Oman (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) - Al Ain Chapter, Emirates Natural ...

TRIBULUS 

NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS 

TRIBULUS is the Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group and was launched in 1991. The Group was founded in 

1976, and over the next fourteen years, 42 issues of a duplicated Bulletin were published. 

TRIBULUS is published twice a year. The aim of the publication is to create and maintain in standard form a collection of 

recordings, articles and analysis on topics of regional natural history, heritage, geology, palaeontology and archaeology, 

with the emphasis on the United Arab Emirates and adjacent areas. Papers, short notes and other contributions are 

welcomed from anyone but should not have been published elsewhere. Guidelines are set out below. The information 

carried is as accurate as can be determined, in consultation with the Journal's Advisory Panel and referees, but opinions 

expressed are those of the authors alone. 

All manuscripts received are reviewed by the Editorial Board and appropriate Advisory Panel members and, where 

appropriate, are also submitted to blind peer review. 

Correspondence and enquiries should be sent to: 

The Editor, 

TRIBULUS, 

P.O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi - U.A.E. 

or by e-mail to: hellyer@emirates.net.ae 

Editorial Board: Advisory Panel: 

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Patron, Professor Jens Eriksen (Life Sciences) 

Peter Hellyer, Managing Editor, Professor Graham Evans (Earth Sciences) 

Simon Aspinall, Deputy Editor, Professor Dan Potts (Archaeology ) 

Dr. Michael Gillett, Michael Gallagher (Fauna) 

Professor Drew Gardner, Dr. Geoffrey R.D. King (Archaeology) 

Dr. Mark Beech 

The plant motif above is of the genus Tribulus, of which The animal motif above is of a tiny golden bull, 

there are six species in the UAE. They all have pinnate excavated from the early Second Millennium grave 

leaves, yellow flowers with free petals and distinctive at Qattarah, Al Ain. The original is on display in Al 

five-segmented fruits. They are found throughout the Ain Museum, and measures above 5 cm by 4 cm. 

country, except in coastal sabkha. 

Manuscripts should be submitted in electronic form, with a printed copy, typed on one side only, and double- 

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Photographs may be submitted and should be clearly captioned. Line drawings and maps, if not submitted 

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publisher, in date order. Scientific names should follow customary nomenclature in Latin, while the English 

and, if appropriate, available local Arabic names should also be supplied. 

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 101 9 - 691 9.

Vol. 15.1 Spring/Summer 2005 

Contents 

Editorial ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 

An Intertidal Spoon Worm (Phylum Echiura) in the United Arab Emirates: Occurrence, Distribution, 

Taxonomy and Ecology ............................................................................................................................. 3 

by Richard J. Hornby 

Marine mollusc shells from two archaeological sites near Al Ain ............................................................. 9 

by Andrew S. Gardner 

The first records of Jerdon's Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis jerdoni in the United Arab Emirates ..... 13 

by Stephen C. Votier, Helen & Tony Mainwood, Brydon Thomason & Simon Aspinall 

Two more World War Two plane crashes ................................................................................................. 15 

by Jim Ward 

Uncommon Butterflies of the Ru'us al-Jibal: Baton Blue and Loew's Blue ............................................... 17 

by Gary Feulner 

A recent sighting of the Pomegranate Playboy butterfly, Deudorix livia, at Khutwah, Oman 

(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) ......................................................................................................................... 19 

by Omar Naseer 

An aberrant Caper White butterfly, Anaphaeis aurota, at Khutwah, Oman (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) ........... 20 

by Michael P. T. Gillett and Omar Naseer 

A first breeding record of the Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio for U.A.E. .......................................... 21 

by David Diskin 

An Islamic Religious Token found in Al Ain ............................................................................................... 22 


The Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, at Khutwah, Oman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) ..... 23 


News, Conferences and Publications ........................................................................................................ 24 

Cover Illustrations: 

Front: Tribulus arabicus s.l. near Al Wathba - Picture by Dr. Gary Brown 

Back: Hyocyamus muticus - Picture by Dr. Gary Brown 

The Editorial Board of TRIBULUS and the Committee of the Emirates Natural History Group acknowledge, 

with thanks, the support of the Group's Corporate members, a full list of whom can be found on Page 2, and 

without whom publication would be impossible. We also acknowledge the support and encouragement of our 

Patron, H.E. Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Education. 

TRIBULUS is published for circulation to members of the Group, and is also available at selected outlets in 

the UAE and on subscription inside and outside the UAE. Subscription in the UAE & the Arabian Gulf states: 

Dh 50 per year. Overseas details on request. 

The Group is a non-governmental member of IUCN, the World Conservation Union. 

Published by the Emirates Natural History Group, 

P.O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 

Designed by Genedine dela Fuente 

Printed by Dar Al Fajr Press, Printing, Publishing and Advertising, P.O. Box 505, Abu Dhabi, UAE

EDITORIAL sustainability. Limits are being defined and these, today, 

It has been little noticed as yet, but over the past 

couple of years or so, there has been a marked change 

in the way in which development planning in the largest 

of the UAE's seven constituent emirates, Abu Dhabi, is 

being carried out. 

Although there has been legislation for several years 

requiring the carrying out of environmental baseline 

studies and impact assessments prior to any 

development, in many sectors, the existence of that 

legislation has been acknowledged more in its breach 

than in its firm implementation. That, to a large extent, 

has been due to the fact that many sectors of 

Government involved with development were older, and 

stronger, than the authority charged with the 

implementation of the legislation, the Environmental 

Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA. 

While the Agency sought to perform its functions, 

others, with interests to preserve, were by no means 

always ready to surrender those, or to permit any 

diminution of their own authority. 

Gradually, however, ERWDA has proved its abilities 

in some of the areas with which it was entrusted, 

particularly in two fields. One is that of research, 

protection and management of marine resources, the 

establishment of the Marawah Marine Protected Area 

being one example, and the licencing and supervision of 

the local fishing industry being another. A second field 

has been that of drawing up proper guidelines for the 

review of development applications and the issuing of 

development permits. 

Rather than challenging the established procedures 

and approaches of sectors of Government much larger 

and much older than itself, the Agency, with the 

appropriate political support, also set out first to prove its 

own capabilities and, second, to build relationships 

based upon collaboration, rather than confrontation. 

That has paid off, particularly in the period of 

restructuring since the death of the late President, HH 

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, at the end of last 

year. 

A couple of examples make the point. The dozens of 

bulldozers levelling land for development and the 

hundreds of lorries clogging up the roads to bring sand 

from the deep deserts to pile upon the salt flats, to raise 

them for development purposes, have ground to a halt. 

Secondly, one of the most characteristic features of 

Abu Dhabi's deserts, the planting of million after million 

of trees, is under review. A re-examination of the whole 

rationale of the afforestation programme is under way, 

looking at the techniques of planting and their 

are much narrower than they were a year or so ago. 

ERWDA's hand can be seen in both of these 

developments. 

Another area in which there has been change has 

been the wider acceptance not only of the obligation to 

carry out Environmental Baseline Studies, but also of 

the conditions being placed by ERWDA on the permits 

that they issue. If further studies are required, they're 

now being properly carried out, with checks to make 

sure that they have been done before the next phase of 

a permit is issued. And, a significant step forward, there 

have been cases where managers of development 

projects, finding that aspects of environmental 

importance have been identified during baseline 

studies, have come forward themselves with proposals 

for further work. One such case is the Abu Dhabi Airport 

expansion project. An important population of 'dhubs' 

(the spiny-tailed agamid Uromastyxaegyptia microlepis) 

was identified on the site. In the past, they would 

probably just have been buried under the bulldozing. 

Not now, though - the authorities responsible for the 

project took advice, developed a capture and re-location 

programme, and then asked ERWDA for help in carrying 

it out. 

it out. 

All very positive - and we look forward to seeing this 

kind of approach spreading more widely. 

Out of the baseline studies, previously unrecorded 

information about the country's fauna and flora may 

emerge. 

Such is the case with the first paper in this issue, by 

Richard Hornby. The large spoon worm population at 

Taweela that is the subject of his contribution was only 

identified as a result of an environmental baseline study 

for a power & desalination plant expansion, while further 

studies are now to be carried out as a condition of the 

ERWDA permit. The paper shows, once again, that 

there is much still be be discovered about the natural 

history of the Emirates. 

Other contributions cover, as usual, a fairly broad 

range of topics, such as a newly-recorded subspecies of 

bird for the Emirates, a follow-up on a recent paper on 

World War Two plane crashes (providing summary 

details of two more), and short notes on butterflies, 

weevils, archaeology and a new species of breeding 

bird for the Emirates. A rather eclectic collection, 

perhaps, but that is, after all, the objective of your 

Editors: to provide material on a range of topics relating 

to geology, archaeology, history and natural history that 

should provide something of interest to anyone with 

anything more than a passing interest in these aspects 

of the Emirates. 

I Corporate Members of the ENHG I 

Production of Tribulus, and many of the other activities of the Emirates Natural History Group 

including the grant programme of the Group's Conservation Fund, would not be possible without the 

generous support of the the Group's Corporate Members, many of whom have provided consistenl 

assistance over many years. The Editorial Board and the Group Committee acknowledge, with thanks 

the invaluable support of the following companies and bodies, currently Corporate members of the 

Group, and all past Corporate sponsors: 

Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operation, ADCO; Al Fahim Group; Al Nasser Holdings; BP; 

Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA; Kanoo Group; Al Masaood; 

Intercontinental Hotels; Jashanmal National Company; METCO; Motivate Publishing; Nama 

Development; National Bank of Abu Dhabi; Omeir Travel Agency; Richards Butler; Rotana Beach 

Hotel; URS Dames and Moore. 

2 Tribulus Vol. 15.1 Spring/Summer 2005

Introduction 

An Intertidal Spoon Worm (Phylum Echiura) 

in the United Arab Emirates: 

Occurrence, Distribution, Taxonomy and Ecology 

by Richard J. Hornby 

"Spoon Worm" is the common name for the little-known Phylum, Echiura. These are exclusively marine invertebrates and 

many of them are deep-sea bottom creatures, but at least one species can be found in the intertidal zone of the Arabian 

Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates. They are unsegmented, bilaterally symmetrical, coelomate marine invertebrates 

with a long proboscis, or, more correctly, prostomium, that is used for both feeding and respiration. Some experts believe 

that echiurans are related to the annelids, partly on account of the structure of the planktonic larvae. 

Figure 1. A prostomium partly extended. 

Taxonomy and Known Distribution in Arabia shallow depressions". Hughes and Crisp had also 

There are now considered to be only two orders 

within the Echiura-the Echiuroinea and the 

reported that they observed the echiurid to be most 

abundant between about mid-tide level and the low tide 

line. In the UAE, the author has observed echiurids only 

Xenopneusta (Nishikawa 2002). The Xenopneusta only around the mid-tide level, i.e. they apparently do not 

contains four species. The Echiuroinea contains the 

families Bonellidae, with about 35 species, and the 

Echiuridae, with more than 70 species. At least one 

species of echiurid is known to occur in the intertidal 

zone of the Arabian Gulf. Hughes and Crisp (1976) 

provided information on the occurrence, ecology and 

anatomy of a Spoon Worm that they identified as 

Prashadus pirotansis, in Damman, Saudi Arabia and 

Khadmah, Kuwait. 

Jones' Field Guide to the Sea Shores of Kuwait and 

the Arabian Gulf (1986) also describes and illustrates 

Prashadus pirotansis. Basson et al (1977), in their 

ground-breaking work on biotopes of the western 

Arabian Gulf, contains long lists of marine invertebrates 

present in the region, but only includes one Spoon 

Worm, the echiurid, lkeda taenioides. The book includes 

a photograph of the prostomium of this species, looking 

indistinguishable from the Spoon Worms observed by 

the author in the UAE. lkeda taenioides is described by 

Basson as "abundant ... lower down the sand flat, 

especially where some water is retained in tide pools or 

extend into the low shore. . 

There is no reason to suppose that Basson had 

found a different species from that reported by Hughes 

and Crisp (and Jones). They had used different names 

because of the somewhat confusing taxonomic situation 

(see below) and the shortage of described specimens. 

The author has been unable to find any published 

record of the presence of echiurids (and indeed the 

phylum Echiura) in the United Arab Emirates, but he has 

been aware of an echiurid species in the intertidal zone 

of the UAE since 1996, when he first noticed specimens, 

or more precisely, their prostomia, in a very sheltered 

open mudflat within Khor al-Beida, in the Emirate of 

Umm al-Qaiwain. They were present at a low density 

over an area of a few hectares. A small number of 

prostomia were seen to be feeding, i.e. collecting 

material from the surface of the sediment, during the 

ebb tide, after the echiurid holes had been exposed to 

the air. The exposed part of the prostomia averaged 

about 60 cm. 

Tribulus Vol. 15.1 Spring/Summer 2005

Shortly after that, the author observed echiurids, 

apparently of the same species, in a very sheltered 

intertidal sandy shore on the south-eastern side of 

Futaisi Island, 10 km south-west of Abu Dhabi island. 

Here the area containing echiurids is somewhat larger, 

perhaps 10 ha, and, as at March 2005, this population 

was still doing well. 

In November 2004 the author discovered a very 

large population of echiurids within a stand of fairly 

young mangroves Avicennia marina at Ra's Hanjurah, 

about 5 km south-west of the power and desalination 

plant at Al Taweela, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The 

prostomia are very similar at all three sites, but the 

manifestations on the surface of the sediment at Ra's 

Hanjurah are different from those at Khor al-Beida and 

Futaisi Island. The holes are quite small, no more than 

5 mm diameter, but they are in the middle of a conical 

mound with a typical basal diameter of about 20 cm, and 

a height that can vary from 2 to 10 cm. At Ra's Hanjurah 

the mounds are quite steep- sided, like a small volcano, 

whereas at Khor al-Beida and Futaisi Island they are 

more gently raised, more like an upturned saucer. This 

is likely to be a consequence of difference in the 

sediments-at Ra's Hanjurah it is fairly firm pale grey 

mud, whereas at the other two sites the sediment is 

primarily of sand. 

Confirmation is currently lacking, but it would seem 

to be a reasonable assumption that the animals at all the 

UAE sites, as well as the animals described by Basson 

et al and by Hughes and Crisp in the western part of the 

Arabian Gulf (in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), are all the 

same species. Unfortunately, to date, the only 

specimens of intact animals from the Gulf were those 

obtained by Hughes and Crisp. 

Only a few other people seem to have observed or 

reported sightings of echiurids in Arabia. Gary Feulner 

reports having seen prostomia in June 1998 in what he 

called "Watchtower Khor", immediately south-west of 

Jazirat al-Hamra, in the emirate of Ra's al-Khaimah 

(Feulner, pers. comm.). This was also in pale grey mud, 

in the mid-tide range. This khor has since been infilled. 

He believes he also saw prostomia in Khor Madfaq. 

Dr. David George, of the Natural History Museum in 

London, reporting on his studies of marine life of Abu 

Dhabi emirate from March 1996 to February 2001, 

sponsored by ADCO, did not mention echiurids, but he 

did notice mounds with holes which he assumed to be 

made by this group (George, pers. comm.). These were 

in at least one unspecified part of the intertidal zone in 

the western part of Abu Dhabi emirate. Similarly, the 

author has heard reports of echiurid holes being seen at 

one or two sites in Oman, although there have been no 

reports of the animals themselves having been seen. 

The presence of the large population of echiurids at 

Ra's Hanjurah suggested that there may be other 

populations within the very large area of sheltered 

intertidal flats, much of it supporting mangroves, 

between Ra's Hanjurah and the Eastern Lagoon of Abu 

Dhabi island. Access to most of this area is difficult, and 

it remains largely unsurveyed by marine biologists, but 

recently (June 2005) two more sites have been 

discovered. On Saadiyat Island (the large island 

immediately to the north-east of Abu Dhabi island) the 

author found a low density of echiurid mounds, both in 

mangroves and on open intertidal flats, and, in one very 

sheltered area on the landward side of a mangrove 

stand, a very high density. Another site was discovered 

by Joanna Buckee on the small island of Abu Shuum (on 

the north-eastern margin of Abu Dhabi island), the 

identification being confirmed by the author from 

photographs. 

The discovery, within a period of only seven months, 

of three sites with echiurid mounds within a relatively 

short distance from Abu Dhabi, and the very high 

density in two of the sites, raises the possibility that this 

intertidal echiurid may have undergone a recent 

population increase, or even a population explosion. It is 

possible that the species might undergo cyclical 

population changes, but it is also possible that the 

population has responded positively to the high 

seawater temperatures that have prevailed in the lndian 

Ocean over recent years (George and John, 2004). 

Taxonomy 

An intertidal echiurid was collected in Japan in 1901 

and described in 1904, using the name Thalassema 

taenioides lkeda 1904. Then Wharton, in 1913, created 

the genus Ikeda, with Thalassema taenioides as the 

type species, by monotypy. This was assigned to the 

family Echiuridae (order Echiuroinea) but Fisher (1946) 

later constructed the family Ikedidae, in a new order, 

Heteromyota, for the single species lkeda taenioides, 

the correct synonym for Thalassema taenioides. The 

justification for this was the unique arrangement of the 

muscle blocks (Stephen and Edmonds, 1972). More 

recently, however, re-examination of type specimens by 

Nishikawa (2002) weakened the case for this family, 

which has now ceased to exist. 

Thus Thalassema taenioides was reclassified, 

combined with the genus Prashadus, and later replaced 

by the genus lkeda (Nishikawa, 2002). Prashadus 

pirotansis was the name originally used to describe an 

echiurid found on the lndian island of Pirotan (Menon 

and Dattagupta, 1962). Nishikawa examined the 

relevant lndian specimens in the National Museum of 

Scotland and concluded that there is not sufficient 

justification for the status of Prashadus as a genus. 

Those specimens therefore became lkeda pirotansis. 

The distinction between I. pirotansis and I. taenioides 

depends on the number of gonoducts (200 to 400 in the 

latter, and up to 30 on either side in the former), as well 

as on the thickenings of the non-fasciculate longitudinal 

muscle layer recognisable as longitudinal lines on the 

outer surface of the trunk, which are present in the latter, 

but absent in the former (Nishikawa, 2002). It should be 

emphasised, however, that all of this taxonomy is based 

on extremely few specimens, and the number of 

gonoducts may also depend on size and age. Professor 

Teruaki Nishikawa, who is a world authority, has never 

seen the body of a live echiurid, partly because "its 

previous habitats in Japan have been destroyed by 

human impacts" (pers. comm.). This raises questions 

about the global status of the group, and may suggest 

that the Arabian Gulf is a major stronghold. 

Until the body of the echiurids present in the UAE 

can be examined, positive identification will be 

impossible. They cannot be identified from the 

prostomium alone. It seems reasonable to work on the 

assumption that the UAE populations are of a species of 

Ikeda, but whether it is I. taenioides or I. pirotansis, or 

another species altogether, currently remains unknown. 

It is also possible that after examination of specimens 

from more populations, I. taenioides and I. pirotansis will 


e found to be the same species. 

According to Nishikawa, there are nine known 

genera within the family Echiuridae, namely Echiurus, 

Arhynchite, Anelassorhynchus, Thalassema, 

Lissomyema, Listriolobus, Ochetostoma, Ikedosoma 

and Ikeda. The great majority of the species live 

subtidally, and some are abyssal. Some live in 

association with sipunculan and at least one lives within 

dead sand dollars. Free-living intertidal echiurids seem 

to be rather localised in tropical and subtropical regions, 

but where they do occur, they can be abundant. 

Ecology 

The echiurid species discussed here lives well 

buried within intertidal sediments in sheltered locations 

and feeds by sending up a prostomium to collect 

material from the surface. The prostomia at Ra's 

Hanjurah can be fully exposed for up to one metre in 

length. They are both ciliate and muscular, and appear 

to project themselves outwards from the hole by cilia No 

muscular action is visible, and it has been reported 

elsewhere that the prostomium is ciliate. They then 

collect surface sediment by muscular rippling of the 

margin, gradually accumulating a cylinder of sandy 

material until it is present continuously along the 

exposed prostomium. The cylinder has an average 

diameter of 2 to 3 mm, so the average volume of a full 

good-sized prostomium must be approaching 20,000 

mm 3 , or 20 cm 3 (i.e. 20 ml). 

This material is then carried by the prostomium as it 

retreats back into the burrow, using both ciliary and 

muscular action. It is assumed that the material is then 

conveyed down to the mouth of the animal, which is at 

the base of the prostomiurn. The prostomium cannot be 

introverted into the body cavity, so it must remain within 

the burrow linking the animal to the outside world. The 

organic matter in the fine sand collected by the 

prostomium is then digested within the alimentary 

system. The surface part of the feeding operation, i.e. 

extending the prostornium, collecting the material and 

conveying it into the burrow, has been observed to take 

about five minutes. 

The number of actively feeding prostomia that one 

can observe at any time is clearly heavily dependent on 

the tidal cycle. Feeding has been observed in shallow 

water (c10 cm) and on bare sand shortly after the tide 

has receded, but not on drying sand a long time after the 

tide has fallen below the level of the sediment. Hughes 

and Crisp (1976) reported that all feeding had stopped 

before the flood tide. The optimum time for feeding may 

well be just as the tide is dropping below the level of 

each occupied hole, and for a short time thereafter. The 

prostomium is a very weak and flaccid organ and it may 

not be possible for the animal to feed under conditions 

of strongly flowing or turbulent water. Neither would it be 

able to feed when the sediment begins to dry. It must be 

very heat-tolerant, as the author has seen active 

prostomia when the air temperature was approaching 

40°C, and the temperature of shallow intertidal pools 

can exceed 60°C in the summer months. When the 

water temperature is very high, however, the animal 

might opt not to feed. 

During periods of low tide at Ra's Hanjurah it is 

possible to find many holes but far fewer active 

prostomia. The highest proportion of echiurid burrows 

observed with a feeding prostornium is about 1 in 20, 

although usually it is much lower than this. It is not 

known how many times lkeda taenioides will feed during 

each tidal cycle, but the author suggests that only a few 

times are likely. As it must take quite a long time (at 

least several minutes and possibly up to one hour) to 

convey the sand down to the mouth and into the body, 

and time is then required for digestion and ejection of 

the waste material, it is possible that there is normally 

only one feeding foray per tidal cycle (or one per day 

under unfavourable conditions). It is also possible that 

they might not need to feed every day. 

The mangrove stand at Ra's Hanjurah contains a 

high density of echiurid holes over an area of about 30 

ha. In places the density is extremely high-several per 

square metre-but elsewhere it drops to perhaps only 

one per 100 m 2 . The area also has many holes made by 

the crab Macrophthalmus depressus, but these are 

larger (about 10 mm diameter) and are not surrounded 

by raised mounds. 

The holes and surrounding mounds made by 

echiurids are, therefore, very easy to identify. Without 

activity on the part of the animal, it seems probable the 

hole would be filled in during each tidal cycle by 

movement of the water, small-scale erosion and 

deposition of fine sediment. Virtually every mound at 

Ra's Hanjurah contains a hole, demonstrating that the 

burrow beneath is occupied. Even if very few or no 

prostomia are seen on a particular visit, it is still clear 

that there must be a live echiurid at the bottom of every 

hole. 

Figure 2. The inter-tidal area at Ra's Hanjurah, showing spoon worm mounds. 


Table 1. Numbers of spoon worm mounds in randomly selected 10 X 10 metre quadrats 

at Ra's Hanjurah on 29 April 2005. 

Quadrat no. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Active spoon worm 

mounds 

Density and population at Ra's Hanjurah 

Counts of spoon worm mounds in randomly selected 10 

x 10 metre quadrats at Ra's Hanjurah are presented in 

Table 1, along with percentage cover estimates of 

mangroves and filamentous algae. Spoon worms were 

not found in the densest areas of mangroves but neither 

were they found in areas with no mangroves. Areas with 

filamentous algae lying on the surface were quite well 

populated by spoon worms, although prostomia were 

observed to be apparently seeking open sand and 

avoiding the covering of algae. 

Counting of active spoon worm holes presented 

several problems. In some, but not all quadrats, mounds 

had merged to form a raised complex with several 

holes. It is possible that one spoon worm might use 

more than one hole. It is also possible that some of the 

holes were made by crabs. This difficulty does not arise 

with single mounds with a single hole at the top, which 

is the usual situation. Table 1 contains conservative 

data. For example, quadrat no. 1 had a minimum of 61 

active spoon worms but the possible maximum, if every 

spoon-worm-type hole was occupied by a single spoon 

worm, was 85. 

Elevation is clearly a critical parameter for spoon 

worms. They occupy a strip through the mid-tide level, 

coinciding with the distribution of mangroves. Above this 

level much of the area has large numbers of a small 

cerith or "mud snail" Potamides conicus (up to 75 per 

square metre) on the surface. Below the spoon worm 

and mangrove strip, the surface supports a high density 

of a larger mud snail Cerithidea cingulata, mostly 

around 22 mm long. The average density of these 

ceriths was found to be 46 per square metre. Only small 

numbers of either species of cerith occurred in areas 

with spoon worm mounds. The intertidal flats are very 

extensive at Ra's Hanjurah. During a very low tide the 

open sea is more than 1 km away from the spoon 

worms. 

The distribution of spoon worms within the site is 

rather patchy, without any obvious explanation. For 

example there can be a high density of spoon worms on 

one side of a shallow channel and none on the other, 

despite the habitat conditions appearing to be the same. 

6 1 

59 

37 

22 

29 

92 

26 

15 

10 

53 

Percentage cover of 

mangroves 

40 

30 

15 

10 

5 

1 

1 

15 

10 

50 

Percentage cover of 

filamentous algae 

1 

1 

1 

60 

75 

5 

1 

30 

40 

25 

The length of the accessible area that contains 

spoon worms at Ra's Hanjurah is 11 00 metres. The full 

length could be nearly double this figure. Trying to take 

account of the patchiness of the distribution, it was 

estimated that the average width of the strip was 125 

metres. The total area occupied by spoon worms is 

therefore a minimum of 137,500 square metres. If we 

take an average density of 30 spoon worms per 100 

square metres (see Table 1) the estimated total 

population would be 41,250. In the opinion of the author, 

it would be fair to say that in 2005 the population of adult 

spoon worms (i.e. recognisable active spoon worm 

holes) was somewhere between 30,000 and 60,000. 

(This figure might almost be doubled if the density 

continues at a similar level well into the inaccessible 

area). 

In January 2005, two attempts were made to expose 

and remove the body of an echiurid at Ra's Hanjurah. A 

circular trench was dug around the selected mound, 

leaving the mound undisturbed for as long as possible. 

The sediment became progressively coarser with depth 

until, at about 40 cm, most of it was composed of bivalve 

shells 2 to 4 cm in diameter. At this depth water was 

flowing into the trench at a rate that necessitated 

continuous baling. It therefore became difficult to make 

the trench much deeper. The sediment in the middle, 

containing the echiurid burrow, was then carefully 

broken away by hand, allowing the material to break 

along natural planes of weakness. By doing this, it was 

possible to establish that the burrow was vertical and 

that, with depth, it became progressively more clearly 

defined, with a 'polished' fine-grained inner surface, 

lined with mucus. This part of the hole presumably 

contains the prostomium at all times, and it has sufficient 

structural strength to prevent collapse. The prostomium 

is thus able to extend or contract up and down the 

burrow with very little frictional resistance. Both attempts 

at excavation revealed that the body was below the level 

to which it was possible to lower the water by hand- 

baling. An attempt was then made to dig up the body, 

but this only resulted in the prostomium breaking off, 

without any sign of having reached the body. 


Figure 3. An extended prostomium, with a mangrove pneumataphore (centre). 

This experience demonstrated that the body must be 

at a depth of at least 60 cm, and Hughes and Crisp 

report that it could be more than 1 metre. The maximum 

length of an extended prostomium is, therefore, more 

than 1.5 metres. As the body is up to 60 cm long 

(Hughes and Crisp, 1976), the length of a mature animal 

is therefore, more than 2 metres long. Further efforts will 

be made to excavate intact animals for anatomical and 

genetic examination. 

The animal's only apparent means of respiration is 

through the prostomium. The body of the animal is 

deeply buried in anoxic sediment, which had a clear 

smell of hydrogen sulphide. The prostomium is thus 

likely to fulfil an important role in gaseous exchange, 

absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. 

There can be little doubt that the mound surrounding 

each echiurid hole must be made by the animal living 

down the burrow. A lot of sediment is taken into each 

hole, presumably every day, and clearly most of it-the 

indigestible part-must be returned to the surface. The 

author is not aware of any observations to ascertain how 

or when this happens. The body of an echiurid is known 

to be quite muscular, and it would be feasible for the 

unwanted sand, the 'pseudofaeces', material to be 

forcibly ejected up the hole onto the surface, 

presumably after the hole has been covered by the flood 

tide. Emissions of pseudofaeces waste material must 

occur frequently enough for the mounds not to be 

washed away by the tide and currents. 

At first sight, this would appear to be a simple 

process, i.e. ejecting the sediment from the body cavity 

after a suitable period of digestion. There are two 

physical problems to this, however. Firstly, damage 

must be avoided to the very delicate prostomium, and, 

secondly, echiurids have a discrete alimentary canal 

with a posterior anus, i.e. at the lower end of the animal, 

at the bottom of the burrow. Somehow the waste 

material must be moved past the body and upwards to 

the hole that connects with the surface. The author 

feels that, logically, that the material must be transported 

to the surface by the prostomium, i.e. gradually by ciliary 

Tribulus Vol. 15.1 Spring/Summer 2005 

action rather than suddenly by the body musculature. 

One can speculate that the material must be raised from 

the anus to the prostomiurn, outside the body, by a form 

of peristalsis. It would appear that the prostomium plays 

a key role not just in feeding and respiration, but also in 

excretion of physical waste. It was observed on a few 

occasions that a flow of clear water would emanate from 

spoon worm holes for a period of about five seconds. On 

some of such occasions, towards the end of the flow, the 

water would contain little pieces of sediment with some 

apparent structure little cylinders about 1 mm wide and 

3 mm long. These particles are different from the 

general nature of the material comprising the mound, at 

least when they are produced. These are presumed to 

be packets of faeces and they must lose their physical 

structure soon after expulsion from the burrow. 

Life History 

Some echiurid larvae are known to be planktonic 

and potentially able to develop into either sex, but 

nobody has ever knowingly seen an adult male of the 

genus Ikeda (Nishikawa pers. comm.). It is believed that 

when a larva settles in a suitable site, it establishes itself 

by burrowing into the sediment. As it grows there, it 

matures and forces its way further into the sediment 

while maintaining a burrow which acts as both a feeding 

tube and a breathing tube. At some point in their 

development the buried animals become sexually 

mature., 

Very little is known about the life history of echiurids 

that live as adults in inter-tidal sediments. Several 

questions need to be resolved, including the form, 

behaviour and distribution of adult males, the spatial 

and temporal harmonization of fertilisation and the 

importance of the planktonic phase in both males and 

females, in particular with relation to dispersal and 

geographic distribution. The question of longevity also 

needs to be examined.

Peculiarities of Ra's Hanjurah 

The site at Ra's Hanjurah seems to be exceptional in 

that only one species of crab is present in significant 

numbers-Macropthalmus depressus. Most mangrove 

sites in Abu Dhabi emirate, however, contain a high 

biomass of crabs, particularly of the species 

Metapograpsus messor and, in some sites, also 

Eurycarcinus orientalis. In many mangrove sites the 

former is commonly seen well up into the mangroves, at 

a height of up to 2 metres above the sediment. A few 

small specimens were seen of Portunus pelagicus, but 

this swimming crab typically moves in and out of the 

intertidal zone with the ebbing and flowing of the tide, 

and has wider feeding opportunities. 

Ra's Hanjurah also appears to support very limited 

diversity and biomass of gastropod molluscs. Most 

mangrove sites in Abu Dhabi emirate display large 

numbers of gastropods, particularly Cerithidea 

cingulata, Planaxis sulcatus, Oscilinus kotschyi, 

Clypeomorus bifasciatus and Echinolittorina 

(Nodilittorina) arabica, along with the predatory Thais 

savignyi. At Ra's Hanjurah, within the echiurid area, 

there were only moderate numbers of Cerithidea 

cingulata, some Oscilinus kotschyi and no predatory 

species. 

The epibenthic fauna of Ra's Hanjurah, therefore, 

seems to be unusual in the scarcity of crabs and 

gastropod molluscs. It is suggested that this may be 

attributable to competition from the echiurids. Over a 

large proportion of the site, most of the surface of the 

sediment would be 'cleaned' by the echiurid prostomia. 

This must remove a high proportion of the microscopic 

algae and photosynthesising bacteria, which would 

constitute the base of a food web and probably a high 

proportion of the food of the crabs and gastropods. It is 

suggested, therefore, that within the mangroves at Ra's 

Hanjurah, the Spoon Worm is acting as a 'keystone 

species', i.e. exerting sufficient ecological influence to 

affect the invertebrate community structure. This 

competition would impact any animal that feeds on the 

surface of the sediment, but would probably have no 

significant impact on filter feeders such as bivalve 

molluscs and barnacles, as their food supply is 

replenished twice per day by the tidal cycle. 

Discussion 

This paper is inevitably of a provisional nature as it 

has not yet proved possible to examine the body of, or 

to positively identify, the echiurid species. with which 

we are concerned. Much of the paper is speculative, but 

written with the objective of stimulating interest in this 

little studied group. 

Further efforts will be made to excavate a whole 

animal and the anatomical and DNA structure of this will 

then be investigated in Japan by Professor Nishikawa. 

As far as the taxonomy is concerned, there would 

appear to be three possibilities, i.e. that the species in 

UAE: 

- is lkeda pirotansis (formerly Prashadus pirotansis) 

as reported from India, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; 

- is lkeda taenioides, i.e. the species described from 

Japan, which would have an extremely wide distribution 

from the Pacific to the Arabian Gulf and possibly 

including the populations referred to as Ikeda pirotansis, 

or 

-is a species that has not previously been described. 

Whichever of these possible outcomes, there is no 

doubt that Spoon Worms merit more attention in the 

Indo-Pacific, and, in particular the Arabian Gulf. Ra's 

Hanjurah would appear to be a key site for conservation 

of the species and for discovering answers to some of 

the many mysteries that concern the life history, ecology 

and distribution of the group. 

Acknowledgements 

The author would like to thank Teruaki Nishikawa, and 

Gary Feulner and David George for offering very 

constructive comments on a draft of this paper. 

Bibliography 

Basson P.W., Burchard, J.E., Hardy, J.T. and Price, 

A.R.G. (1977). Biotopes of the Western Arabian Gulf. 

ARAMCO. Motivation Techniques, UK. 

Fisher, W.K. (1 946). 'Echiurid worms of the North Pacific 

Ocean.' Proc. US Nat. Mus.96: 21 5-292. 

George, J.D. and John, D.M. (2004). The coral reefs of 

Abu Dhabi: past, present and future. In Marine Atlas of 

Abu Dhabi, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE. 

Hughes, R.N. and Crisp, D.J. (1976). 'A further 

description of the echiuran Prashadus pirotansis.' J. 

Zool. Lond. 180: 233-242. 

Ikeda, I. (1904). The 'Gephyra of Japan.' J. Coll. Sci. 

Imp. Univ. Tokyo 20(4): 1-87. 

Jones, D. (1 986). A Field Guide to the Sea Shores of 

Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf. Blandford Press and 

University of Kuwait. 

Menon, P.K.B. and Dattagupta, A.K. (1962). On a new 

species of Ikedosoma (Echiuridae). Ann. Mag. Nat. 

Hist ser13 5: 305-309. 

Nishikawa, T. (2001 ). 'Thalassema taenioides I keda, 

1904 (currently lkeda taenioides; Echira): proposed 

conservation of the specific name.' Bull. Zoo. Nom. 

58(4). 

Nishikawa, T. (2002). 'Comments on the taxonomic 

status of lkeda taenioides (Ikeda, 1904) with some 

amendments in the classification of the phylum Echiura.' 

Zool. Sci. 19: 1175-1180. 

Richmond, M. (ed.) 2002. A Field Guide to the 

Seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian 

Ocean Islands.SIDA/SAREC - UDSM. 461 pp. 

Stephen, A.C. and Edmonds, S.J. (1972). The Phyla 

Sipuncula and Echiura. Trustees of the British 

Museum (Natural History) London. 

Wharton, L.D. (1913). 'A description of some Philippine 

thalassemae with a revision of the genus.' Philippine J. 

Sci. D. 8: 243-270. 

Dr. Richard J. Hornby, 

P.O. Box 41 922, 

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 

e-mail: dnahornby@yahoo.co.uk 


Marine mollusc shells from two archaeological sites near Al Ain 

The presence of marine mollusc shells on 

archaeological sites is well documented in the Arabian 

peninsula (Beech 2004; Boucharlat 1992; Hellyer 1998; 

Potts 1997), and, of course, elsewhere. Shell middens 

have been discovered at numerous coastal sites in 

Oman and the UAE, including the Arabian Gulf islands 

(Beech 2004; Hellyer 1998; Phillips and Western 1979). 

The species composition of many of these middens 

clearly indicates that the primary reason for shell 

collection was as a food resource, with large, edible 

species dominating the middens (Durante and Tosi 

1977). Other coastal middens on the coast and islands 

of the UAE are composed primarily of pearl oysters, 

from the extensive Gulf pearling industry (e.g. Hellyer 

and Hull 2002). Less attention has been paid to the 

presence of marine mollusc shells found as surface 

scatters on inland archaeological sites, although such 

finds are relatively common (see Prieur 1999). 144 

species of marine mollusc have been attested at the 

inland archaeological sites at Mleiha, dating to the late 

Pre-Islamic period (Prieur 1999). This note documents 

and analyses the marine mollusc species composition at 

two inland sites, north of the UAE city of AI Ain, lying just 

across the border with the Sultanate of Oman, one on 

the outwash plains to the east of the Hajar Mountains 

and the other in the mountains. Identification and 

nomenclature follows Bosch et al (1 995). 

Qarn Safwan 

The site (about 340 m asl) is in the vicinity of Qarn 

Safwan (24° 33' N, 55° E), an isolated nummulitic 

limestone outcrop in the otherwise broad and sandy 

Wadi Safwan. This is a wadi flowing, after rainfall, 

westwards from the Hajar Mountains into the sands of 

eastern Abu Dhabi. The Arabian Gulf coast is 92 km 

from the site and the Gulf of Oman is 68 km away, 

though direct access is blocked by the mountains. A 

small fort was formerly present at the site, although only 

a few stones outlining the foundations are still visible 

today. Surface scattered artifacts, including Late Stone 

Age flint tools and debitage, fragments of Iron Age 

softstone vessels and bronze items, pottery sherds 

dating from the early and Late Islamic periods, glass, 

and 1 7th and 1 8Ih century coins suggest that the site has 

been used from the Late Stone Age to recent times. The 

scatter covers an area of at least one square kilometre. 

During two visits on 4th-5th October 2002 and 24th-25th 

October 2002, a total of 470 shells were identified and 

examined from among the surface scatter of material. 

The methodology employed involved walking across the 

site and identifying all shells that were complete enough 

for species determination. Shells were collected by hand 

and no sieving was carried out. The sample should be 

approximately representative of the shell scatter, though 

it is not comprehensive. Small shell fragments were not 

examined. A minimum of 44 species were found, of 

which 22 were gastropods from 15 families, and 22 

were bivalves from 10 families (Table 1). 

Of the total number of individual shells, 14.9 % were 

gastropods and 85.1 % were bivalves. The most 

common species are the bivalves Glycymeris cf arabica 



(1 9.6%), Anadara uropigimelana (1 8.7%), Acrosterigma 

lacunosa (1 0.6%), Mactra liliacea (7.4%) and Tivela 

ponderosa (6.6%), with these species accounting for 

63% of the shells studied. All these species are 

probably edible. The most common gastropod species 

are Strombus persicus (4.3%), Cypraea turdus 

winckworthi (2.1 %) and Hexaplex kuesterianus (1.7%), 

the latter also a major source of food in historic and 

prehistoric periods. Additionally, 4 small pieces of stony 

corals were noted. 

A surprising observation is that a significant 

proportion of the shells (21.5%) - see Table 1 - were 

clearly originally collected as dead, beached shells, 

containing calcareous tube encrustations on the inner 

surfaces, with heavily pitted shells or displaying the 

holes drilled by boring, carnivorous species. 

Khudayrah 

The site is an abandoned and extensive field system 

centred on (24° 29.5' N, 56° 02' E, 550 m asl) about 3 

km west of Khudayrah village and 22 km ESE of Qarn 

Safwan. The system lies on a plateau above the Wadi 

Khudayrah, and consists of small fields and circular 

areas cleared of stones. The stones have been built into 

substantial walls up to 3 m thick and 1.5 m high around 

the fields. Due to the removal of stones, the level of the 

fields is below the surrounding plateau, and so the fields 

hold rain water, which may have allowed for rain-fed 

agriculture. Remains of irrigation channels (aflaj) are 

also visible along the edge of the wadi, though the level 

of these is below the majority of the fields. The site does 

not have obvious house remains or graves, and only a 

very sparse scatter of potsherds and shell remains were 

noted. No worked flint tools were found. The age of this 

field system has not been determined, but some, at 

least, of the potsherds are of Late Islamic date. 

A total of 31 identifiable shells and shell fragments 

were noted on 7th-Bth November 2002. These were from 

15 species (6 gastropods from 6 families, 9 bivalve 

species from 6 families) - Table 2. The shells were 

mainly broken and all were bleached of any colour or 

pattern. At least two were beach shells; one Cypraea 

turdus fragment being heavily pitted and a large Callista 

erycina having calcareous tube concretions.

Gastropda 

Gastropoda 

Gastropoda 

Gastropoda 

Fissurellidae 

Xenophoridae 

Cypraeidae 

Cypraeidae 

Table 1 Marine mollusc shells from Qarn Safwan 

Diodera rueppellii (Sowerby, 1834) 

Xenophora corrugata (Reeve, 1842) 

Cypraea turdus winckworthi Schilder & Schilder, 1938 

Cypraea grayana Schilder, 1930 

Gastropoda Murlcidae Hexaplex kuesterianus (Tapparone-Canefri, 1875) 

Gastropoda Muricidae Murex scolopax Dillwyn, 181 7 

Gastropoda Muricidae Thais lacera (Born, 1 778) 

Gastropoda Trochidae Trochus erithreus Brocchi, 1823 

Gastropoda Naticidae Polinices mammilla (Linnaeus, 1758) 

Gastropoda Naticidae Neverita didyma (Roedlng, 1798) 

Gastropoda Natictdae Eunathicina papilla (Gmelin, 1 791 ) 

Gastropoda Potamididae Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767) 

Gastropoda Potamididae Potamides cornicus (Blainville, 1826) 

Gastropoda Ficidae Ficus gracilis (Sowerby, 1825) 

Gastropoda Vermetldae Serpulorbis variabilis Hadfield & Kay, 1972 

Gastropoda Strombidae Strombus persicus Swainson, 1821 

Gastropoda Nentidae Nerita albicilla Linnaeus, 1758 

Gastropoda Nassariidae Nassarius persicus (Martens, 1874) 

Gastropoda Nassariidae Bullia mauritiana Gray, 1839 

Gastropoda Olividae Oliva bulbosa (Roedlng, 1 798) 

Gastropoda Architectonicide Architectonica perspectiva (Linnaeus, 1758) 

Gastropoda Costellariidae Costellaria diaconalis (Mellvill & Standen, 1903) 

Bivalvia Veneridae Dosinia histrio (Grnelin, 1791) 

Bivalvia Veneridae Marcia flammea (Gmelin, 1 791 ) 

Bivalvia Veneridae Callista florida (Lamarck, 181 8) 

Bivalvia Veneridae Tivela ponderosa (Koch, 1844) 

Bivalvia Veneridae Sunetta donacina ( Gmelin, 1871) 

Bivalvia Veneridae Circe rugifera (Lamarck, 1 81 8) 

Bivalvia Glycymerididae Glycymeris pectunculus (Linnaeus, 1758) 

Bivalvia Glycymerididae Glycymeris livida (Reeve, 1843) 

Blvalvla Glycyrnerididae Glycymeris cf arabica (H Adams, 1871) 

Bivalvia Arcidae Andara uropigimelana (Bory de St Vincent, 1824) 

Bivalvia Arcidae Scapharca inflata (Reeve, 1844) 

Bivalvia Arcidae Acar plicata (Dillwyn, 1817) 

Bivalvia Arcidae Barbatia obliquata (Wood, 1828) 

Bivalvia Pectinidae Chlamys livida (Lamarck, 181 9) 

Bivalvia Carditoidea Cardites bicolor (Lamarck, 181 9) 

Bivalvia Carditoidea Cardita crassicosta Lamarck, 181 9 

Bivalvia Cariidae Acrosterigma lacunosa (Reeve, 1 845) 

Bivalvia Matricidae Mactra liliacea Lamarck, 181 8 

Bivalvia Pteriidae Pinctada radiata (Leach, 181 4) 

Bivalvia Pteriidae Pinctada margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758) 

Bivalvia Spondylidae Spondylus marisrubri Roeding, 1798 

Bivalvia Ostreidae unidentlified oysters 

3 

1 

10 

1 

8 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

1 

2 

1 

1 

3 

19 

1 

1 

3 

2 

1 

1 

1 

2 

23 

31 

7 

4 

11 

1 

92 

87 

2 

2 

11 

4 

6 

1 

50 

35 

17 

1 

4 

7 


7 

1 

1 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

1 

5 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

7 

0 

2 

0 

8 

0 

12 

40 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

0 

15 

1 

0 

0 

1 

2

Bivalvia 

Bivalvia 

Table 2. Marine mollusc shells from the abandoned field system at Khudayrah 

I I I 

Arcidae Andara uropigimelana (Bory de St Vincent, 1824) 

Cariiidae Acrosterigma lacunosa (Reeve, 1845) 

Bivalvia Pteriidae Pinctada radiata (Leach, 181 4) 

Bivalvia Arcidae Barbatia obiiquata (Wood, 1828) 

Discussion present at Khudayrah also appears to be of Late Islamic 

date. 

One striking aspect of these observations, especially The obvious question arising from these shell finds 

from Qarn Safwan, is the great diversity of mollusc is what are they doing so far from the sea. They ere not 

species in the scatter. Unexpected finds were small 

keyhole limpets (Diodora rueppellii), a carrier shell 

(Xenophora corrugata), a fig shell (Ficus gracilis) and 

fossilised, and are present well above present sea level 

and any Pleistocene sea level, and are also clearly 

associated with sites. W can, therefore, 

worm shells (Serpulorbis variabilis). According to Bosch 

et at- (1 995), the mollusc species present are from a 

be assumed that they were transported €he sites by 

Man. Both sites are at least five days journey from the 

range of habitats, Including sand, sandy mud, 

rnangroves, rocky shores and offshore. As most species 

Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Oman using animal (camel or 

donkey) transport. The most obvious explanation is that 

are common to the Gulf of Oman and the south-eastern 

Arabian Gulf, it is not possible to determine the 

they were transported inland for food, and certainly the 

majority of the shells found are of species which are 

provenance of the shells. The shells from Khudayrah potentially edible. 

were mainly of the same species, though there were two However there are some rather curious anomalies 

species not encountered at Qarn Safwan (Callista which do not sit entirely comfortably with this 

erycina and Bullia melanoides). explanation. First, given the long and arduous nature of 

Although the age of the shells has not been the trek inland, one might have expected the transport to 

determined, W seems likely that most are relatively be as efficient as possible. Given that molluscs are 

recent (Late Islamic Period). The majority of the pottery 

sherds at Qarn Safwan are Late Islamic, (such as 'Julfar 

heavy in relation to their food value, and have a 

tendency to die and spoil, one wonders why they were 

ware' and 'manganese purple ware') and the excellent not transported salted and dried, as abalones are in 

presevation of the shellssuggests a relatively recent southern Oman today (ElMahi 1 998). Moreover, a high 

origin. Some even retain some of their colour and proportion of the shells found were clearly dead beachpattern 

(especialy Spondylus marisrubri and Cardites 

bicolor). Shells from Khudayrah were more fragmented 

and bleached. Although this my indicate an older date, 

collected shells of no food value at all. Similarly the coral 

pieces have no food value. 

Secondly* the great diversity amongst the shells 

the stone and gravel substrate is likely to be harder on requires some discussion. Some of the species 

the shelfs than the sand at Safwan, while the pottery recorded are not species normally associated with 

Tribulus Vol. 1 5.1 Spring/Surnrner 2005 11 

1 

5 

2 

1 

1 

0 

0 

0

human food, such as Xenophora, Serpulorbis, Cypraea, 

and other small gastropods. Monospecific 

concentrations of shell are a characteristic product of 

human dietary practice, resulting from collection of a few 

preferred target species for consumption (Edens 1988). 

Coastal middens in eastern Arabia are normally made 

up of large numbers of a few species of shells such as 

Anadara, Terebralia and Hexaplex, yet the latter two 

species are relatively uncommon on these inland sites. 

Terebralia is considered to have been a dietary staple of 

early human populations in some coastal areas of the 

Emirates and Oman (Feulner 2000). 

A second explanation for the presence of some of 

the shells is that they were used for decorative purposes 

rather than as a component of diet. The gastropod 

Engina mendicaria and scaphopod Dentalium were 

widely used as beads, and have been found from the 

early Bronze Age tombs at Jebel al-Emalah, some 55 

km north of Safwan (Benton 1994), and elsewhere. 

Neither of these species was represented in the 

collections from Qarn Safwan or Khudayrah. Cowries 

are well known as decorative items, used in necklaces 

and other jewellery and as currency. Indeed cowries are 

still used as talismans today against the 'eye' with the 

shiny dorsum of the shell removed. Of the 10 cowrie 

shells found at Qarn Safwan, four have the dorsum 

removed, though it is not possible to tell whether this 

has been done deliberately or is simply breakage due to 

trampling. Shell beads have recently been found at 

Sayh Jabjab, a lithic site 7 km NE of Qarn Safwan. 

These include small pierced shell discs and small 

gastropods with the ends of the spire removed to enable 

stringing. Material collected from the Late Stone Age 

site at Jebel Mahajir, an outcrop west of the Al Ain to 

Dubai road, by the late J.N.B. 'Bish' Brown in the 1980s 

also included small pierced discs (P. Hellyer, pers. 

comm.) 

Perhaps the most mundane explanation for the 

presence of so many species is while some may have 

been collected for use in decoration, many may have 

been collected as by-catch along with the edible 

species. There is, clearly, scope for further research on 

the presence of marine mollusc shells on inland 

archaeological sites, both in the United Arab Emirates 

and in neighbouring areas of Oman. Where 

archaeological sites are examined in detail, through 

excavation, as at, for example, Jebel Buhais and 

Mileiha, in Sharjah, or in and around Al Ain, the study of 

the environmental remains that may be present, both on 

the surface and in stratified contexts, is an integral part 

of the investigations and detailed reports are produced 

as part of the excavation publication programme. 

In the case of sites where excavations are not 

carried out, however, recording of archaeological 

material, including material of environmental origin such 

as marine mollusc shells, is generally much less 

detailed. Many other surface sites with marine mollusc 

shells present are known to exist throughout the 

Emirates, one such being at Gabat Rukhna, near Bida 

bint Saud, north of Al Ain, where six species of marine 

mollusc have been identified (Hellyer & Aspinall, 2005). 

An important point to consider, however, is determining 

the date of surface shell material. This is sometimes 

difficult to ascertain when other cultural material found 

on the surface indicates multi-period occupation. 

Further research is required, and this note is 

intended, in part, to stimulate further study and analysis 

of the presence of, and the uses of, marine mollusc 

shells at inland sites in the Emirates and adjacent areas 

of Oman. Interviews with older inhabitants of the UAE 

and adjacent areas of Oman may also shed further light 

on the mollusc species used for dietary and other 

purposes. 


I would like to thank Peter Hellyer and Mark Beech 

for useful discussion, comments and suggestions on an 

earlier draft of this note, and Peter Rothfels and 

Marjorie Estivill for assistance and companionship in the 

field. 

References 

Beech, M. 2004. In the Land of the Ichthyophagi: 

Modelling fish exploitation in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of 

Oman from the 5th millennium BC to the Late Islamic 

period. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey 

Monograph 1. British Archaeological Reports International 

Series S1217. ArchaeoPress, Oxford. 

Benton, J. 1994. 'Excavations at Jebel Al Emalah.' 

Tribulus 4.1 ; 12-1 3. 

Bosch, D. T., Dance, S. P., Moolenbeek, R. G., and 

Oliver, P. G. 1995. Seashells of Eastern Arabia, Motivate 

Publishing, Dubai. 

Boucharlat, R. 1992. 'Archaeological research in the 

Emirate of Sharjah.' Tribulus 2.2; 5-8. 

Durante, S., and Tozi, M. 1977. 'The aceramic shell 

middens of Ra's al-Hamra: a preliminary note.' Journal of 

Oman Studies 3(2) : 137-162. 

Edens, C. 1988. 'Archaeology of the sands and the 

adjacent portions of the Sharqiya.' Journal of Oman 

Studies Special Report 3 : 11 3 - 130. 

ElMahi, A.T. 1998. ' Traditional methods of food 

preservation in Oman: a view to the past.' Proceedings of 

the Seminar for Arabian Studies 28 : 45-48. 

Feulner, G. 2000. 'The large mangrove mud creeper 

Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767) in non-mangrove 

environments in Southeastern Arabia.' Tribulus 10.2; 15- 

27. 

Hellyer, P. 1998. Hidden Riches: An archaeological 

introduction to the United Arab Emirates. Union National 

Bank, Abu Dhabi. 

Hellyer, P. and Aspinall, S.J. 2005. A Late Islamic 

Archaeological Site at Gabat Rukhna, RUK0001, near Bida 

bint Saud, Al Ain, Eastern Region, Abu Dhabi. Unpublished 

report of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, 

ADIAS. 

Hellyer, P. and Hull, D. 2002. 'The Archaeology of Abu 

Al Abyad' in The Island of Abu Al Abyad (R. Perry [ed.]), 

ERWDA. Abu Dhabi. pp. 17-38 

Phillips, C. S. and Western, T. J. 1979. 'Recently 

discovered shell middens near Quriyat.' Journal of Oman 

Studies 5 : 107-110. 

Potts, D. T. 1997. 'Before the Emirates: an 

archaeological and historical account of development in the 

region c5000BC to 676AD.' Perspectives on the United 

Arab Emirates, E. Ghareeb and I. Al Abed, [eds.], Trident 

Press, UK, 36-73. 

Prieur, A. 1999. 'Distribution et interpretation de la 

malacofaune des fouilles archaeologiques de Mleiha.' 

Mleiha. 1. Environment. Strategies de subsistence et 

artisanats., M. Mouton, [ed.], Lyon, 145-170. 

Andrew S. Gardner, 

Zayed University, 

P.O. Box 4783, Abu Dhabi, UAE 

drew.gardner@zu.ac.ae 


The first confirmed records of Jerdon's Orphean Warbler 

Sylvia hortensis jerdoni in the United Arab Emirates 

by Stephen C Votier, Helen & Tony Mainwood, 

Brydon Thomason & Simon Aspinall 

Plate 1. Adult male 'Jerdon's' Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis jerdoni. Ghantut, United Arab Emirates 5th March 2004 

(S C Votier). The clean white underparts and undertail covert markings distinguish this from nominate form and the 

long, babbler-like bill support the identification as S. hortensis jerdoni. 

As part of an investigation into Lesser Whitethroats 

Sylvia curruca spp. wintering in the United Arab 

Emirates during February and March 2004, birds were 

caught in mist-nets set at a range of man-made wooded 

sites in Abu Dhabi emirate. Capture rates were typically 

very slow; this was due to low densities of wintering 

migrants and only the presence of only a few birds on 

passage. One of the most productive areas proved to be 

in an Acacia and Zizyphus plantation alongside the sea 

inlet at Ghantut (24° 52'N, 54° 53'E), in north-east Abu 

Dhabi. 

As well as over-wintering passerines, a trickle of 

migrants was also evident by the beginning of March. 

Apart from good numbers of 'Desert' Lesser 

Whitethroats S.curruca minula, Menetries's Warblers S. 

mystacea and Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita 

abietinus, we also encountered singles of Upcher's 

Warbler Hippolais languida, Hume's Lesser Whitethroat 

S.curruca althaea and Lesser Whitethroat S.curruca 

curruca/blythi, as well as two Orphean Warblers 

S. hortensis. 

The first Orphean Warbler was a male trapped on 5th 

March. This individual was strikingly pale grey above 

and white below, with a pronounced black hood 

extending onto the nape and a very long bill. It had a 

largely pale iris and uniform, relatively fresh remiges 

and retrices, suggesting that it was an adult (an 

immature bird should show contrast between some 

moulted and some unmoulted remiges as a result of an 

extensive first pre-breeding moult, Shirihai et al. 2001). 

Prior to release we gathered a detailed set of biometrics 

and a series of photographs. A second male Orphean 

Warbler trapped in the same area on 11 March showed 

a very similar set of morphological characteristics. This 


second bird was less easy to age with confidence. 

Uniform remiges suggested an adult, but the presence 

of two generations of greater coverts and grey 

feathering in the crown strongly suggest a young bird 

and the eye colour was an inconclusive dirty yellow- 

brown. Neither bird was seen before or after capture 

and we assume they were on passage rather than 

wintering in the area. 

Both birds were easily identifiable as male Orphean 

Warblers. A combination of pale grey upperparts 

contrasting well with black head, rather clean white 

underparts, extensive white in the outer tail feathers and 

dark grey sub-terminal chevrons on the undertail coverts 

are all characteristic of one of the 'Eastern' Orphean 

Warbler group. This group is sub-divided into two or 

three taxa; S.h.crassirostris, S.h.balchanica and 

S.h.jerdoni by, e.g., Shirihai et al. (2001), and 

S.h.crassirostris and S.h.jerdoni by, e.g., Cramp (1 992), 

with differences between the taxa largely explained by 

head pattern and bill structure. The following characters 

identified both birds as belonging to the sub-species 

S. h.jerdoni: 

- Underparts largely pure white, except for greyish 

buff wash along the flanks (Plate 1). 

- Black hood extending onto the nape and uneven 

lower border contrasting markedly with the pale grey 

- upperparts (Plate 2). 

Bill length outside the range of both S.h.crassirostris 

and S.h.balchanica, being at the upper end of the 

- S.h.jerdoni (Table 1, Figure 2). 

- Bill depth narrower than S.h.crassirostris (Table 1). 

Bill width narrower than S.h.crassirostris (Table 1).

These two birds represent the first documented records of 

this taxon in the UAE. Future study will hopefully reveal whether 

the small number of wintering and larger number of passage 

Orphean Warblers (Richardson 2003) in the country also 

consist of this potentially overlooked subspecies, or whether 

they are actually scarce. The most recent and, to date, most 

comprehensive treatise on Sylvia warblers, Shirihai et al. (2001) 

states that S.h.jerdoni winters mostly in south west India and 

breeds in Afghanistan, Pakistan and north to Kazakhstan. On 

this basis, records in the UAE would seem likely to represent 

vagrants. In the same volume the authors state that 

S.h.balchanica winters in Oman, S Iran and Pakistan, but, given 

the similarity between S.h.balchanica and S.h.jerdoni, the 

status of S.h.jerdoni in the Arabian Gulf may need to be 

reassessed. 

Plate 2. Adult male 'Jerdon's' Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis jerdoni, 

Ghantut, United Arab Emirates March 2004 (S C Votier). Note the 

extensive black crown extending on to the nape, which contrasts well with 

the pale grey upperparts. From above the bill looks strikingly slender. 

Table 1. Biometric data of 'Eastern' Orphean Warblers. Data for the three taxa within the eastern group are from 

Shirihai et al. (2001) and represent mean, ±1 standard deviation, (range) and sample size. Primaries are numbered 

ascendantly from the outermost inwards (i.e. the outermost primary is P1). 

UAE Bird 1 UAE Bird 2 S.h.crassirostris 1 S. h. balchanica S. h.jerdoni 

Wing 76 79 79.9 ±1 .64 (76-83) 47 82.6 6.95 (80-85) 14 80.8 ±1 .49 (79-83) 8 

Tail 67 68 67.4 6.98 (64-70.5) 47 65.2 i2.67 (62-69) 14 68.2 ±1l .&3 (65-70) 8 

Tail/Wing ratio 0.88 0.86 0.84 ±2.30 (0.80-0.90) 47 0.79 (-) 0.84 (-) 

Bill length3 22.4 23.1 19.8 ±0.88 (18-22.1) 46 19.0 ±0.75(18-20.5) 14 21.5 ±0.78 (20.5-23) 8 

Bill depth 4 4.5 4.4 4.7 ±0.22 (4.5-5) 4 - - 

Bill width4 5.1 5.1 5.4 ±0.21 (5.2-5.7) 4 - 

Wing Point 3,4 3,4 3,4,5 - - 

Emarginations 3,4,5 3,4,5 3,4,5 - - 

. 

P2= 5.6 5.6 5,6 (4,5-6,7) - - 

'Sexes combined 

²Males only 

³Bill to skull 

4 Measured at the proximal tip of the nostrils 


Appendix 1. Additional features noted to differentiate 

between two S.h.jerdoni recorded in the UAE and 

typical S.h.crassirostris as described in Shirihai et al. 

(2001). 

- Bill extensively dark, with pale (pinky) flesh, reduced 

to the base of the lower mandible. 

- Extensive white to all tail feathers. 

- Dark tail contrasting with rather pale grey upperparts. 

Appendix 2. Additional biometrics of two jerdoni 

Orphean Warblers trapped in the UAE March 2004. 

WP=wing point. 

References: 

Cramp, S. (ed.) 1992. The Birds of the Western 

Palearctic. Vol. 6 Oxford. 

Richardson, C. 2003. Emirates Bird Report No. 20. 

Dubai. 

Shirihai, H., Gargallo, G. & Helbig, A.J. 2001. Sylvia 

Warblers: Identification, taxonomy and phylogeny 

of the genus Sylvia. Christopher Helm, London. 

Authors' addresses: 

Stephen C Votier 

Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, 

University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK. 

Tony & Helen Mainwood 

13 Ben Bhraggie Drive, Golspie, East Sutherland, 

Highland Region, Scotland, UK. 

Two more World War Two plane crashes 

I read with interest the paper by Peter Hellyer and 

Laurence Garey in Tribulus Vol.14.1 ('World War Two 

plane crashes in the UAE', pp. 9-11) on Second World 

War plane crashes in the UAE. I was fairly sure I knew 

of one and was disappointed to find it was not 

mentioned in the paper. 

In 1980, I was stationed at the Control Tower at 

Dubai International Airport. While talking with colleagues 

in the Tower about old plane wrecks, one of the 

assistant controllers, a UAE national, who was also a 

fisherman in his spare time, told us about a wreck just 

off the beach between Hamriya port and Khan creek. He 

had caught his nets in it once and said it was easy to 

find as it was opposite a large metal pipe, which was at 

the top of the beach. The wreck was only about 100m 

offshore in fairly shallow water. A friend in the local 

branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club, BSAC, - then 

based in the old Sharjah fort just below the control tower 

- also knew about it but club members were not really 

interested as it was in such shallow water. 

by Jim Ward 

Brydon Thornason 

Fetlar, Shetland, UK. 

Simon Aspinall, 

c/o P.O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, 

United Arab Emirates. 

e-mail: hudhudl 0@emirates.net.ae 

My wife and I went snorkelling and found it easily. At 

low water, the tips of the propellers were just visible 

above the water. Most of the wreck was in the sand with 

just the top of the lower fuselage (the top of the fuselage 

was missing) and two radial engines visible above the 

spinners. The propellers were still attached but bent 

back over the cowling. The wings, outboard of the 

engines, were missing and the fuselage survived only 

from the front of the cockpit to just behind the trailing 

edge. Of interest at the back of the remaining fuselage 

was a circle, which suggested the mount for a top gun 

turret. We made several more dives on the site - mainly 

because it attracted lots of fish - and even took some 

pictures on a basic Minolta, although these are in store 

in Britain and I have not been able to refer to them. 

We, therefore, thought we were looking at a twin 

radial engined aircraft, which would have been present 

in the Middle East and either operating from or through 

Sharjah. Its position and the fact that it was pointing 

north-east suggested it was on right base for the old 

Tribulus Vol. 15.1 Spring/Summer 2005 15

Sharjah runway. The only aircraft that fitted the bill were 

the Bristol Blenheim, Beaufort and Beaufighter. From 

memory, we initially elected for the Blenheim as we 

thought it had an odd number of cylinders - the 

Blenheim had a 9 cylinder Taurus engine, whereas the 

Beaufort and Beaufighter had a 14 cylinder Hercules 

engine. 

I wondered at first why the pilot had elected to ditch 

so close to shore, but then realised he had made the 

right decision as a forced landing on the dunes would 

have been far riskier. It also struck me that he was flying 

an unusual pattern as normally the RAF fly a left hand 

pattern, but again, if he knew he had a problem, he 

might well have elected to make a straight in approach. 

In 1994, I returned to work again in Dubai, and took 

my sons for a snorkelling trip to the plane, only to find 

that the beach had gone and a Corniche had been built 

in its place. Research suggests that the wreck site is 

beyond the line of reclamation, but I have not yet been 

able to discover whether the wreck itself has withstood 

the ravages of reclamation and of time. 

After reading the paper by Hellyer and Garey, (and 

the lengthy extracts carried in Gulf News), I contacted 

PH and told him of what I knew and he encouraged me 

to research further. Searching on the lnternet (a source 

of snippets with no further details), I found a report that 

a Beaufighter had been involved on 26th April 1944 in a 

crash while flying from Bahrain to the Trucial States as 

part of a ferry flight from Britain to India. 

A request for further information to the Bristol Aircraft 

Historical Society has yet to be answered. 

Another lnternet 'find' was a report of Liberator tail 

number AL550 "Ditched off Sharjah Sept 8 1944. The 

Liberator had a 14-cylinder radial engine, so perhaps 

my memory of the number of cylinders of the aircraft on 

which I snorkelled 24 years ago was wrong, but it had a 

powered mid-upper turret which required a rail to 

operate. The Liberator was a 4 engined aircraft. 

However, on the crashed aircraft between Hamriya and 

Khan, the outer wings were missing. The RAF were 

adept at salvaging what they could, as shown by the fact 

that they salvaged the engines from the Wellington that 

crash-landed on Abu Musa, cited by Hellyer and Garey. 

The second author of the original paper, LG, has 

been kind enough to comment on a first draft of this 

Note, and has written as follows: 

"I think that the theory that it (the Sharjah wreck) 

might be the Liberator is the most likely. The Bristols are 

possible, but the engines will not help much. The 

Beaufort did not have a round dorsal turret, but rather a 

faired-in turret at the rear of the deeper forward 

fuselage. So it is not likely. 

AL550 was one of a batch of Liberator Mark II 

(B24C). They went mainly to 159 and 160 Squadrons 

from June 1942 for Middle East service. They had a 

British Boulton-Paul turret just at the level of the wing 

trailing edge (the earlier Mark I had no turret, and the 

later marks had a turret further forward, just behind the 

cockpit). So that fits with the finding of the fuselage 

surviving only to the trailing edge. The Bristols and the 

Liberator had 3-prop engines so, even if that had been 

noted, it would not help. (Author's note:- The wreck had 

a 3-bladed propeller, but as all the aircraft being 

considered had the same, it could not be used for 

identification) 

AL550 was sent overseas from Britain in mid-1 942, 

and served in Palestine and North Africa with 159 

Squadron, then went soon after to South East Asia, 

where it was absorbed into 160 Squadron. It may have 

been on its way back to Britain in 1944 (160 Squadron 

gave up their Liberator Mark Ils in 1943) as it was 

assigned to Ferry Command after squadron service. I 

have found an interesting photo of a crashed Lib III 

(main difference is the turret further forward), in which 

the outer wings have separated, and the aft fuselage 

has broken off just aft of the trailing edge, just as Jim 

Ward describes." 

As yet, I have no further details on the Liberator 

crash, but I will continue searching. Neither the 

Beaufighter crash nor the Liberator crash can be 

satisfactorily documented on the basis of single scraps 

of information, and further research is required - any 

suggestions would be gratefully received. 

Finally, it should be noted that neither of these 

crashes is mentioned in the published British records 

from the Gulf for the period, including the Bushire 

lntelligence Summary, the Kuwait lntelligence Summary, 

the Muscat lntelligence Summary and the Bahrain 

lntelligence Summary. However, the published records 

for 1944 do not include the monthly 'Trucial Coast News 

Report', for April, when the Beaufighter crashed, or for 

September, when the Liberator ditched, or, indeed for 

any month that year (Hellyer, pers. comm.). The original 

reports sent from the Trucial Coast to the Political 

Resident for the Gulf, based in Bahrain, may have been 

lost. It would certainly be interesting to see whether, if 

they can be traced, they include any reference to these 

two incidents. 

References 

Web Page Liberator II for the RAF/LB30 

Web site member.aardvark.net.au. 

World Aircraft Vols 3 and 4, Sampson Low and 

Mondadori Co Ltd 

Acknowledgement 

I am grateful to Peter Hellyer for prompting me to 

place the Hamriya/Khan plane on record and for 

encouraging me to embark on further research, and to 

Laurence Garey for providing details of the Liberator 

crash and for sharing details of his own research. 

Jim Ward 

c/o Airside Operations 

P.O. Box 1897, Dubai 

United Arab Emirates 

e-mail: mallard @ emirates.net.ae 


Uncommon Butterflies of the Ru'us al-Jibal: 

Baton Blue and Loew's Blue 

Fig. 1: Baton Blue Pseudophilotes vicrama. 

Two uncommon Blue butterflies (Family Lycaenidae: 

Subfamily Polyommatinae), the Baton Blue 

Pseudophilotes vicrama and Loew's Blue Agrodiaetus 

loewii were observed in modest numbers at several 

locations in the central and northern-Ru'us al-Jibal (the 

mountains of the Musandam Peninsula) on successive 

weekends throughout April 2005. The sites in question 

were: 'Aini, north of Wadi Bih near the UAE/Oman 

border, at ca. 450-750m; Aqabat Oso in Oman (the area 

of the high pass from Wadi Bih to Wadi Khabb Shamsi), 

at ca. 850-1050m; and the area north-west and south- 

west of Jebel Harim in Oman, at ca. 1200-1600m. 

Loew's Blue was also seen in mid-April on the northerly 

ascent of Jebel Qiwi in Oman, up to ca. 1250m (B. 

Couldrey, pers. comm.). 

Those sightings are noteworthy because both 

species are restricted in range locally and have seldom 

been reported. Loew's Blue eluded even Torben 

Larsen, the author of Butterflies of Oman and 

Butterflies of Saudi Arabia and its Neighbours, as 

well as a number of scientific papers on the butterflies of 

Arabia. No specimens of either species are yet present 

in the Oman Natural History Museum in Muscat (T.J.D. 

Roberts, pers, comm.). 

Range, Habitat and Ecology 

The Baton Blue is a Palaearctic species that ranges 

from eastern Europe through Afghanistan to NW India, 

but in Arabia it is known only from the Ru'us al-Jibal, the 

mountains of the Musandarn Peninsula (Larsen & 

Larsen 1980; Larsen 1983, 1984). Specimens were 

independently collected in the 1970s by K.M. Guichard 

(in April 1976) and Torben Larsen (in March 1979) from 

near the high fertile plain at As-Sayh (also As-Sii or As- 

Saye), west of Jebel Harirn, where Larsen described 

"small colonies . . . located at several places on the 

rough shrub clad mountain sides surrounding the bowl" 

and concluded that they were "obviously well 

established" (Larsen & Larsen 1980). He indicated that 

the range of this species might be restricted to higher 

elevations (Larsen 1984). 

I had not previously observed the Baton Blue, 

despite more than a decade of hiking throughout the 

Ru'us al-Jibal, and despite specific attention to 


by Gary R. Feulner 

Fig. 2: Loew's Blue Agrodiaetus loewii. 

butterflies since 1998. However, the period from mid- 

1998 until November 2004 has been an extended dry 

period in the Ru'us al-Jibal, as in the UAE and northern 

Oman generally. It now appears that in a favourable 

year, the range of this species may extend over much, if 

not all, of the Ru'us al-Jibal, including moderate 

elevations. 

Larsen (1983) speculated that in the Musandam 

area the Baton Blue might breed only once annually 

(whereas in Lebanon there are three broods), perhaps 

due to larval food plant availability. The March-April 

timin of all reported observations to date supports this 

hypo g hesis, although the food plant remains unknown. 

At 'Aini on April 1, the Baton Blue was active in 

sunlight at midday, feeding on rampant Erucaria 

hispanica, an annual Crucifer, growing on waste ground 

among abandoned dwellings (Fig. 1). I also 

encountered it in late afternoon on rubble slopes in the 

shade of a deep gorge, where I may have disturbed it 

from an overnight perch among low, erect stalks of E. 

hispanica and the flowering lily Asphodelus tenuifolius. 

At Aqabat Oso on April 8, I visited on a windy day 

and had to descend into a sheltered wadi before I found 

the Baton Blue. There on a steep hillside a single male 

specimen was feeding on the flowers of the local dodder 

Cuscuta planifora, growing on stunted Desert Thorn 

Lycium shawii. Later in the month, near Jebel Harim on 

April 21, specimens were few and one female observed 

well while feeding on A. tenuifolius was distinctly 

tattered. 

Loew's Blue is recognised as an Eremic zone 

species, i.e., one that inhabits the desert and subdesert 

regions from northern Egypt and Jordan, across 

northern Saudi Arabia to Iran and Afghanistan (Larsen & 

Larsen 1980; Larsen 1984). 

I first observed Loew's Blue in late March 2001 

(following the wettest winter of the dry period) in a 

rugged wadi on the east flank of Jebel Yibir in the 

southwest of the Ru'us al-Jibal, where it was feeding on 

Leucas inflata at an elevation of about 900 metres (Fig. 

2). I saw this species again, twice, in late March of 

2003, on more open slopes at elevations of about 800- 

900m above Wadi Kida'ah, a few kilometres south of 

Wadi Bih. In April 2005 Loew's Blue was much more

common. I observed numerous specimens at all of the 

sites mentioned except Jebel Harim, where all but one 

of the specimens were found in a single vegetated wadi. 

It fed at all sites on the spiny shrub Astragalus 

fasciculifolius, but also, at Aqabat Oso, on the more 

common pea family member, Tephrosia apollinea, and 

in the Jebel Harim area, on the abundant, flowering 

Convolvulus acanthocladus. 

Although my own sightings of Loew's Blue have all 

been at higher elevations, Guichard collected it from the 

base of cliffs near Khasab, therefore probably at 

elevations no more than about 100m. Guichard's 

collections were made in early April, but Larsen failed to 

find the species in February 1979 or May 1981. These 

observations, coupled with my own, suggest a relatively 

consistent brood timing in March and April, consistent 

with the observations of Pittaway for central Saudi 

Arabia (see Larsen 1983). 

Astragalus fasciculifolius is reckoned to be the larval 

food plant of Loew's Blue in the Ru'us al-Jibal, and it is 

worth noting that this spiny perennial shrub has suffered 

more than many other plant species during the recent 

drought, because it has been singled out for the special 

attention of goats. Beginning in 2000 I began regularly 

to encounter specimens from which the animals had 

detached the spiny crown of the plant and stripped the 

bark from the central stems, exposing the pale yellow- 

orange interior (Fig. 3). Presumably this was done for 

either dietary or medicinal reasons, to take advantage of 

some substance concentrated in or under the bark of 

the plant. One result is that in many areas A. 

fasciculifolius does not appear to be as common, nor 

are its shrubs as large, as they were formerly. This has 

apparently not greatly affected the recent fortunes of 

Loew's Blue, however, if we can judge from the numbers 

in flight in comparison to prior years. 

Identification Tips 

Like most of the so-called "Blues", the Baton Blue 

and Loew's Blue can be determined most reliably in the 

field by inspection of the underside. The Baton Blue is 

distinguished by having a line of five orange spots on 

the underside of the hind wing, parallel to the rear 

margin. Many Blues have one or two orange spots at 

the interior corner of the hind wing (which are generally 

interpreted as false eye spots, intended to decoy 

predators away from more vital parts), but only the 

Baton Blue has so many. 

In addition, when I saw it under calm weather 

conditions, the Baton Blue exhibited distinctive flight. 

Moving among low vegetation, it tended to hover before 

perching, with the body held relatively vertical and the 

wings flapping rapidly about an axis perpendicular, not 

parallel, to the ground, so that the wing colour did not 

show well to an observer standing above. Seeing the 

rapid vibration and no obvious colour, I wondered at first 

if perhaps I was looking at a ribbonwing. 

Loew's Blue is more distinctive by virtue of its 

relatively large size and the vivid royal blue colour of the 

male upper side. These allow it in many cases to be 

determined in flight. As Larsen noted, it can often be 

found at or near the spiny shrub Astragalus 

fasciculifolius, which is its larval foodplant. 

Fig. 3: The spiny shrub Astragalus fasciculifolius, the larval foodplant of Loew's Blue, was 

regularly found "de-barked" by goats during the dry years of 1999-2004, presumably for 

dietary or medicinal reasons. 

References 

Gillett, M.P.T. (1995), 'An updated and annotated list 

of butterflies recorded from the UAE, the Musandam 

Peninsula and the Buraimi - Al Mahdah region of Oman', 

Trsbulus 5.2: 16-17. 

Larsen, T.B. (1983), 'Insects of Saudi Arabia - 

Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera (A Monograph of the 

Butterflies of the Arabian Peninsula)', Fauna of Saudi 

Arabia 5:333-478. 

Larsen, T.B. (1 984) Butterflies of Saudi Arabia and 

its Neighbours, Stacey International, London, 160 pp. 

Larsen, T.B. and Larsen, K. (1980), Butterflies of 

Oman, John Bartholomew and Son, London, 80 pp. 

Gary R. Feulner 

P.O. Box 31045 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

e-mail: grfeulnerQshuaacapital.com 


.

A recent sighting of the Pomegranate Playboy butterfly, Deudorix livia, 

at Khutwah, Oman (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) 

by Omar Naseer 

The Pomegranate Playboy is an Afrotropical species The irregular occurrence of this butterfly has 

distributed across the dry Sahel zone of Africa and into previously been noted by Larsen (1984), but it seems 

Arabia and, though common in many parts of its range, strange that a species known to have a remarkably 

it is never abundant in Arabia (Larsen 1984). Although catholic choice of food-plants should be absent from or 

recorded once in the early 1990s from Al Ain in the at least unnoticed in the region over long periods. The 

United Arab Emirates (Gillett 1995), no recent larva of Deudorix livia develops inside flowers and fruits, 

recordings have been made from that region. including dates, pomegranate, other fruits and Acacia 

However, on 23 April, 2004 on a visit by a party from species, all of which are plentiful at Khutwa, Al Ain and 

the Emirates Natural History Group (Al Ain) to Khutwah throughout the region. 

in Oman, a single female was photographed feeding at 

flowers of Ochradenus aucheri on the outskirts of the 

main plantation (Fig 1). 

Figure 1. A female specimen of Deudorix livia feeding on flowers of Ochradenus aucheri 

, photographed at Khutwa on April 23,2004. The other insects are 

ant-like Flower Beetles (Anthicidae). 

References Omar Naseer 

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, 

Gillett, M. P. T. (1995) 'An updated and annotated list of Departments of Biochemistry and Pharmacology 

butterflies recorded from the United Arab Emirates, the United Arab Emirates University 

Musandam Peninsula and the Al-Buraimi - Al-Mahdah 

region of the Sultanate of Oman.' Tribulus 5.2; 16-20. 

Larsen, T. B. (1984) Butterflies of Saudi Arabia and 

its Neighbours. Stacey International, London. 


P.O. Box 17666 Al Ain, UAE 

e-mail: NasserO @ uaeu.ac.ae

An aberrant Caper White butterfly, Anaphaeis aurota, at Khutwah, 

Oman (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) 


Figure 1. Two female specimens of the Caper White butterfly from Khutwah, Oman. The specimen on 

the right was found dead and shows the normal colouration of this species. The example on the left 

is an aberrant specimen with much of the undersurface background suffused with bright yellow. 

The Caper White butterfly, sometimes called the 

Brown-Veined White, is at times one of the commonest 

butterflies in the Al Ain region of the United Arab 

Emirates and adjacent areas of the Sultanate of Oman. 

The species is a noted migrant that usually appears in 

the region in spring, breeds, often in massive numbers, 

on caper bushes and Maerua trees (Capparidaceae) 

and then disappears until the next spring. Often 

hundreds or even thousands of butterflies are present at 

favourable localities where the food-plants occur and 

larvae are known to strip all available leaves from 

Maerua trees in the Mahdah area of Oman before 

pupating, leaving many lesser developed larvae to 

starve to death. With so many individual butterflies, it is 

not surprising that, occasionally, aberrations occur, 

which have different colours or markings to the normal. 

Such aberrations are, however, very rare and one such 

is recorded by Larsen (1977) for Anaphaeis aurota in 

Northern Oman. In the female specimen in question, the 

whole of the white ground colour was replaced by dark 

chocolate brown, almost as dark as the normal wing 

markings. 

At Khutwah, Oman, on April 23, 2004, small 

numbers of female Caper Whites were present and 

laying eggs on caper bushes in the old village and on 

nearby hillsides. One specimen caught our interest and 

was netted. It is shown in Figure 1 together with a 

normal specimen found dead next to a caper bush. The 

female in question has a normal upperside, but on the 

underside much of the white ground colour is replaced 

by bright yellow especially in the cells that are delimited 

by the black markings, but also at the base of the wings. 

In appearance, the butterfly closely resembles a 

specimen of the Arabian subspecies of the African 

Caper White, Anaphaeis creona leucogyne. This 

subspecies is non-migratory and resident only in SW 

Arabia and is not expected to fly in Northern Oman or 

the UAE. 

Reference 

Larsen, T. B. (1 977) The butterflies of eastern (northern) 

Oman and their zoogeographical composition. J. Oman 

Stud. Sp. Rpt. I; 179-207 

Dr. Michael 

16 Dominic Drive, 

Kings Norton, 

Birmingham, B30 1 DW, 

United Kingdom 

Email: mptgillett@ hotmail.co.uk 

Omar Naseer 

Departments of Biochemistry and Pharmacology 

FMHS, United Arab Emirates University 


NasserO@ uaeu.ac.ae 


C 

A first breeding record of the Purple Gallinule 

Porphyrio porphyrio for U AE 

by Dac 

The Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphrio (also 

commonly known as Purple Swamphen) occurs in 

Southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, across 

Southern and South-east Asia to South China, and 

Australasia (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). Six subspecies 

groups are generally recognised. The one that concerns 

us here is the poliocephalus group, members of which 

are characterised by their cerulean-blue or grey head 

(Sangster 1998). 

The poliocephalus subspecies has a disjunct 

distribution in the Middle East, breeding in Southern 

Turkey, around the Caspian Sea, in' Southern Iraq and in 

South-eastern Iran. It is distributed throughout the 

Indian subcontinent. Although it is regarded as being a 

rather sedentary bird and is not known to migrate long 

distances on a regular basis, there is evidence of 

seasonal movements in response to changing habitat 

conditions (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). It is regarded as 

a vagrant to Cyprus, the Near East (e.g. Syria), the 

Arabian Gulf (e.g. Saudi Arabia; UAE) and Oman 

(Porter et al, 1996; Eriksen et al. 2003). Breeding has 

been confirmed at least once in Kuwait, at Al Jahra 

pools in 1996 (Jennings 1996). 

Richardson and Aspinall (1 998) cite six occurrences 

of Purple Gallinule in the UAE between 1984 and 1996. 

All reports were of single birds and all occurred between 

September and January. 

The first in a series of recent records of this species 

at Al Warsen Lake (commonly known as Wimpey Pits) in 

Dubai came on 30 March 2001, when a single bird was 

seen. This bird remained until at least 21 May 2001. 

There were no further sightings at Al Warsen until spring 

2002, when one (possibly two) was seen on 19 April. 

Sporadic sightings of single birds occurred until 27 

September 2002. In 2003, single birds were seen on 2 

January and intermittently between 11 April and 31 July. 

Surprisingly, on 10 October 2003, three birds were 

seen feeding in the same general area as the original 

observations had been made. This was the first time 

that more than a solitary bird had been definitely 

recorded in the UAE. These three birds were seen until 

November Ist, and sightings of single birds continued 

until 21 December 2003. There was then a gap in the 

reports until one was again seen on 4 March 2004, 

being followed thereafter by regular sightings into April. 

On April 22, Otto Samwald and Renate Riegerbauer, 

visiting Austrian birdwatchers, saw a half-grown juvenile 

feeding on the edge of reeds in the company of an adult 

and the two birds were seen again on 30 April. This is 

the first breeding record for the UAE and the second for 

the Arabian peninsula as a whole. 

Analysis of the pattern of Purple Gallinule sightings 

at Al Warsen since the first record there in March 2001 

is difficult because of the skulking nature of the species, 

although birds are occasionally vocal but often still 

remain unseen. It is probable, however, that breeding 

took place in 2003 and that the three birds seen in 

October 2003 represented a family party of two adults 

and an immature. Two of the birds had complete, red 

frontal shields, while the third had a brownish, less well- 

developed shield something which tends to support this 


hypothesis. 

It should also be pointed out that Purple Gallinules 

are involved in the local cagebird trade. At least twenty 

birds of the poliocephalus-group were caged in mid- 

2004 in an aviary in Mushrif Park, Dubai; while as many 

as 25 full-grown birds were released in 1997 into 

mangroves on the island of Abu al-Abyadh, Abu Dhabi 

(Aspinall 2004). Some of the latter individuals survive 

but do not breed there, although others may have 

dispersed to, and be those now recorded in, more 

typical habitats in the UAE, as at Al Warsen. However, 

there remains nothing to indicate that the birds seen at 

this breeding site may have escaped from captivity or 

been otherwise deliberately released. 

(Editors' Note: Purple gallinules continued to be seen 

at Al Warsen Lakes (Wimpey Pits) into summer 2005). 

References 

Aspinall, S.J. (2004). Breeding Birds of the UAE. 

Revised Second edition (in Arabic). Environmental 

Research and Wildlife Development Agency, Abu Dhabi. 

Eriksen, J., Sargeant, D.E. & Victor R., (2003). Oman 

Bird List (Edition 6). Sultan Qaboos University & 

Oman Bird Records Committee. 

Jennings, M. C. (1996). New Breeding Species. (427 

Purple Gallinule P. porphyrio) Phoenix 13:2. 

Porter, R. F., S. Christensen, and P. Schiermacker- 

Hansen. (1996). Field Guide to the Birds of the 

Middle East. T & A D Poyser. London. 

Richardson, C. and S. Aspinall. (1998). The Shell 

Birdwatching Guide to the United Arab Emirates. 

Liverpool & Dubai. 

Sangster, G. (1998) 'Trends in Systematics: Purple 

Swamp-hen is a complex of species.' Dutch Birding 20 

(1): 13-22. 

Taylor, B. and B. van Perlo. (1998). Rails: A Guide to 

the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World. 

Pica Press. Sussex. 

David Diskin 

PO Box 56, 

Ma On Shan Post Office, 

New Territories, 

Hong Kong. 

E-mail: dadiskin @netvigator.com

An Islamic Religious Token found in Al Ain 

The object illustrated here was shown to me by 

Rauda Mosallam Saeed Al Qubaisi, who was interested 

to know more about this 'coin'. However all is not as it 

seems, and this object is actually not a true coin but a 

religious token or tanka. The token was found by 

Rauda's aunt while digging on family land in the Oud Al 

Touba neighbourhood of Al Ain in 1985. 

The token is made from silver washed brass or 

copper, is 28mm in diameter, and has script based on 

early Mughal silver coins. The undated token has the 

Kalima in the centre with the names of the four Sunni 

Caliphs around (top: Abu Bakr; left: Umar; below: Ali; 

right: Uthman). The reverse side shows a mosque with 

six minarets and a text "Medinat Sharif". Similar tokens 

have been published by Brotman (1970) and Mitchiner 

(1979; 1998). In design, it is quite similar to Brotman's 

type T, nos 1 and 2, although these are silver pieces. 

However Ali, Umar and Uthman are in different positions 

on this token and there are added dots in the spandrels 

of the mosque arches. Other similar pieces are 

illustrated as nos 4745 and 4746 in Mitchiner (1 979) and 

as the mosque series on pages 119 and 120 in Mitchiner 

(1 998). 

Mitchiner (1998) suggests that these tokens were 

manufactured in Calcutta and issued from around the 

middle of the 19th century until the Second World War. 

The tokens were manufactured on a commercial basis. 

How they were actually marketed is not very clear, but 

they were probably sold at fairs and festivals, as well as 

at pilgrim sites (Jan Lingen, pers. comm. 2004). Lingen 

suggests that the tokens were used as religious amulets 

and were probably brought to Arabia either by Muslim 

traders or pilgrims en route to the Haj. 



I am very grateful to Rauda al Qubaisi for bringing this 

interesting item into Zayed University, and to Lutz Illisch 

(Tuebingen), Jan Lingen and Heinz Bons for their 

insights and for sending me information on Indian 

tokens. 

References 

Brotman, I. F. (1970). A guide to the temple tokens of 

India. Shamrock Press. Los Angeles, California. pp 

208. 

Mitchiner, M. (1979). Oriental Coins an Their Values. 

Vol 3 : Non-Islamic States & Western Colonies AD 600- 

1979. Hawkins Publications, London. pp 640. 

Mitchiner, M. (1 998). Indian Tokens: Popular Religious & 

Secular Art. Hawkins Publications, London. pp 240. 

Andrew S. Gardner 

Zayed University, 

P.O. Box 4783, 

Abu Dhabi UAE 

e-mail: drew.gardner@zu.ac.ae 


The Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus at Khutwah, Oman 

(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) 


Figure 1. The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. 

The Red Palm Weevil is native to South Asia and 

has long been noted as a serious pest of coconuts and 

other palms. In the last few decades, the beetle has 

spread westwards with human help to reach Iran, 

Arabia, Egypt and even Spain (Ferry and Gomez, 

2002). In Arabia, the beetle was apparently introduced 

in imported date palms and by the early 1990s it had 

become common in many parts of the United Arab 

Emirates. Expensive control measures are in operation 

to limit the damage done by these beetles. The beetle 

has also spread into the Hajar Mountains of the 

Northern Emirates and Oman. In mountain oases, such 

as Khutwah, simple traps baited with a chemical 

attractant (pheromone) have been employed over the 

last few years to catch the weevil. From an examination 

of the traps at Khutwah, the beetles are not present in 

vast numbers. One trap examined in late March, 2004 

contained the remains of two weevils together with four 

live weevils with no new captures evident on April 23, 

2004. A second trap examined on the same day 

contained only a solitary live weevil (Fig. 1). Many date 

palms have been cut down recently at Khutwah to make 

way for horticultural development. This provided an 

opportunity to examine the damage done to the interior 

of the palm by the weevil and its larvae. Out of about 30 

recently-felled palms, all were undamaged except for a 

single log, (Fig. 2) which showed extensive galleries 


Figure 2. Weevil damaged palm trunk 

caused by tunnelling weevils. Given the small numbers 

of weevils trapped at Khutwah and the sound nature of 

the majority of the palms being cut down, it seems that 

the Red Palm Weevil is not currently a significant 

problem and that the relatively simple traps have 

probably managed to control it. It will be interesting to 

see in the future what effects the reduction in palm 

numbers at Khutwah will have on the status of this 

beetle. 

References 

Ferry, M and Gomez, S. 2002. The red palm weevil in 

the Mediterranean area. 

Dr. Michael P. T. Gillett 

16 Dominic Drive, Kings Norton, Birmingham, 

B30 1 DW 

Email: mptgillett Q hotmail.co.uk 

Omar Naseer 

Departments of Biochemistry and Pharmacology 

FMHS, United Arab Emirates University 


NasserO@ uaeu.ac.ae

News, Conferences and Publications 

(compiled by Peter Hellyer, Simon Aspinall & Mark 

Beech) 

New Patron for Dubai Natural History Group 

UAE Minister of Education Sheikh Nahayan bin 

Mubarak Al Nahayan has agreed to become Patron of 

the Dubai Natural History Group, DNHG. He has 

already been, for many years, the Patron of the ENHG, 

publishers of Tribulus, and of the Al Ain chapter of the 

ENHG. 

The three Groups are planning to strengthen their 

collaboration in terms of joint field excursions, meetings 

and research and publication. They already have a 

jointly-organised weekend outing each year, the most 

recent of which was held at Mafraq, just outside Abu 

Dhabi, in March. (Source: DNHG). 

Fossil Display 

The first-ever display in the United Arab Emirates of 

Late Miocene fossils from Abu Dhabi's Western Region 

opened in the headquarters of the Environmental 

Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA, 

in June. Put together by the Abu Dhabi Islands 

Archaeological Survey, ADIAS, under the direction of 

ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist Dr. Mark Beech, 

the display, accompanied by a short book (see 

Publications), is sponsored by Takreer, the Abu Dhabi 

Company for Onshore Oil Operations, ADCO, and BP, 

all of whom have been generous sponsors of fossil 

research in the Western Region over the years, as well 

as by ADIAS and ERWDA. 

The centrepieces of the display are a skull and a 2.5 

metre long tusk from the primitive elephant 

Stegotetrabeladon syrticus, the former excavated at 

Shuweihat and the latter near Ruwais, along with a 

scale model of the elephant itself, a four-tusked animal, 

which was made by the Taxidermy Section of the Private 

Department of HH the President of the UAE. Other 

animals represented by fossils in the display include 

early crocodiles, gazelles, turtles and ostriches. 

An on-line view of the display can be found at 

http://www.adias-uae.com/fossils.html 

Labels and other material associated with the exhibition 

are in both English and Arabic, and the display is 

intended to provide an introduction to students, and to 

others, about this important aspect of Abu Dhabi's 

heritage. (Source: ADIAS website). 

Soil Survey 

The Environmental Research and Wildlife Development 

Agency, ERWDA, is to carry out a soil survey of Abu 

Dhabi Emirate for the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. It 

is intended to provide an inventory of soil resources and 

to provide a GIS-based soil database. 

Geomorphological features of Abu Dhabi Emirate 

indicate that there may be a huge diversity of soils with 

different physical, chemical and biological properties. 

The soil survey project will provide baseline information 

for understanding, managing, conserving and sustaining 

the Emirate's soil resources. It will also assist decision 

makers for future land use planning on scientific 

grounds, transfer technology for the rational utilisation of 

the soil resources, valuable soil databases for future 

research and development projects and capacity 

building of UAE nationals. 

Soils will be mapped and classified using the latest 

satellite images, and norms and standards of the United 

States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Soil and land 

use maps will be published at scales 1:50,000, 

1 :1 00,000 and 1 :500,000. 

A soil survey of the coastal zone of Abu Dhabi has 

already been completed. This highlights areas where 

minerals such as halite (NaCl), anhydrite (CaSO4) and 

gypsum (CaSO4. ²H²O) occur. The survey report 

presents an introduction to the surveyed area, the 

methods used for field soil mapping and laboratory 

investigation of soils, description and classification of 

soils, map units and their description, and a soils 

database. The coastline of Abu Dhabi Emirate is divided 

into 220 soil polygons covering an area of 377,045 

hectares. General soil maps have been prepared at a 

scale of 1 :50,000. (Source: ERWDA press release). 

Symposium on lntegrated Coastal Zone 

Management, ICZM 

ERWDA hosted in June a Symposium on lntegrated 

Coastal Zone Management, ICZM, for the UAE, 

attended by government and private sector 

representatives from throughout the Emirates, as well 

as a number of leading overseas specialists. 

The objective of the Symposium was to prepare a 

strategy for the promotion of the sustainable 

development and conservation of the UAE's coastal and 

marine environment as well as the protection of critical 

habitats including beaches, mangroves, coral reefs and 

seagrass beds. 

Recommendations included: optimisation of the 

compatible use of resources; management of the 

conflicting use of coastal and marine resources; 

adoption of an eco-system based system of 

management; and ensuring widespread participation by 

all stakeholders, including those in both the public and 

private sectors. 

It was also recommended that the UAE should enact 

federal legislation for ICZM and that a review should be 

conducted on all components of the existing coastal and 

marine management systems in the UAE, including the 

present capacity of human resources and current 

scientific knowledge. 

Participants included representatives of the federal 

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Federal 

Environment Agency, Municipalities, the Abu Dhabi 

Marine Police and the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological 

Survey, ADIAS, as well as ERWDA. (Source: ERWDA 

press release). 


Success for UAE's Crab Plovers 

A protection programme managed by the Environmental 

Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA, 

has helped the country's breeding population of Crab 

Plovers, Dromas ardeola, to enjoy a successful season 

in summer 2005. The UAE's population is of national 

and international importance. 

A colony of the species was found on the island of Abu 

al-Abyadh in the mid-1 990s, and was afforded protection 

by the island's owner, UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa 

bin Zayed Al Nahyan. A much smaller colony was also 

found on the nearby island of Umm Amim. In 2004, it 

was noted that the Abu al-Abyadh colony had split into 

two, and ERWDA's Terrestrial Environment Research 

Centre, TERC, put forward a series of protection 

measures for the new colony, close to temporary 

residential facilities. The removal of these facilities was 

then ordered by Sheikh Khalifa. 

In 2004, 311 active nest burrows were counted at the 

new site. In May 2005, there were 588 occupied nests, 

with a further 145 at the original colony site, where more 

burrows were being dug. On Umm Amim, there were 77 

active nest burrows in 2004, with 85 being counted in 

May 2005. (Source: ERWDA press release). 

Kentish plover study 

As part of a joint project with the Environmental 

Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA, a 

team from Britain's University of Bath have been 

carrying out a study of the breeding ecology of Kentish 

plovers Charadrius alexandrinus at the Al Wathba Lake 

and marsh (formerly known as Al Ghar Lake). The 

project, headed by Dr. Tamas Szekely, has identified a 

breeding population of up to 200 pairs. 

Adult birds are being ringed with a combination of colour 

rings - metal + colour on the left leg and colour + colour 

on the right leg. 

Any sighting of ringed Kentish plovers, particularly away 

from the breeding site, would be welcomed. 

A brief report on the first year of the study will be 

published in a future issue. Bath University is also 

discussing another joint project with ERWDA on the 

Crab Plover Dromas ardeola colonies on Abu al- 

Abyadh. (Source: Tamas Szekely). 

CITES implementation 

Implementation of the regulations of the Convention in 

International trade in Endangered Species of Flora and 

Fauna, CITES, in the United Arab Emirates is being 

stepped up. The local CITES Management Authorities 

are the Federal Environmental Agency in Abu Dhabi and 

the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for the northern 

emirates, while the Scientific Authority is the 

Environmental Research and Wildlife Development 

Agency, ERWDA. 

In June 2005, a pet-shop in Al Ain was raided, and a 

rhesus monkey Macata mulatta, on sale without the 

proper documentatation, was seized. Rhesus monkeys 

are classified as Lower Risk by the 2000 Red List of the 

World Conservation Union, IUCN. 


The pet shop attendants were handed a letter declaring 

that they had violated Article No. 27 of Federal Law No. 

11 for the year 2002 on Regulating and Controlling 

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 

Fauna and Flora, by displaying to the public an 

endangered species with no accompanying CITES 

certificate or registration by the FEA. Article No. 27 of 

the law states that any person having in their 

possession or under their control, or selling or offering 

for sale or display to the public, any specimen of species 

listed in the Appendices without carrying out the 

necessary registration provided by assigned authorities, 

shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 

three months, and/or a fine of not less than five 

thousand dirhams but not to exceed thirty thousand 

dirhams. (Source: ERWDA press release) 

'Dhub' re-location project 

During May 2005, a project to re-locate a population of 

up to 300 spiny-tailed agamids Uromastyx microlepis 

aegyptia (or 'dhub' in local Arabic), got under way on the 

site allocated for the expansion of the Abu Dhabi Airport 

expansion. The project is jointly managed by the 

Environmental Research and Wildlife Development 

Agency, ERWDA, the Supervision Committee for the 

Expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport, SCADIA, 

and SCADIA's project management consultants, 

Parsons International. 

The presence of the 'dhubs' was first recorded during 

fieldwork carried out by members of the Emirates 

Natural History Group in 2003. During an environmental 

baseline study carried out in April 2005, it was 

recognised that up to 300 'dhubs' might be resident on 

the site, a significant population, and the largest known 

close to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. While the 

species, one of two 'dhub' species in the UAE, is not 

classified as being endangered internationally, rapid 

development of its main habitats in Abu Dhabi is 

believed to be putting the local population under 

pressure. 

In accordance with Abu Dhabi's environmental 

protection legislation, SCADIA arranged with ERWDA, 

Arabian reptile specialist Professor Drew Gardner, of 

Zayed University, (and ENHG Chairman), and the 

Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife, in 

Sharjah, for the carrying out of a capture programme. 

The captured animals were initially housed in the 

Sharjah Breeding Centre, pending identification of 

suitable areas for their release. A pilot release 

programme near Rumaitha, south-west of Abu Dhabi 

City, yielded promising results. 

As Tribulus went to press, nearly 180 animals had been 

captured. 

This programme is believed to the first of its kind ever 

carried out with spiny-tailed agamids. (Source: SCADIA 

press release, Drew Gardner). 

Conferences 

The 3rd Annual Symposium on Recent Archaeological 

Discoveries in the United Arab Emirates took place in Al 

Ain on 6th-7th April 2005, organised by the Zayed 

Centre for History and Heritage and the Abu Dhabi

Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS. 

Papers presented were as follows: 

Archaeology in Arabia's Deserts - Recent fieldwork 

at Khor Al Manahil, Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE (Heiko 

Kallweit, ADIAS & Freiburg; Mark Beech, ADIAS; Walid 

Yasin al-Tikriti, Department of Antiquities and Tourism, 

Al Ain) (Flint raw materials in the interior of the 

Northern Emirates - sources, exploitation and 

procurement (Margarethe Uerpmann, Hans-Peter 

Uerpmann, Marc Haendel and Johanned Schmidt, all 

Tubingen). 

Hafit cairns of the UAE and Oman - an 

archaeological travelogue (Gary Feulner, Du bai) 

Results of the 7th season of excavation at Hili N pit- 

grave and a new study of the monumental circular 

graves at Hili by the joint Emirati-French team 

(Sophie Mery, CNRS, Paris, and Walid Yasin al-Tikriti, 

Department of Antiquities and Tourism, Al Ain) 

The Development of Tomb Architecture in the Wadi 

Suq period in Shimal, Ra's al-Khaimah (Christian 

Velde, Ra's al-Khaimah). 

The past in the future - Millennia-old beaches and 

ecosystems in Dubai lnternet City (Helmut Bruckner, 

Marburg; Anja Zander, Marburg; Gary Feulner, Dubai; 

Claudia Gruber, Munich; Henriette Manhart, Marburg; 

and Hussein Qandil, Dubai). 

The future of the past - The Al Sufouh 2 excavation 

and the fate of site and results (Claudia Gruber, 

Munich; Angela von den Driesch and Henriette Manhart, 

both Marburg). 

Excavations at Meraishid, Fujairah Salah Ali, 

Fujairah). 

Recent excavations at Muweilah, Sharjah, (Peter 

Magee, Bryn Mawr). 

Al-Najdi - a mound in Al-Ghubb, Ra's al-Khaimah 

(Ahmed Hilal, Ra's al-Khaimah) 

Cultural practices during Iron Age in the United Arab 

Emirates : new data from Bithnah-44 / 50 (Anne 

Benoist, CNRS, France) 

A Portuguese account of Dibba: a 17th C. 

description and map of the town (Geoffrey King, 

SOAS). 

Publications 

Books 

Marine Atlas of Abu Dhabi. Loughland, R.A., Al 

Muhairi, F.S., Fadel, S.S. Almehdi, A.M. & Hellyer, P. 

[eds.] 2004. ISBN 1-904566-40-5. Emirates Heritage 

Club, Abu Dhabi. 

The long-awaited results of detailed surveys carried out 

between 1999-2001 by a team recruited by the Emirates 

Heritage Club, covering the marine habitats as well as 

the coastal zone and the sabkhas, with chapters by 

many of the usual contributors on such topics, including 

many regular contributors to Tribulus (e.g. Mark Beech, 

on fish, Simon Aspinall, on birds, and Peter Hellyer on 

archaeology, as well as leading overseas experts David 

John and David George, on coral reefs and the benthic 

fauna & flora, Tony Preen, on marine mammals, and 

Charles Sheppard, on shallow water habitats, Peter 

Saenger, on mangroves, and Ron Phillips on 

seagrasses. Somewhat unusually, the Club have hidden 

the names of the editors away in the Acknowledgements 

(P. 278) - Ron Loughland, in particular, deserves more 

credit for having co-ordinated this whole project and 

bringing it to publication. Copies have not been made 

available for review - nonetheless, this book is an 

impressive piece of work that provides crucially- 

important baseline data on which all future planning for 

conservation should be based. 

Jebel Hafit - A Natural History. Aspinall, S. & Hellyer, 

P. [eds.] 2004. ISBN 9948-03-143-1. Published by the 

Emirates Natural History Group, PO Box 45553, Abu 

Dhabi, UAE. Sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Company for 

Onshore Oil Operations, ADCO, PO Box 370, Abu 

Dhabi, UAE. 

The first fully-fledged book to be published by the 

ENHG, this is also the most detailed scientific study yet 

published of a particular location in the UAE, focussing 

on the highest, indeed the only real, mountain in the 

Emirate of Abu Dhabi. 

It covers not only natural history, but also archaeology 

and geology, and includes chapters by the leading 

experts in the field, including Tony Kirkham (geology), 

Walid Yasin al-Tikriti & Rob Carter (archaeology), 

Invertebrates (Mike Gillett & Brigitte Howarth), Chris 

Drew (mammals), Simon Aspinall (birds), Drew Gardner 

(reptiles), and Gary Brown (flora), along with shorter 

contributions by Mark Beech et al. (cave fauna) and 

Richard Hornby (clam shrimps). An important study and, 

like the Marine Atlas of Abu Dhabi (see above), a 

valuable contribution to scientific knowledge of the 

Emirates, as well as laying down a baseline for future 

conservation plans of the mountain. ADCO, a long-time 

supporter of the Emirates Natural History Group, 

deserves much credit not only for supporting the 

research but for sponsoring its publication - in sufficient 

copies to make it easily accessible. 

Abu Dhabi 8 Million Years Ago - Late Miocene 

Fossils from the Western Region. Beech, M. & 

Hellyer, P. [eds]. 2005. ISBN 9948-03-1 88-1. Abu Dhabi 

Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS, PO Box 45553, 

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 

A slim book of 68 pages, designed as a companion to 

the small display of the same name (see News). It 

contains a detailed catalogue of the items in the 

exhibition, but is, usefully, prefaced by several short 

chapters outlining the history of Miocene fossil research 

in Abu Dhabi, including details of a key site at Ruwais 

that has produced many major fossils of the Late 

Miocene elephant Stegotetrabeladon syrticus. With a 

Foreword by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and ADIAS 

Patron HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it 

is dedicated to the late Peter Whybrow, a founder of 

fossil research in the Emirates (see Tribulus Vol. 14.1, 

p.24). 


I 

The following papers and journals dealing with the UAE 

and adjacent areas have been noted. Where no journal 

addresses are given, the papers have been found only 

on the Web, and have not been seen. 

Archaeology 

Arabian Archaeology & Epigraphy Vol 15.1 (May 

2004). 

ISSN 0905-71 96, print; 1600-0471, on-line. Blackwell 

Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, 

U.K. 

Charpentier, V., Mery, S. & Phillips C. Des coquillages ... 

outillages des Ichthyophages? Mise en evidence 

d'industries sur Veneridae, du Neolothique a l'age du fer 

(Yemen, Oman, E.A. U.). 

Blau, S. Out of anonymity - A central location for 

'peripheral places through people: the contributions 

made by Karen Frifelt and Beatrice de Cardi to an 

understanding of the archaeology of the United Arab 

Emirates. 

Barker, D. Notes on four miscellaneous shell and 

organic objects from Sharm. 

Magee P. The impact of south-east Arabian intra- . 

regional trade on settlement location and organisation 

during the Iron Age II period. 

Daems, A. The terracotta figurines from ed-Dur (Umm 

al-Qaiwain, UAE): The human representations. 

Zutterman, C. The softstone vessels from Qarn bint 

Sa'ud, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 

Barker, D. Miniature shells and bone 'hilts' or 'pulleys' 

from Sharm. 

Arabian Archaeology & Epigraphy Vol. 15.2 

(November 2004). 

Brass, L. & Britton, G. An archaeological survey of 

northern Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. 

Daems, A. The terracotta figurines from ed-Dur (Umm 

al-Qaiwain, UAE): the animal representations. 

Weeks, L.R. An analysis of Late Pre-Islamic copper- 

base artifacts from Ed Dur, U.A. E. 

Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies, No. 10 

(2005). SAS, c/o The British Academy, 10, Carlton 

House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH UK. ISSN 1361- 

9144. www.societyforarabianstudies.org 

Mery, S. and al-Tikriti, W. Preliminary results of the 7th 

season of excavations at Hili Tomb N. pp. 21 -24. 

Review (by Robert Carter) of: Kennet, D. (2004). 

Sasanian and Islamic Pottery from Ras al-Khaimah. 

Society for Arabian Studies Monograph No. 1 ,BAR 

International Series 1248, Archaeopress, Oxford. ISBN 

1841 71 6081. pp. 57-59. 

The news and research pages have a very extensive 

I section on the UAE, pp.49-53. 

I 

I 

Current World Archaeology, 9, Nassington Road, 

London NW3 2TX, UK. www.archaeology.co.uk 


No. 10. 'DNA revelations from UAE's oldest person'. p. 

10; 'Beatrice de Cardi', pp. 47-54 (an anonymous, 

lengthy and excellent profile of the doyenne of UAE 

archaeology) 

No. 11. Durrani, N. (2005). 'A postcard from the United 

Arab Emirates'. pp. 34-38. 

Paleorient 3011 (2004). CNRS Editions, 15, rue 

Malebranche, 75005, Paris, France. 

editions@editions.cnrs.fr 

Mery, S., McSweeney, J., Van der Leeuw, S. & Al-Tikriti, 

W.Y. New approaches to a collective grave from the 

Umm An-Nar period from Hili (UAE). pp. 1 63-1 78. 

Others 

Carter, R. (2005). 'The History and Prehistory of 

Pearling in the Persian Gulf.' Journal of the Economic 

and Social History of the Orient 48(2): 139-209. 

Frazier, J. (2004). 'Marine Turtles of the Past: A Vision 

for the Future?' Pages 103-116, in: R.C.G.M. Lauwerier 

and I. Plug (eds.), The Future from the Past - 

Archaeozoology in wildlife conservation and 

heritage management. 9th ICAZ Conference, Durham 

2002. Oxbow. 

Petersen, A. (2005). 'What is "Islamic Archaeology"?' 

Antiquity 79: 100-1 06. 

Potts, D.T. (2004). 'Camel hybridization and the role of 

Camelus bactrianus in the Ancient Near East.' Journal 

of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 

47(2): 1 43-1 65. 

Radies, D., Hasiotis, S.T., Preusser, F., Neubert, E. and 

Matter, A. (2005). 'Paleoclimatic significance of Early 

Holocene faunal assemblages in wet interdune deposits 

of the Wahiba Sand Sea, Sultanate of Oman.' Journal 

of Arid Environments 62(1): 109-1 25. 

Siebert, S., Haeser, J., Nagieb, M., Korn, L. and 

Buerkert, A. (2005). 'Agricultural, architectural and 

archaeological evidence for the role and ecological 

adaptation of a scattered mountain oasis in Oman.' 

Journal of Arid Environments 62(1): 177-1 97. 

Natural History 

Botany 

Al-Burtamani, S.K.S., Fatope, M.O., Marwah, R.G., 

Onifade, A.K. and Al-Saidi, S.H. (2005). 'Chemical 

composition, antibacterial and antifungal activities of the 

essential oil of Haplophyllum tuberculatum from Oman.' 

Journal of Ethnopharmacology 96(1-2): 107-1 12. 

Almehdi, A., Maraqa, M. and Abdulkhalik, S. (2005). 

'Aerobiological studies and low allerginicity of Date- 

Palm pollen in the UAE.' International Journal of 

Environmental Health Research 15(3): 21 7-224. 

El-Keblawy, A. and A. Al-Rawai. (2005). 'Effects of 

salinity, temperature and light on germination of invasive 

Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) D.C.' Journal of Arid 

Environments 61(4): 555-565.

Fisheries and Marine 

Berthe-Corti, L. and Thomas Hoepner. (2005). 'Geo- 

biological aspects of coastal oil pollution.' 

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, 

Palaeoecology 21 9 (1-2): 171 -1 89. 

Claereboudt, M.R., Mcllwain, J.L., Al-Oufi, H.S. and 

Ambu-Ali, A.A. (2005). 'Patterns of reproduction and 

spawning of the kingfish (Scomberomorus commerson, 

Lacepede) in the coastal waters of the Sultanate of 

Oman.' Fisheries Research 73(3): 273-282. 

Mcllwain, J.L., Claereboudt, M.R., Al-Oufi, H.S., Zaki, S. 

and Goddard, J.S. (2005). 'Spatial variation in age and 

growth of the kingfish (Scomberomorus commerson) in 

the coastal waters of the Sultanate of Oman.' Fisheries 

Research 73(3): 283-298. 

Grandcourt, E.M., Al Abdessalaam, T.Z., Francis, F. and 

Al Shamsi, A.T. (2005). Population biology and 

assessment of the orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus 

coioides (Hamilton, 1822), in the southern Arabian Gulf. 

Fisheries Research 74 (1-3): 55-68. 

Preen, A. 2004. Distribution, abundance and 

conservation status of dugongs and dolphins in the 

southern and western Arabian Gulf. Biol. Cons. 118: 

205-21 8. 

Abstract: The marine mammals of Saudi Arabia, 

Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were 

censussed by three stripe-transect aerial surveys. The 

Arabian Gulf supports a population of ca. 5800 dugongs 

(Dugong dugon), which is the largest known outside 

Australia. The most important habitats occur (1) around 

Marawah Island (UAE), (2) between Qatar and Bahrain 

and (3) between Qatar and the UAE. Surveys of the 

UAE were repeated thirteen years apart. The two 

estimates of the dugong population were not 

significantly different, suggesting a stable population of 

ca. 3000 between 1986 and 1999. In the region between 

Kuwait and Oman, the Indian Ocean bottle-nose dolphin 

(Tursiops aduncus) is the most common cetacean (71 % 

of groups and individuals), followed by the Indo-Pacific 

humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis, 27%) and finless 

porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides, 2%). The 

estimates of cetacean abundance in the UAE differed 

significantly between 1986 and 1999 and indicate a 

population decline of 71%. At least two die-offs of 

marine mammals occurred between these surveys. The 

countries of the southern Gulf are developed and 

affluent and are well positioned to take a lead in marine 

conservation in the region. A coordinated series of 

protected areas could greatly enhance the long-term 

prospects for marine mammals and other components 

of the biodiversity in the region. 

Geology and Palaeontology 

Dill, H.G., Botz, R., Berner, Z., Stüben, D., Nasir, S. 

and Al-Saad, H. (2005). 'Sedimentary facies, 

mineralogy, and geochemistry of the sulphate-bearing 

Miocene Dam Formation in Qatar.' Sedimentary 

Geology 174 (1-2): 63-96. 

AI-Farraj, A. (in press). 'An evolutionary model for 

sabkha development on the north coast of the UAE'. 

Journal of Arid Environments. 

Rabinowicz, M. and G. Ceuleneer. (2005). 'The effect of 

sloped isotherms on melt migration in the shallow 

mantle: a physical and numerical model based on 

observations in the Oman ophiolite.' Earth and 

Planetary Science Letters 229(3-4): 231 -246. 

Wood, W.W., Sanford, W.E. and Frape, S.K. (2005). 

'Chemical openness and potential for misinterpretation 

of the solute environment of coastal sabkhat.' Chemical 

Geology 21 5(1-4): 361 -372. 

Ornithology 

The Phoenix No. 21. (2004). Published for contributors 

to the Atlas of Breeding Birds of Arabia. ISSN 0268- 

487X. c/o Michael Jennings, Warners Farm House, 

Warners Drove, Somersham, Cambridgeshire, PE28 

3WD, UK. http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/Arabian.birds/ 

Aspinall, S. The mysterious status of Gulf Pallid Swifts. 

pp. 5-6. 

Diskin, D.A. The Breeding Birds of Al Warsen Lake, 

Dubai, UAE (the Lake is better known to local 

birdwatchers as the 'Wimpey Pits'). pp. 18-20 

Richardson, C. White-tailedplover - now an established 

resident in the UAE. p. 27 

A useful bibliography of Arabian ornithology has been 

compiled as part of the ABBA project, and can be 

obtained from Michael Jennings. 

Sandgrouse Vol. 27(1). (2005). Ornithological Society 

of the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia, c/o The 

Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL. ISSN 0260- 

4736. www.osme.org 

(The lead item in the News & Information section, p. 4, 

is an Obituary of former UAE President HH Sheikh 

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, written by Simon Aspinall 

& Peter Hellyer, while, as usual, there is a lengthy 

review of recent UAE records). 

Castell, P. & Kirwan, G.M. Will the real Sykes's Warbler 

please stand up? Breeding data support specific status 

for Hippolais rama and H. caligata, with comments on 

the Arabian population of 'booted warbler'. pp. 30-36. 

(An important studying relating to the 'Sykes's warblers' 

at Khor Kalba.) 

Others 

Phelan, P. and A. Sliwa. (2005). 'Range size and den 

use of Gordon's wildcats Felis silvestris gordoni in the 

Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.' Journal of 

Arid Environments 60(1): 15-25. 

Tourenq, C., Combreau, O., Lawrence, M., Pole, S.B., 

Spalton, A., Xinji, G., Al Baidani, M. and Launay, F. 

(2005). 'Alarming houbara bustard population trends in 

Asia.' Biological Conservation 121 (1): 1-8.

Oman (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) - Al Ain Chapter, Emirates Natural ...

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