Boundaries

The Lesser Sunda Islands comprise the eastern part of the Sunda Islands in the Java Sea.  They range from Bali in the west to Timor in the east.

Terrestrial habitats

Terrestrial ecoregions include: Eastern Java-Bali rain forests [IM0113], which extend from Bali to Alor Island; Eastern Java-Bali montane rain forests, which only occur in the ecoregion on Bali [IM0112]; Sumba deciduous forests [AA0203] on Sumba Island; and Timor and Wetar deciduous forests [AA0204], which occur in the eastern end of the ecoregion on the islands of Sawu, Rote, Timor, and Wetar (Wikramanayake et al. 2002).

Description of endemic fishes

This ecoregion may contain as many as 10 endemics (M. Kottelat pers. comm. 2006). For example, Oryzias timorensis is restricted to Timor and Rasbora baliensis is restricted to Lake Bratan in Bali.

Other noteworthy fishes

Rasbora baliensis and Lentipes whittenorum are both listed as Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2012).

Justification for delineation

For Southeast Asia, delineations were determined using a bottom-up approach that employed both published and unpublished field data and expert assessment (Abell et al. 2008; Kottelat et al. 1993; Koumans 1953; Watson & Kottelat 1994). The ecoregion is characterized by the absence of primary division freshwater families (except two species of Cyprinidae in Bali and Lombok) and the presence of several endemic species of marine origin (M. Kottelat pers. comm. 2006).

Level of taxonomic exploration

There is little to no data for most of the islands in this ecoregion (M. Kottelat pers. comm. 2006).