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north of the tip of Cape York, Queensland and 
94 km south of the New Guinea mainland 
(Map 1), it has a total area of 17,001 ha, 
and is the second largest island in Torres 
Strait. There are two Torres Strait Islander 
communities on the island: at Kubin and St 
Pauls, which had populations of 163 and 258 
respectively as at the 2011 census (Australian 
Bureau of Statistics 2012). 
Mua is formed on continental igneous 
basement rocks and is topographically diverse, 
dominated by the high point of Banks Peak 
Austrobaileya 9(3): 421-430 (2015) 
in the north-east, rising to 376 m. A rugged 
east and south facing coastline features rocky 
coastal headlands, and an expansive coastal 
plain forms a broad enclave behind the island’s 
north-eastern coastline. Vegetation is diverse 
with a total of 62 vegetation communities 
occurring within 23 broad vegetation groups 
and 44 regional ecosystems. The flora is the 
richest in the Torres Strait region with 609 
native species, comprising 19 ferns, one 
cycad, two conifers and 654 flowering plants 
(3D Environmental 2012a). 
Fig. 2. Upland habitat of Gnetum gnemon on Banks Peak, Mua Island. Photo: D.J. Stanton. 
Local Habitat & Ecology 
In Torres Strait Gnetum occurs in poorly 
drained lowland swamp forest (Badu), 
lowland riparian rainforest (Mua), and on 
steep granitic hillslopes in well-developed 
evergreen vineforest (Mua) (Fig. 3). 
The Badu occurrence is within a closed 
(swamp) forest characterised by poorly 
drained soils which may be seasonally 
inundated. Typical canopy tree species are 
Carallia brachiata (Lour.) Merr., Deplanchea 
tetraphylla (R.Br.) F.Muell., Lophostemon 
suaveolens (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Peter G.Wilson 
