Anthony Cheke

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From the mid-1960s until 1981 I worked in plant and animal ecology in Oxford, Thailand and Mauritius, with visits and expeditions to Japan, Corsica, Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast. After time in a different career, I returned to wildife and eco-historical travel and writing in the 1990s.

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Sadahisa Kato

Tottori University of Environmental Studies

Siddharth S Saxena

University of Cambridge

Marina Koumanoudi

National Hellenic Research Foundation

Katerina Ritzouli

Democritus University of Thrace

Linda Williams

RMIT University

George Koutzakiotis Γιώργος Κουτζακιώτης

National Hellenic Research Foundation

Christopher Wright

University of Cambridge

Jana Javornik

University of East London

Gwen Robbins Schug

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Gabriel Gutierrez-Alonso

University of Salamanca

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Papers by Anthony Cheke

Peregrine Falcon Populations. Their Biology and Decline

Journal of Animal Ecology, Feb 1, 1970

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The Global and Western Indian Ocean Dispersal of House Geckos From Asia Using Historical and Mitochondrial DNA Perspectives

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, May 17, 2022

Seven species of house geckos occur across the scattered islands of the Indian Ocean. Two of thes... more Seven species of house geckos occur across the scattered islands of the Indian Ocean. Two of these, Hemidactylus frenatus and H. parvimaculatus are both widespread and possess distribution profiles that suggest pre-European, or perhaps natural dispersal to some islands. Of these, only H. frenatus currently has sufficient molecular data to begin exploring dispersal patterns. This species is one of the most successful reptile colonists, as demonstrated by its global, pantropical distribution. While in some areas, such as Australia and continental South America, its dispersal patterns are both recent and well-known, early historical records of Hemidactylus in the Indian Ocean islands suggest earlier and/or potentially non-human-mediated dispersals. Here, we reviewed the historical literature and combined those reports with an assessment of mitochondrial DNA diversity of a global sampling of H. frenatus samples that included modern and museum specimens. Our results corroborate previous studies and demonstrate the relatively high diversity within this species' native range in Southeast Asia. In addition, the phylogenetic analysis suggests both a potential cryptic species complex, as well as global geographic structuring of different H. frenatus mitochondrial lineages. This has important implications for many comparative studies of this complex. Frequent and ongoing dispersals and colonizations complicate the identification of potentially older migration patterns. Further assessments including additional samples and analyses of additional genetic markers are necessary to disentangle older from more recent dispersals within this intriguing species.

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Comments on the proposed conservation of usage of Testudo gigantea Schweigger, 1812 (currently Geochelone (Aldabrachelys) gigantea; Reptilia, Testudines) 2

The Bulletin of zoological nomenclature, 2009

Mascarene Islands, Biology

University of California Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2019

Observations on the surviving endemic birds of Rodrigues

Birds on Moheli and Grande Comore Comoro Islands in February 1975

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 1986

Treasure Island: The rise and decline of a small tropical museum, the Mauritius Institute

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 2003

In early nineteenth century Mauritius—the Indian Ocean island famous for the Dodo— Julien Desjard... more In early nineteenth century Mauritius—the Indian Ocean island famous for the Dodo— Julien Desjardins and other local naturalists made collections of Mascarene biota, much of which is now extinct. This material formed the basis of a museum opened to the public in 1842. It was moved, together with a new public library, to the purpose-built Mauritius Institute in 1885. Throughout its first 140 years the collections, including many rare, unique and often irreplaceable specimens, were expanded and generally well looked after, until the early 1980s when cumulative underfunding and seriously inappropriate management led to a very disturbing deterioration of the collections, with specimens being lost and destroyed. Remedial action to stabilise what remains is technically simple but less straightforward socio-politically. As similar problems exist in many parts of the world, a ‘Red List’ of endangered collections should be compiled to provide a basis for prioritised action, and twinning museums at risk with well-endowed ones might also prove useful. [As the text was written in 1999, a postscript on recent remedial action to late 2002 is added.]

Further Notes on Land Birds Over the Mediterranean and Red Seas

Ibis, Apr 3, 2008

Sparrows in Corsica and Sardinia

Ibis, Jun 28, 2008

Summer birds in Arkhangai province, Mongolia, July-August 2002

Mongolian journal of biological sciences, 2003

A list of breeding birds for Tsetserleg and its surroundings is given for the first time, and add... more A list of breeding birds for Tsetserleg and its surroundings is given for the first time, and additions are noted for the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park The presence of Eurasian Griffons and Lammergeiers in the Khangai mountains is confirmed, and Black-headed Gulls suspected of breeding near Tsagaan Nuur, a new locality. An apparent marked increase in breeding/summering numbers of Tufted Duck and Velvet Scoter and a possible range expansion of Daurian Redstarts was noted. Mass mortality was observed in House Sparrows from eating moths.

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A newly-discovered early depiction of the Dodo (Aves: Columbidae:Raphus cucullatus) by Roelandt Savery, with a note on another previously unnoticed Savery Dodo

Historical Biology, Apr 25, 2018

The aim of this note is to bring to wider attention a painting, entitled The Temptation of Saint ... more The aim of this note is to bring to wider attention a painting, entitled The Temptation of Saint Anthony, by Roelandt Savery sold at Sotheby's London on 7th December 2016. This work of c.1611-1613 includes a depiction of the head of a dodo (Raphus cucullatus), here argued to be probably his earliest depiction of the dodo and apparently one based upon a preserved specimen. The date of the other putatively early Savery dodo (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Berlin, Inv. No. 717a), cited as 1611 by some, is also discussed, and shown to be almost certainly a late work. In addition, another depiction of the dodo by Savery, in the National Museum of Warsaw, also previously unnoticed in the ornithological literature, is documented. Abbreviated titles of artworks mentioned in this paper, and their location Those images included in Müllenmeister's catalogue (1988) are indicated additionally as 'M' followed by the inventory number. The 'Savery-[museum name]' formula follows Parish (2013), who also illustrated all but the paintings newly discussed here. Numbers of Müllenmeister (1988) given in parentheses.

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An enigmatic parakeet - the disputed provenance of an Indian OceanPsittacula

Ibis, Mar 21, 2016

Is the bird a Dodo? The wildlife of a mid-seventeenth century drawing of Dutch Mauritius

Archives of Natural History, Oct 1, 2001

A claim is investigated that an early Dutch drawing of settlers in a Mauritian forest was done in... more

Measurements and weights of the surviving endemic birds of the Mascarenes and their eggs

The ecology of the smaller land-birds of Mauritius

Cambridge University Press eBooks, Aug 20, 1987

Dormancy and Dispersal of Seeds of Secondary Forest Species Under the Canopy of a Primary Tropical Rain Forest in Northern Thailand

Biotropica, Jun 1, 1979

Dormancy and Dispersal of Seeds of Secondary Forest Species under the Canopy of a PrimaryTropical... more

The first record of a Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris for the Mascarene Islands

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 2000

Variation in Echo Parakeets (Psittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) [Psittaculidae]) in relation to inter-island differences

Zoosystema, May 6, 2021

The supposed differences in the variation in Psittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) in birds found on ... more The supposed differences in the variation in Psittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) in birds found on Mauritius in relation to the extinct Réunion population have been disputed for over 150 years. This article argues that individual variation found in adult males in Mauritius is large enough to encompass the meagre details known from the Réunion population, based on a single 18th century specimen, as well as the plumage of a skin in Edinburgh of uncertain provenance claimed by some as from Réunion. We conclude that the populations are not only conspecific, but also almost certainly monotypic. RÉSUMÉ Variation des perruches d'Echo (Psittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) [Psittaculidae]) en relation avec les différences inter-îles. Les supposées différences dans la variation de Psittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) entre les oiseaux trouvés à l'île Maurice et la population éteinte de la Réunion sont discutées depuis plus de cent cinquante ans. Dans le présent article, nous considérons que la variation individuelle observée chez les mâles adultes de Maurice est suffisamment importante pour inclure les maigres détails connus de la population réunionnaise, basés sur un seul spécimen du xviii e siècle, ainsi que sur le plumage d'une peau conservée à Edimbourg, de provenance incertaine et considérée par certains comme originaire de la Réunion. Nous concluons que les populations sont non seulement conspécifiques mais aussi presque certainement monotypiques.

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1963年8月20-22日S.S."CATHAY"号台湾-横浜間航海で見られたオオミズナギドリその他の海鳥

山階鳥類研究所研究報告, Dec 1, 1964