Blerk, J. van

Around 20,000 trees are being planted in various locations on the island. Mostly indigenous trees will be planted, although several non-indigenous trees are also being included. The non-indigenous species have been chosen for a number of favorable traits, such as the fact that they can grow under the dry local weather conditions and the fact that they not grow at the expense of native trees. Seedlings are being grown in a nursery at Dos Pos, Bonaire. The reforestation efforts partly restores the original vegetation of the island and will for instance prevent erosion. Species which are cultivated include the Red Saddle Tree, the Taki, the Calabash and the Wayaca. The individual trees and their height are being monitored on a regular basis.

A guide to the native trees of Bonaire is being compiled.

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Abstract:

Here we establish a neotype for Alatina alata (Reynaud, 1830) from the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire. The species was originally described one hundred and eighty three years ago as Carybdea alata in La Centurie Zoologique—a monograph published by René Primevère Lesson during the age of worldwide scientific exploration. While monitoring monthly reproductive swarms of A. alata medusae in Bonaire, we documented the ecology and sexual reproduction of this cubozoan species. Examination of forty six A. alata specimens and additional archived multimedia material in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC revealed that A. alata is found at depths ranging from surface waters to 675 m. Additional studies have reported it at depths of up to 1607 m in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. Herein, we resolve the taxonomic confusion long associated with A. alata due to a lack of detail in the original description and conflicting statements in the scientific literature. A new cubozoan character, the velarial lappet, is described for this taxon. The complete description provided here serves to stabilize the taxonomy of the second oldest box jellyfish species, and provide a thorough redescription of the species.