Dragonflies of Vanuatu

The  dragonflies appeared over long time ago and  they have developed into many different sub species. There are more than 5000 species of dragonflies existing in the world today. Now dragonflies have  been included   in the  Vanuatu’s ecosystem as  the  valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, ants and wasps .

Vanuatu Post pleased to launch a set of four stamps and one unique souvenir sheet features the species of Dragonflies which found in Vanuatu on February 22, 2012. The stamp set designed by Sue Wickison from Wellington, New Zealand. The depicted species are Yellow striped Flutterer Rhyothemis Phyllis , Globe Skimmer Pantala flavescens , Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum,  and Painted Grasshawk Neurothemis stigmatizans.

'Vanuatu Colours of Bloom'

On December 7, 2011, Vanuatu Post launched the 'Vanuatu Colours of Bloom' stamp issue which portrays the vibrant flowers found all over Vanuatu. These are typically characterized by having green flower clusters. It is the vibrancy of the splendid blooms which are found all over Vanuatu and their colours stand out, both in the Port Vila market and in other markets and gardens throughout the islands.  Vanuatu Post has chosen Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise) to join three Heliconias - Heliconia psittacorum, Heliconia rostrata and Heliconia caribaea var in this colourful stamp issue.

Heliconia psittacorum  or known as Parrot's  beak, False Bird-Of-Paradise is a perennial herb native to the Caribbean and northern South America. Heliconia psittacorum flowers are actually highly modified leaves and bracts growing up to no more than four feet tall.

The parrot's beaks are exotic, abundantly bloomers all year long. The flower, or inflorescence of the Heliconia stays almost constant, and may last from several days to several months.

Heliconias like places with a lot of water, rich soil, and sunlight. Heliconia psittacorum does not mind cool temperatures, but does best in warm, humid areas. It is often cultivated as a tropical ornamental plant.

Nudibranchs of Vanuatu

On October 8, 2008, Vanuatu Post issued the stamp features the jewels of sea, Nudibranch. The stamp issued in one miniature sheet consist of 12 single stamps which each stamp depicts species of nudibranchs and composed in one beautiful colour scene of bottom the sea

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The 3,000-plus known nudibranch species are possibly the most colourful creatures on earth. In the course of evolution, these “sea slugs” have lost their shell developing other defence mechanisms. Nudibranchs are blind to their own beauty, their tiny eyes discerning little more than light and dark. Instead the animals smell, taste and feel via oral tentacles. Chemical signals help them track food—not just coral and sponges but barnacles, eggs, or small fish - and other nudibranchs.

As members of the gastropod class, and more broadly the molluscs, they live fully exposed at virtually all depths of salt water, their gills forming tufts on their backs. Varying in adult size from just 20 to 600mm, they reach their greatest size and variation in warm, shallow waters and are found extensively on Vanuatu’s many reefs.  Hermaphroditic, nudibranchs have both male and female organs and can fertilise one another, an ability that speeds the search for mates and doubles reproductive success.

 

Nudibranchs are carnivorous. Some feed on sponges, others on coral animals (hydroids) and some are cannibals, eating other sea slugs, or, on some occasions, members of their own species. There is also a group that feeds on barnacles and occasionally anemones.  Some nudibranchs rely on enzymes, rather than teeth, to break down prey. In turn they are also the prey of certain fish, sea spiders, turtles, sea stars, a few crabs.

They are well equipped to defend themselves however. Tough-skinned, bumpy and abrasive, some are able to camouflage, however, others have bright colouring making them highly visible. This warns they are distasteful or poisonous. Nudibranchs hoard capsules of tightly coiled stingers, called nematocysts, and automatically release a sour liquid from the skin when touched. .(Resources: Vanuatu Post)

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Massena’s Lorikeet

The Rainbow Lorikeet, through 21 different races is found throughout Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomons and parts of Australia. Massena’s Lorikeet or Trichoglossus haematodus massena listed as a sub-species of the Rainbow Lorikeet,  also known as the Coconut Lory and in Bislama – Nasiviru. Massena is found only in the Bismarck Archipelago (near New Guinea), the Solomons and throughout Vanuatu except Futuna and Lopevi.

Growing to around 250mm including a 100mm tail, these striking coloured lories are mainly bright green with a red breast, bluish-mauve head and red-orange beak. Plumage is overall green, green wings, tail, neck, back and underbelly.

Chest is orange/red with thin green to black horizontal barring and sometimes some yellow areas in the chest plumage. Head is blue with lighter blue streak feathers moving backwards to a chocolate brown with lighter brown streaks. Eyes are orange, brown in juveniles.

They frequent flowering trees but their movements are usually erratic as they travel, even between islands, in search of food.Living primarily in wooded habitat in lowland areas, they are sometimes found in steep terrain where favourite trees or shrubs are flowering. They prefer habitat other than true forest or mangroves however and are found in trees bordering watercourses surrounding paddocks, in suburban gardens and in nearly every coconut plantation.

The nectar and pollen from these coconut palm flowers form their staple diet and in return the lories are important pollinators of these trees. Other sources of food include the Indian Coral tree, the African Tulip tree and the Sago palm. They also enjoy the soft fruit of the Panama Cherry tree and ripening fruit from domestic orchards. Maize and sorghum crops are also targeted. 
 

When alarmed while feeding, these generally noisy and active lories will remain motionless in the trees and turn their backs on the intruder in camouflage while eyeing them over their shoulder. They generally travel in pairs or small flocks and are identified by their bright colours, and shrill chatter. The flight of these parrots is swift with rapid wing beats. They are agile when flying short distances through the forest canopy while for longer flights they fly high. The Massena’s Lorikeet is listed in the Cites Appendix II as endangered and may need measures taken in Vanuatu, for their future protection.(Resources: Vanuatu Post, Wikipedia)

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Herons of The Reef

On February  9, 2007, Vanuatu Post released the fauna stamp, features Herons of the reef. It was interestingly seen in two different colour phases in Vanuatu – the white form has pure white plumage and yellow/brown/olive face, bill and legs. The dark form is slate-grey to brownish-black with a thin white stripe on the throat. The white form is the more rare version of the two types.

The stamp issued are one miniature sheet consist of 5 single stamps depicts their lives and the First Day Cover depicts their habitat in the background picture.

They inhabit rocky coasts and reefs but are also found around sea cliffs, mangroves and mud flats. They are found alone or in pairs and are strongly territorial in defending their foraging areas. Stalking gracefully through the shallows, they feed mainly at the intertidal zone (sometimes at night) and take small crabs, crustaceans, and small fish as well as frogs, lizards and insects. Canopy feeding, (where a heron’s wings form a parasol to provide shade and assist fishing) is common in herons but not in this species.

The nesting season is usually February to July and the adults nest in coastal trees as well as in bushes on the rocky shore and on the ground. The nest is made of sticks and twigs and often becomes bulky over a number of years. two or three pale blue eggs are laid and the chicks are sparsely covered with down. Fledging takes around 5-6 weeks.

The heron grows in length to around 50cm and is widespread throughout the Pacific but is found mainly on the western seaboard from Japan to Burma, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand.

Reef Shells of Vanuatu

Vanuatu Post has focused on twelve hard-shell specimens in this issue, to highlight the importance of shells in the marine environment, and in particular those that inhabit the reefs and shallow coastal waters of the archipelago.

Molluscs belong to the phylum Mollusca which is divided into six classes – Amphineura (chitons), Monoplacophora (gastroverms or limpet-like shells), Scaphopoda (tusk shells), Gastropoda (limpets, whelks etc), Bivalvia (cockles, mussels, clams etc) and Cephalopoda (squid, nautilus etc)

Feeding is generally by taking in microscopic vegetable or animal particles that are suspended in water or lying on or just below the sea floor. The warm, clear waters of Vanuatu are ideal for the shells illustrated to thrive, and the coral reefs provide an environment, which has plenty of food.

The shells are colourful through pigmentation at the mantle secretion stage and can vary greatly. Those found in tropical waters tend to be more colourful than those in colder waters. Distribution is controlled by elements of climate, temperature, currents and water depth.The reef shells of Vanuatu are both beautiful and fascinating.

The Banded Iguana of Vanuatu

The Vanuatu Post has issued the stamp series features the Banded Iguana in four single stamps and one souvenir sheet with specific shape consisted of two stamps on November 7, 2007. The issued stamp are support the  Vanuatu government formed the National Advisory Committee on the Environment (NACE) to remind the environmental concern.

The Banded Iguana or Brachylophus fasciatus are believed to have evolved from green iguanas that rafted on debris from South America across 11,000 kilometres of the Pacific to Fiji and then by way of introduction to other Pacific islands including Vanuatu.

Vanuatu has 19 lizard species of which 13 are skinks and 5 are geckoes. The other is the Banded Iguana and it is found only on the main island of Efate. A few kilometers out of the capital Port Vila at Mele, is the Secret Garden, which has a community of Iguana that is a natural attraction for visitors showing how the reptiles live in the wild.

The Banded Iguana is a spectacularly beautiful, large (between 60 and 80cm), emerald-green lizard, named for the highly distinctive, broad, light blue, vertical stripes on the body and tail of males. Females, by contrast, are usually uniformly green, and are smaller than the males. The extremely long tail makes up to two thirds of the lizard's total length, and is used for balance as it climbs amongst the forest branches. Being an arboreal creature, usually preferring trees and bushes with lots of branches where they can best hide themselves, they are very good at climbing and leaping through branches, and can even swim.

All Banded Iguanas are diurnal, spending their days foraging, basking and watching over their territories. At night, they climb to the treetops, and sleep with their limbs wrapped around the branches for stability. The lizards are omnivorous, subsisting on the many fruits and leaves of the forest and the abundant insect life. Male iguanas are highly visual, and aggressively defend their territories from rival males. Sexual maturity can be reached at an age of around 16 months and breeding occurs from November through January, with between 3 and 6 eggs being laid.

 

Due to habitat destruction and predators, populations of these iguanas internationally have been declining to the point where they were threatened with extinction. This category has now been down graded to “vulnerable”. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) however has placed the Banded Iguana on its endangered Red List (1996).

 

It is estimated that the Pacific population is less than 10,000 individuals. In 1987, the Vanuatu government formed the National Advisory Committee on the Environment (NACE) to address the nation's developing environmental concerns. The Estuarine Crocodile, Hawksbill Turtle, Banded Iguana, and Flying Fox were the identified threatened species, and Vanuatu Post supports this environmental concern.

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Vanuatu Frangipani

Vanuatu Post issued the flower stamp series, Frangipani ( Plumeria) which comprised of 4 single stamps, on May 14, 2009.

Plumeria (common name Frangipani) is a small genus native to subtropical and tropical Mexico and Central America. Plumeria has spread to all tropical areas of the world, especially Hawaii, the South Pacific, India and as far as Eastern Africa. The common name "Frangipani" comes from the Marquess of a 16th century Italian noble family, who invented a plumeria-scented perfume.

Plumeria is generally a medium-sized tree growing to about 10M high. Its broad, usually round-headed canopy is often as wide as the tree is tall. The species and hybrids vary in tree size, compactness, branching character, leaf and flower size and colour, and deciduousness.

In deciduous types the leaves fall during wintertime while hybrids tend to retain their foliage year-round. The flowers expand into a “pinwheel” of five petals and may be white, red, yellow, pink, or multiple colors. The hybrids differ in their profusion of blooms, with some producing more than 200 flowers per cluster and others only 50–60 flowers.

Plumeria possesses poisonous, milky sap and its flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar.

In the Pacific Islands, Plumeria is used for making leis and in modern Polynesian culture, the flower is often worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left, if not available. In Vanuatu the flower is popular for decoration and is used for beauty products.

Coconut Crabs of Vanuatu

The Coconut crab ( Birgus latro) is the largest land-living arthropod in the world. The species inhabits the coastal forest regions of many Indo-Pacific islands. Generally nocturnal, they remain hidden during the day and emerge only on some nights to forage.They can weigh nearly 9 pounds and live 60 years.

This enormous crab has developed much to adapt to its conditions: climbing skills to fetch food from tree tops; digging skills to burrow underground and into tree trunks to hide; gills to survive in water, or to drink a little saltwater to maintain its body salt.

The life cycle of the Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is extremely drawn out which causes the species to re-populate slowly. Phase one sees the female crabs travel to the coast to spawn. Four to five larval stages follow, taking 28 days in the ocean, after which the developing crab spends a further 28 days on the ocean floor. The next stage is to come ashore and find an empty shell to hide in. They remain in this temporary housing for 1-2 years and then travel inland where they tunnel underground to a depth of 50mm. In yet another home, the exoskeleton becomes brittle and is discarded and the crab becomes immobile. The crab then eats its old shell to re-absorb minerals while a new shell develops over a 4-week period. The crab can then finally leave its burrow but reproduction cannot occur until they mature between 3.5 and 5 years.

They are herbivorous feeding mainly on dry coconut flesh (by cracking open coconut shells with their powerful claws), dead fruits and leaf but have also been observed eating dead animal carcasses.

The crab population has shrunk throughout its range due to habitat depletion, collecting for food and by introduced animal enemies such as pigs. With rapidly declining Coconut Crab numbers, Vanuatu has implemented a 3-year ban in certain parts of the Republic, on the collection of the world’s largest crustacean. The slow life cycle resulted in an Act aimed at protecting females of egg-bearing age, by prohibiting the collection of any crab whose body is less than 9cm. In length. These actions will hopefully rejuvenate a resource that has become one of the symbols of the nation.

The gathering of Coconut Crabs is not illegal but there is a quota allocation and closed seasons which everyone is asked to obey. Coconut crab populations in several areas have declined or become extinct due to both habitat loss and human predation.It is a worldwide protected species according to the IUCN Invertebrate Red Data Book.

Vanuatu Post is proud to support the efforts being made to ensure the long-term survival of the Coconut Crab in Vanuatu and releases this stamp issue to help raise awareness of this conservation initiative.

Orchids of Vanuatu

Vanuatu Post has issued stamp series depicted the beautiful orchid flower such as: Dendrobium gouldii, Dendrobium polysema, Dendrobium spectabile, Flickingeria comata.Pictures of orchid flower are placed diagonally so adding good view side. There are unique stamps.

Dendrobium gouldii (35),

Dendrobium gouldii found in Papua and New Guinea and the Solomon Islands as a large to giant sized, hot growing epiphyte or lithophyte occurring in riverine forests, coastal forest, swamp forests, beaches and plantations at altitudes of sea-level to 700 meters with clustered, fusiform, many nodes, green stems carrying a few distichous, coriaceous, purple suffused in youth, obtuse leaves that blooms on an erect, to 35 to 70 cm long, axillary, racemose, several to many flowered inflorescence that arise from the upper nodes on mature leafy canes with 7 to 40 flowers occurring mostly in the fall. This species forms kiekies at the upper nodes of any damaged stem and they can be removed when it has more than 3 roots that are 2" long and grown as a seedling. A slight lessening of water and fertilizer in winter is beneficial to promote good plant growth.

Dendrobium polysema (60),

This small to large sized, species occurs in New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu at elevations of 1200 to 1900 meters and from the Solomon Islands, Bougainville Island, the Santa Cruz Islands, and Vanuatu were it is found at 150 to 750 meters in mist forests on mossy tree trunks and main branches with erect, 3 to 5 nodes below the leaves, yellow stems carrying, 2, elliptical-oblong, erect to spreading leaves.

Very similar to or synomonous with Dendrobium macrophyllum.The flower of this species is much smaller in size compared to standard Dendrobium macrophyllum.

Dendrobium spectabile (90) ,

Dendrobium spectable is a warm growing species native to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The 18 inch to 2 foot long canes produce masses of flowers that look like aliens from another world. The plant is easy to grow and flower if you follow the recommended cultural instructions. The flowers are long lasting and have a honey like scent. This plant requires good light to grow and flower properly.This plant typically flowers in the winter and early spring months but can also flower in late August through October. Each flower spike can produce 10 - 20 three inch flowers coloured in cream, tan, mahogany, purple, and green.

Flickingeria comata (110),

A common lowland, sprawling, large epiphytic species at elevations of sealevel to 850 meters in Penninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Papua and New Guinea, Java, the Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, NE Australia, Taiwan, Solomon Islands, Vauatu, Samoa, New Caledonia and Fiji . Its found on trees in open forests or in small trees after logging . Flower with 7 to 8 noded, clavate stems that branch from the upper 2 nodes and dry to yellow or orange and carrying very coriaceous, elliptic, obtuse leaves and the several, basal, terminal or from the upper nodes of the stem, single flowered inflorescence appear from woody to chaffy, ovate, acute bracts at the leaf axis.

Reference of Flickingeria comata. Dendrobium polysema adopted from “The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia”.

The Orange fin Anemone fish on stamps

Vanuatu Post to commemorate their participation in the Philakorea 1994 World Stamp Exhibition, issued the souvenir sheet of stamp features the Orange fin Anemone Fish . This is beautiful colour stamp. There is logo of Philakorea 1994 on the left corner of upperside. The image on stamp shown a good collaboration between anemone and the fish.

The Orange-fin Anemone fish, Amphiprion chrysopterus, is a clown-fish, found in the Western Pacific north of the Great Barrier Reef from the surface to 20 m. The species feeds on mainly zoo plankton and algae. The size grows up to 16 cm length. The changes of colour are a distinctive character of this fish. The tail fins can go from orange to yellow. The main belly can go from brown to black. The stripes can go from blue to white. And the tail fin is always white.

Coral Garden of Vanuatu

Vanuatu Post has issued the beautiful garden of under sea , many corals depicted on the minisheet of stamps. There are three layer direction. Lace coral, Star coral, Sun coral, Plate coral place on the top layer direction. Borwn anhelia, Bubble coral, Flowerpot coral, Cup coral placed on the middle layer direction . Daisy coral, Tubastraea diaphana Sun coral, Mushroom feather coral, Tubastraea micrantha Sun Coral placed on the bottom layer direction.