An expedition to Narcondam: observations of marine and terrestrial fauna including the island-endemic hornbill

Oceanic islands, known for their ecologically sensitive ecosystems and endemic species, are of high conservation significance. The volcanic island of Narcondam in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indian Ocean, is a prime example and the only home of the endemic and globally endangered Narcondam Hornbill. Despite its ecological and evolutionary significance, there has been limited biological exploration and research on the island over the last century. Here, we report on a 2010 expedition to Narcondam, presenting results of our rapid survey of island invertebrates, herpetofauna, mammals and birds (especially the endemic hornbill), and marine life in adjoining waters. The survey recorded dense coral growth in the surrounding waters, and identified 17 fish, 2 sea cucumber, 8 reptile, 28 bird, and 2 mammal species and 13 spider and 8 butterfly taxa. Of these, 4 spiders, 3 butterflies and 6 birds identified to species are new records for the island. The Narcondam Hornbill was frequently enco...海洋岛屿以其生态敏感的生态系统与特有物种著称，具备极高的保护价值。印度洋安达曼-尼科巴群岛中的火山岛纳尔康丹岛（Narcondam）便是典型代表，它是特有且全球濒危的纳尔康丹犀鸟（Narcondam Hornbill）的唯一栖息地。尽管该岛兼具生态与进化研究价值，但过去一个世纪以来，针对该岛的生物勘探与研究工作始终十分有限。本研究汇报了2010年纳尔康丹岛科考之行的成果，涵盖针对该岛无脊椎动物、两栖爬行动物、哺乳类与鸟类（尤其是特有犀鸟），以及邻近海域海洋生物的快速调查结果。本次调查记录了周边海域茂密的珊瑚群落，共鉴定出17种鱼类、2种海参、8种爬行动物、28种鸟类、2种哺乳类，以及13个蜘蛛分类单元与8个蝴蝶分类单元。其中，4种蜘蛛、3种蝴蝶与6种鸟类为该岛的新分布记录。纳尔康丹犀鸟被频繁观测到……