This deciduous  fig tree poking up among the island vegetation is the first record of  a wild fig  in Section Malvanthera  that has naturally crossed from east to west across Wallace’s line.  Section Malvanthera figs are confined to the Pacific Islands and Australia. Ficus glandifera is growing wild and reproducing on the Derawan Islands group off the coast of East Kalimantan. So far it has been found on Pulau Sangkalaki  (illustrated above and  below) and Pulau Maratua.  According to Berg & Corner (2005) the  distribution of Ficus glandifera extends from  the Solomon Islands in the Pacific to SE Sulawesi from where it probably reached Borneo with the aid of Island Flying Foxes.

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Island flying Foxes  Pteropus hymomelanus  are common on the Derawan Islands and are important dispersers of fig seeds between islands.

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Erwin, a dive master working for the Maratua Paradise Resort sitting next to the base of  the Ficus glandifera tree on Pulau Sangkalaki.

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Pulau Sangkalaki is popular with dive tourists because of the large manta rays that come to feed on the surrounding coral reefs.
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The small island of Pulau Sangkalaki is not shown on the map above. It is approximately 10 km west of Pulau Kakaban (2.5 hours by boat from Pulau Maratua).