a  species of swimming crab  that  is collected for  subsistence use.

The Micronesian  fauna  of Pterophoridae  (Lepidoptera)  comprising  11 species belonging  to  2  subfamilies is  presented.  Ten  species among  them  are  redescribed  or  illustrated  based  on  about  200  specimens. One  species, Lantanophaga  pusillidactyla has  been introduced  to several islands to control  the weed Lantana  camara. A key to the species is provided. 

This is  a  partial  revision  of Priopus in  which  we  treat  the Philippine archipelago. We include 34 species, of which  19 are proposed as new. Thirty-two  of these 34 are endemic to  the archipelago.  Of the 2 extralimital  species, P. erythronotus (Candeze)  is also  known  from  Sulawesi and P. consanguineus (Candeze) also  ranges  through  Sulawesi to New Guinea  and  Solomon  Islands. 

Recent data  suggest  that  the  introduced  and  native  geckos, Hemidactylus  frenatus and Lepidodactylus  lugubris, respectively, have expanded  ranges on  Guam  to  include the  entire  island.  Although  additional  information  suggests that  other  introduced  vertebrates  have  impacted  geckos  on  Guam,  the  extirpation  of  the  two  largest species of geckos on Guam  by an introduced  snake greatly contributed  to the local range expansion  of at  least one of the above  species. This range expansion by H. frenatus may  be further  circumscribing local ranges of a  na-tive gecko (Gehyra mutilata). 

Terns  of  the  genus Chlidonias are  rare  migrants  to  the  Mariana  Islands  in western Micronesia, with two species recorded in the archipelago (Reichel & Glass 1991, Stinson  1994). White-winged  Terns  (C. leucopterus) are  observed  in  very small  numbers  in  most  years,  while  Whiskered  Terns  (C. hybridus) have  been documented  on only five previous occasions  (Glass et al.  1990; G. J. Wiles, pers. observ.;  D.  W.  Stinson,  unpubl.  data).  Both  species are  typically encountered  as individuals  or  in small groups  of several birds at  freshwater  ponds  and  wetlands (Glass  et  al.  1990; Wiles et  al.  1993; G.  J.  Wiles, pers.  observ.;  D. W.  Stinson, unpubl.  data). 

The most recent checklist of the fishes of the Mariana  Islands included  862 inshore  and  epipelagic species and  35 deep slope and  mesopelagic species (Myers  1988). One  hundred  thirty-four  of  these  were listed  as  new  records  without  further  comment  other  than  to  cite  this paper  or  others currently  in preparation.  Since then,  a further  four  new records were included in the book Micronesian  Reef  Fishes (Myers  1989) without  details  pertaining  to  material  from  the  Marianas.  Collection data  and  brief descriptions  of  165 of these as well as 46 additional  new records are included herein. Twenty-eight of these are based on collected specimens, nine are based on photographs,  and nine are based on reliable sightings. Three of the photography-based  new records are of specimens of primarily  mesopelagic species that  could  not  be retained;  the remainder  of  those  collected, photographed,  or  observed  are  from  inshore  or epipelagic  habitats.  Additional  accounts  are  given  for  species recently collected  that  were  previously  known  from  sight  or  photographic   records.