Mark O'Shea - The Official Website

Capital: Honiara
Population: 523,000
Languages: English
Currency: Solomon Islands Dollar

SOLOMON ISLANDS

1979

DEFINITIVES : AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
(SG 388-403)


1c Sea snake Laticauda colubrina	3c Red-banded tree snake Boiga irregularis	4c Whip snake Dendrelaphis calligaster


6c Pacific boa Candoia carinata	8c Skink Emoia cyanura


10c Lepidodactylus lugubris	12c Monitor Varanus indicus	15c Anglehead Gonocephalus godeffroyi


20c Giant toad Bufo marinus	25c Marsh frog Platymantis solomonis


30c Horned frog Ceratobatrachus guentheri	35c Tree frog Litoria thesaurensis	45c Guppy's snake Salomonelaps par


$1 Large skink Corucia zebrata	$2 Guppy's frog Discodeles guppyi

$5 Estuarine crocodile
Crocodylus porosus

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
1c	Laticauda colubrina	Laticauda colubrina	Yellow-lipped sea krait
3c	Boiga irregularis	Boiga irregularis	Brown treesnake
4c	Dendrelaphis calligaster	Dendrelaphis calligastra	Coconut treesnake
6c	Candoia carinata	Candoia carinata	South Pacific tree boa
8c	Emoia cyanura	Emoia cyanura	Copper-tailed skink
10c	Lepidodactylus lugubris	Lepidodactylus lugubris	Mourning gecko
12c	Varanus indicus	Varanus indicus	Mangrove monitor
15c	Gonocephalus godeffroyi	Hypsilurus godeffroyi	Godeffroy's anglehead
20c	Bufo marinus	Rhinella marina	Cane toad
25c	Platymantis solomonis	Platymantis solomonis	Wrinkled ground frog
30c	Ceratobatrachus guentheri	Ceratobatrachus guentheri	Günther's triangle frog
35c	Litoria thesaurensis	Litoria thesaurensis	Treasury Island treefrog
45c	Salomonelaps par	Salomonelaps par	Solomons coralsnake
$1.00	Corucia zebrata	Corucia zebrata	Monkey-tailed skink
$2.00	Discodeles guppyi	Discodeles guppyi	Guppy's frog
$5.00	Crocodylus porosus	Crocodylus porosus	Estuarine crocodile

In 1979 the Solomon Islands excelled by issuing a set of 16 definitive stamps, all with herpetological subjects, although the artwork in some cases leaves a lot to be desired. All are correctly identified although curiously the 10c Mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) lacks its common name. It is also curious that the introduced pest, the Cane toad (Rhinella marina) is 'celebrated' in this series.

1982

DEFINITIVES : AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES


12c Monitor Varanus indicus	25c Marsh frog Platymantis solomonis	$1 Large skink Corucia zebrata


$5 Estuarine crocodile Crocodylus porosus	$10 Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
12c	Varanus indicus	Varanus indicus	Mangrove monitor
25c	Platymantis solomonis	Platymantis solomonis	Wrinkled ground frog
$1.00	Corucia zebrata	Corucia zebrata	Monkey-tailed skink
$5.00	Crocodylus porosus	Crocodylus porosus	Estuarine crocodile
$10.00	Eretmochelys imbricata	Eretmochelys imbricata	Hawksbill sea turtle

In 1982 the Solomons re-issued four of the original herpetological definitives, with the date printed on the bottom, and added a new $10.00 stamp featuring the Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

1983

DEFINITIVES : AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES


30c Horned frog Ceratobatrachus guentheri	40c Burrowing snake Ramphotyphlops subocularis	50c Tree gecko Cyrtodactylus biordinis

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
30c	Ceratobatrachus guentheri	Ceratobatrachus guentheri	Günther's traingle frog
40c	Ramphotyphlops subocularis	Acutotyphlops subocularis	Sharp-nosed blindsnake
50c	Cyrtodactylus biordinis	Cyrtodactylus biordinis	Banded palm gecko

In 1983 the Solomons re-issued another of the original herpetological definitives, again with the date printed on the bottom, and added two new species, the Sharp-nosed blindsnake (Ramphotyphlops subocularis) and the Banded palm gecko (Cyrtodactylus biordinis).

TURTLES
(SG485-488)


18c Leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea	35c Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

45c Pacific Ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea	50c Green turtle Chelonia mydas

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
18c	Dermochelys coriacea	Dermochelys coriacea	Leatherback sea turtle
35c	Caretta caretta	Caretta caretta	Loggerhead sea turtle
45c	Lepidochelys olivacea	Lepidochelys olivacea	Pacific Ridley sea turtle
50c	Chelonia mydas	Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle

The sea turtles were largely absent, with one exception, from the definitive series' but the Solomon Islands redressed this deficiency with a series of four sea turtle stamps. [This series was incorrectly attributed to 1979 in the article below].

1997

50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION: TURTLES
(SG 894-897)



50c, 90C, $1.50, $2.00 Green turtle Chelonia mydas

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
50c	Chelonia mydas	Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle
90c	Caretta caretta	Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle
$1.50	Chelonia mydas	Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle
$2.00	Chelonia mydas	Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle

Four stamps featuring the Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

1997

50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION: TURTLES
(SG 924-935)

[no image available yet]

A se-tenant set of 12 stamps printed together to reveal a composite image, one of which features the Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

1999

1999 MILLENNIUM 2000
(SG n/a)


$1.00 Green turtle

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
$1		Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle

A se-tenant sheet of twelve stamps featuring a composite image of marine life, one of which illustrates a Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

2001

CHINESE YEAR OF THE SNAKE
(MS 995)


$1.00 Red-banded tree snake Boiga irregularis	$1.00 Whip snake Dendrelaphis calligaster	$1.00 Pacific boa Candoia carinata	$1.00 Guppy's snake Salomonelaps par

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
$1.00	Boiga irregularis	Boiga irregularis	Brown treesnake
$1.00	Dendrelaphis calligaster	Dendrelaphis calligastra	Coconut treesnake
$1.00	Candoia carinata	Candoia carinata	South Pacific tree boa
$1.00	Salomonelaps par	Salomonelaps par	Solomon coralsnake

The Solomons re-issued four of the original snake definitives as a minisheet, over-printed "Year of the Snake 2001" and with $1.00 values, to commemorate the Chinese New Year.

2005

ENDANGERED SPECIES: PREHENSILE-TAILED SKINK
(SG 1162-1165)



$1.50, $2.60, $3, $10 Prehensile-tailed skink Corucia zebrata

Se-tenant sheetlet featuring 2x each of the stamps above.

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
$1.50	Corucia zebrata	Corucia zebrata	Prehensile-tailed skink
$2.60	Corucia zebrata	Corucia zebrata	Prehensile-tailed skink
$3.00	Corucia zebrata	Corucia zebrata	Prehensile-tailed skink
$10.00	Corucia zebrata	Corucia zebrata	Prehensile-tailed skink

Four suberb stamps featuring the Prehensile-tailed or Monkey-tail skink of the Solomon Islands (Corucia zebrata) together with a very collectable se-tenant sheetlet.

Download my article from The Herptile about the herpetological stamps of the Solomon Islands, from 1979-2005 by clicking on the link below:

O'Shea, M. 2009 The herpetological stamps of the Solomon Islands. The Herptile 34(3):85-97.

Associated links on this site:
Solomons herps on non-herps stamps

return to regional index

previous country

next country