The Purdy Islands (or Mwilitau Islands) [1] are an uninhabited island group in the Bismarck Sea, belonging to the people of M'Buke Island in Manus, Papua New Guinea. The Purdy Islands, Mole, Mouse, Rat, plus Bat and Alim (or North Bat and South Bat), form part of the Admiralty Islands group, in Manus Province. [2]
The islands are owned by the Mbuke people. [3] They were named after hydrographer John Purdy by his friend Captain Abraham Bristow on 16 February 1817. [4] Bat Island was the site of RAAF radar station 340 RS between March 1944 and April 1944 during the Second World War. [5] It was one of five such radar stations located within the Admiralty Islands to support the American Invasion. Bat Island proved to be a very dangerous location because it was infested with rats that carried mites which in turn carried Scrub typhus. The majority of the 30 or so strong unit succumbed to Scrub typhus and the station was abandoned after just over a month of service. A contingent of survivors and reinforcements returned in May 1944 to collect the mobile LW-AW radar station and all the equipment that had been left behind. There is one survivor of this radar station still living in Australia as at July 2018.
Located in the Bismarck Sea, the Purdys are part of the Admiralty Islands group, which also contains Admiralty Island, Jesus Maria Island, Los Reyes Islands, La Vandola Island, Hayrick Island, Platform Island, Small Round Island, High Island, Low Island, San Miguel Island, Elizabeth Island, Anachoretes Island, Los Monjos Island, Boudeuse Island, L'Echiquier Island, Los Eremitanos Islands, Matty Island, Durour Island, and Tiger Island. The Purdy Island group lies 38 miles (61 km) to the southwest of Manus Island and belongs administratively to Manus Province. [6] [7]
The Purdy group includes five islands. These are Alim and Bat (or North Bat and South Bat), [8] as well as Mole, Mouse, and Rat. [9] Bat Island is to the west, Mouse and Mole Islands are to the east, Mole Island is to the northwest of Mouse and Mole. About 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Mouse Island can be found Latent Reef. Another reef is southwest of Bat Island. Other formations nearby include the shoals named Sherburne and Sydney, as well as the reefs named Circular and Albert. [4] They consist of coral formations. [6]
The uninhabited islands are a breeding ground for the green sea turtle. [10] The islands are visited by people only to exploit the turtle and coconut palm oil. [11]
The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. Its area is about 50,000 square km.
The approximately 450 Oceanic languages are a branch of the Austronesian languages. The area occupied by speakers of these languages includes Polynesia, as well as much of Melanesia and Micronesia. Though covering a vast area, Oceanic languages are spoken by only two million people. The largest individual Oceanic languages are Eastern Fijian with over 600,000 speakers, and Samoan with an estimated 400,000 speakers. The Gilbertese (Kiribati), Tongan, Tahitian, Māori and Tolai languages each have over 100,000 speakers. The common ancestor which is reconstructed for this group of languages is called Proto-Oceanic.
The green sea turtle, also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean. The common name refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black.
Rambutyo Island is one of the Admiralty Islands in the Bismarck Archipelago. Politically, Rambutyo Island is part of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The population (unknown) is concentrated on the west coast. Villages include Mouklen and Lengkau.
The Ringgold Isles are an archipelago in Fiji, forming an outlier group to Vanua Levu. The Budd, Nukusemanu, and Heemskercq Reefs form part of the group. The group is mostly uninhabited, but Qelelevu has a small village. In 2008 Pacific rats were eradicated from seven islands of the group in an endeavour facilitated by BirdLife International's Fiji Programme.
Tetepare Island is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific, located at 8.716667°S 157.55°E. It is a part of Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It covers approximately 118 square kilometres. Tetepare supports pristine lowland rainforest and a rich inshore marine area. Tetepare Island is identified as an area with high biodiversity and conservation values.
Momote Airport is an airport on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. It also serves Manus Island, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge.
The angulate pipistrelle, also known as the New Guinea pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The Bismarck trumpet-eared bat, also known as the Manus Island woolly bat, is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Wuvulu Island is part of the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, part of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. It is the westernmost island of the thirteen island groups that make up island chain in the archipelago. It is an island of volcanic origin encircled by a coral reef with a maximum height of three meters above sea level.
The great flying fox, also known as the greater flying fox or Bismarck flying fox, is a species of megabat in the genus Pteropus, found throughout lowland areas of New Guinea and in the Bismarck Archipelago. Conflicting evidence suggests that its closest relative is either the spectacled flying fox or, jointly, the Pelew and insular flying foxes. Two subspecies are recognized. At up to 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) in weight, it is among the heaviest bats in the world and the largest bat in Melanesia. It is a gregarious animal which roosts with hundreds or thousands of individuals. In part due to its wide variation in color, it has many taxonomic synonyms, including Pteropus degener, Pteropus papuanus, and Pteropus sepikensis. It may forage during the day or night in search of fruit, including figs or fruits from the family Sapotaceae. It is considered a least-concern species by the IUCN, though its numbers have been negatively impacted by what appeared to be a disease, as well as by hunting for bushmeat that occurs across its range.
The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a global distribution that is largely limited to tropical and subtropical marine and estuary ecosystems.
Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat or Andersen's bare-backed fruit bat is a large cave-dwelling species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago including the Admiralty Islands in Papua New Guinea.
Ataliklikun Bay is a bay of East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea, opening into the Bismarck Sea. It is located in the northern part of New Britain, south-west of Lassul Bay and to the west of Cape Lambert and Rabaul. Urara Island is located in the northern part of the bay. The Raulavat plantation lies in the eastern part of its 25-mile shoreline. The villagers along the shore reportedly speak the Minigir language and the Masava dialect of Tolai. The United States Hydrographic Office said "a reef awash, about 200 yards long east and west, with 15 and 19 fathoms around, on which the steamer Seestem struck in 1909, lies in the south-west part of Ataliklikun Bay."
Île Frégate is a small, uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea located off the north coast of Saint Barthélemy, an overseas collectivity of France. Île Frégate is situated within the Nature Reserve of Saint Bartholomew, which was established in 1996 with the objective of conserving coral reefs, sea grass beds and marine life.
2°55′2″S146°22′0″E / 2.91722°S 146.36667°E
