Society Islands
ID
824
Author(s)
J. Hales
Countries
French Polynesia
Major Habitat Type
Oceanic Islands
Drainages flowing into
Pacific Ocean.
Main rivers to other water bodies
The Faaroa River on Raiatea is the only navigable river in the Society Islands.
Description
Boundaries
The Society Islands are a group of islands within French Polynesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. They are divided into the Winward and Leeward islands. The largest and most notable islands in the group are Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Huahine.
Topography
The islands are volcanic in origin, and also include some coral atolls. The largest peak is Mt. Orohena (2241 asl) on Tahiti.
Terrestrial habitats
The terrestrial ecoregion is Society Islands tropical moist forests [OC0113] (WWF 2001).Description of endemic fishes
The only endemic on the islands is the flagtail, Kuhlia malo.Justification for delineation
The Society Islands ecoregion was defined on the basis of distinctive (endemic or near-endemic) fish faunas. Regional species sources included Keith et al. (2002).References
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) (2001) \Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World\ "<"http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial_nt.html">"
- Keith, P.,Vigneux, E.;Marquet, G. (2002). "Atlas des Poissons et des Crustacés d'Eau Douce de Polynésie Française" 55 Paris, France: MNHN.