Especially in the indoaustralian region, there are many small islands of great faunistic interest, but their names are not familiar to a wider public. Therefore, I have made a list of collecting-sites, which you will come across studying my butterfly- and beetle-lists and describe in a few words where they are located and what they are interesting for. I hope it proves helpful to you. The names of the islands are in alphabethical order.

Alor: belongs to the lesser Sunda-Islands. A rather small island east of Flores.

Ambelau: Moluccas, between Ceram and Buru.

Ambon: central Moluccas, a good starting point to the other islands of the region (apart from recent political turmoils). It does share most butterfly subspecies with Ceram. Due to the long history as a spice-island many butterfly species were described from this island first, therefor it hosts a great deal of nominate subspecies.

Aru: the most southern group of islands in the Moluccas and quite near to the western coast of New Guinea, therefor the butterfly-fauna is quite similar to the larger islands fauna.

Bacan or Batjan: belongs to the Moluccas/Indonesia, a group of islands between New Guinea and Sulawesi. Famous amoung naturalists for A. Wallace having found the first Ornithoptera croesus on this island. It is located on the south-western tip of the much larger island of Halmahera, with which is shares most of its butterfly species, even subspecies.

Bali: east of Java, the westernmost of the lessa Sunda-Islands. Despite of beeing a major tourist-destination, the butterfly fauna in the remaining forests is very rich in species.

Banda: a quite isolated group of islands south of Ambon/Ceram, famous for the diving possibilities and a long history as spice islands. The most western race of Papilio aegeus occurs here as well as a race of Troides oblongomaculatus and Idea idea idea, which does not differ at all from the nominate subspecies from Ambon/Ceram, possibly a fairly recent introduction from Ambon.

Bawean: a small island north of East-Java with mostly distinct subspecies.

Belitung: between Sumatra and Kalimantan (indonesian part of Borneo-Island)

Biak: an island off the east-coast of Westirian. Unlike Japen-Island, Biak must have separated from New Guinea Island much earlier and therefore hosts quite a few endemics and very marked subspecies.

Binongko: belongs to the Tukangbesi-archipelago located south-east of Sulawesi. It basically hosts the species found on Sulawesi, but most species have marked subspecies in this group of islands.

Bohol: a central-Philippine island

Buru: The most western of the Moluccas, a quite large island, not reached by any Ornithoptera species but hosts a unique Troides prattorum. Served as a exile for political prisoners and thus was not accessible to foreigners until recently.

Butung or Buton: a quite large island off the south-east coast of south-eastern Sulawesi. Much of the butterfly-fauna of Sulawesi occurs there, but quite a few good subspecies are found, like Pathysa dorcus or Pathysa androcles, many Nymphalide species have good subspecies there as well as Danaide.

Ceram: belongs to the Moluccas/Indonesia, a group of islands between New Guinea and Sulawesi. A very large and mountainous island located in the Central-Moluccas and still not entirely explored. It is noticeable, that many of the species occuring on Ceram and Ambon Islands are quite large compared with the corresponding species of the surrounding areas as New Guinea, Halmahera or South Moluccas.

Damar: see Leti

Flores: belongs to the lesser Sunda-Islands, one of the larger ones of that group. The dry and wet seasons are much more marked the further east you get in this archipelago and has of course an impact on the butterfly-fauna.

Guadalcanal: One of the larger Islands (around 4000 square-kms) of the Solomon-Islands archipelago, south-east of New-Guinea. This group of islands are best known amoung entomologists for having several subspecies of the beautiful Ornithoptera victoriae. Apart from this, there are many other interesting and endemic butterfly species to be found on these islands, which includes Bougainville (politically belonging to PNG). A travel-report on the Solomon-Islands is in preparation.

Halmahera: belongs to the Moluccas/Indonesia, a group of islands between New Guinea and Sulawesi. It is the biggest island of that group, almost shaped as a miniature-Sulawesi. An Island, which has not been explored in its entirety and thus of still great interest.

Japen: an island off the east-coast of Westirian, which has a good share of the species of Westirian, but forms subspecies for the most part. Quite newly found species on this island are for instance: Ornithoptera goliath, Achillides lorquinianus, Graphium weiskei, Pathysa thule, Chilasa lagleizei and many others.

Kabaena: see Butung

Kaedupa: see Binongko

Kai or Kei: a group of islands of the South-Moluccas, a travel-report is beeing presented about these islands soon. It hosts one species of birdwing, Ornithoptera priamus hecuba and is also interesting for the unique Euploea species, which are noticed by having the usual brown colour surounded by a wide white margin. Interesting too, that the ever-present Achillides ulysses is absent here and reapears again on the Aru-Islands further south.

Kalaotoa: a group of very small islands south of South-Sulawesi. It does have for some part the butterfly fauna of Sulawesi as Idea blanchardi but also that of the lesser Sunda Islands, such as Cethosia tambora or Achillides peranthus (not the Sulawesi-type).

Karimata: a small island west of Kalimantan (indonesian part of Borneo-Island), which has only recently been researched by entomologists and hosts a good part of subspecies.

Kasiruta: sister-island of Bacan, see Bacan.

Kur or Kuur: slightly further north of the Kai-Islands, very small islands, but with interesting fauna.

Laut: an island south of Kalimantan (indonesian part of Borneo-Island) which shares most species and subspecies with the much larger neighbor.

Leti: east of Timor, shares much elements with that island.

Leyte: an central-Philippine island on the east side of the archipelago.

Lingga: east of Sumatra, shares most of that fauna

Lombok: belongs to the lesser Sunda-Islands and shares most subspecies with neighboring Sumbawa. Due to the high mount Rinjani, the small island is quite rich in species.

Mandioli: sister-island of Bacan, see Bacan.

Manipa: Moluccas, between Ceram and Buru.

Moa: see Leti

Morotai: belongs to the Moluccas/Indonesia, a group of islands between New Guinea and Sulawesi. Located just north of Halmahera, it shares most of its butterfly species with that island.

Muna: see Butung

Negros: a central-Philippine island

New Britain: a long narrow island east of New Guinea. It shares most of the butterfly-species with New Guinea, but hosts mostly significant subspecies.

Nias: see Simeulue

Obi: central Moluccas with a quite distinct butterfly fauna, for example the well known Ornithoptera aesacus with the unique turqoise colour of the male. A rather large island. The butterflies show more affinity with the fauna of Halmahera than then one of Ceram and Buru.

Pagai: see Simeulue

Palawan: belongs politically to the Philippines but shares a good part of the fauna with the large sunda-islands, since it is located on the northeastern tip of Borneo. It is a long, narrow island with interesting species, such as Trogonoptera trojana and Papilio lowi or a distinct subspecies of Achillides karna!

Panay: a central-Philippine island

Peleng: an island lying off the coast of east-Sulawesi. Its butterfly fauna has been collected es early as the 1920s, but only recently a comprehensive study has been made by japanese entomologists and a great deal of good subspecies apart from the fauna of Sulawesi have been discovered. The best known example is the georgeous Hebomoia leucippe detanii, which is entirely bright orange, a really stunning colour and an exciting new found!

Romang: see Leti

Sangir: a group of islands north of Sulawesi, hosts more Sulawesi-species but also some Philippine elements as Papilio rumanzowia.

Siberut: see Simeulue

Simeulue: belongs to a chain of islands, which run from north to south along the western coast of Sumatra. All of these islands must have separated from Sumatra a fairly long time ago, since most of the butterfly species, which are all shared with Sumatra except some endemics have very distinct features.

Singkep: east of Sumatra, shares most of that fauna

Sipora: see Simeulue

Sumbawa: belongs to the lesser Sunda-Islands, one of the larger ones of that group. The butterfly fauna of the lesser Sunda-Islands is quite homogenous.

Tabuan: a small island between S-Sumatra and W-Java (closer to Sumatra) which has only recently been researched by entomologists and proved to be quite interesting, so a Achillides peranthus has been found so close to Sumatra and it certainly is different from the javanese ssp.

Talaud: a group of islands north of Sulawesi, already very close to the island of Mindanao (Philippines). It also hosts both the fauna of Sulawesi but to a greater part that of the Philippines. A famous example is the entirely black Troides dohertyi.

Taliabu: the western island of the Sula-Islands, located between Sulawesi and the Moluccas. It has very distinct subspecies from the fauna of Sulawesi and also the absence of any Troides (apart from Ripponia hypolitus) or Cethosia species on such quite large islands is interesting.

Tanahjampea: a group of very small islands south of South-Sulawesi.

Tanimbar: belongs to the South-Moluccas and is located east of the lesser Sunda-Islands. A fairly large Island with a distinct butterfly-fauna. Noticeable is a recent discovery of a Cethosia species, probably a very distinct subspecies of Cethosia chrysippe. Also worth mentioning is Troides riedeli, Papilio inopinatus, Achillides pericles and others.

Timor: belongs to the lesser Sunda-Islands and is the largest of the group. It hosts a quite distinct butterfly-fauna and has marked dry and wet seasons.

Trobriand: a group of islands located east of New Guinea. It shares most of the butterfly-species with New Guinea, but hosts mostly significant subspecies.

Waigeu: a large island off the northwestern tip of New Guinea. It hosts a rich insect-fauna mainly shared with New Guinea.

Wangiwangi: see Binongko

Westirian: now called West-Papua. Contains the western half of New Guinea island and belongs politically to Indonesia. Due to the rugged geography of this island, there is still a lot of discoveries of fauna and flora to be expected. As there are chains of high mountains, some over 5000 m, there are also high-altitude butterfly-species (for example many Delias), which are divided into quite a few subspecies. A most interesting island for the butterfly-enthusiast!

Wetar: see Leti

Wowoni: see Butung