Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 49 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Yusah KM, Fayle TM
    PMID: 25425942 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e4168
    Flies in the family Milichiidae are often myrmecophilic. We document the first record of a fly from this family interacting with an ant of the genus Polyrhachis. In lowland riparian rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia, we observed a female of the genus Milichia following an ant of the species of P.illaudata, and repeatedly attempting to make close contact. Our observation suggests that the dipteran may have been attempting to feed kleptoparasitically from the Polyrhachis worker, since members of this ant genus often feed on liquid carbohydrate-rich food resources. This is the first time an interaction has been observed between a fly of this family and an ant of this widespread old world tropical genus.
  2. Miller JA, Schilthuizen M, Burmester JL, van der Graaf L, Merckx V, Jocqué M, et al.
    PMID: 24891829 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1076
    Crassignathadanaugirangensis sp. n. (Araneae: Symphytognathidae) was discovered during a tropical ecology field course held at the Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah, Malaysia. A taxonomic description and accompanying ecological study were completed as course activities. To assess the ecology of this species, which belongs to the ground-web-building spider community, three habitat types were surveyed: riparian forest, recently inundated riverine forest, and oil palm plantation. Crassignathadanaugirangensis sp. n. is the most abundant ground-web-building spider species in riparian forest; it is rare or absent from the recently inundated forest and was not found in a nearby oil palm plantation. The availability of this taxonomic description may help facilitate the accumulation of data about this species and the role of inundated riverine forest in shaping invertebrate communities.
  3. Johnson NF, Burks R, Austin A, Zaifu X
    PMID: 24723779 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.1.e987
    To date, the known Chinese fauna of egg-parasitoids of the genus Oxyscelio Kieffer encompasses two species from the mainland - Oxysceliodoumao Burks and Oxyscelionubbin Burks. Here we record eighteen species of Oxyscelio from collections in mainland China: Oxyscelioarvi Burks, Oxyscelioceylonensis (Dodd), Oxyscelioconvergens Burks, Oxysceliocordis Burks, Oxysceliocrebritas Burks, Oxysceliocuculli Burks, Oxysceliodermatoglyphes Burks, Oxysceliodoumao Burks, Oxyscelioflorus Kononova, Oxysceliogranorum Burks, Oxysceliointermedietas Burks, Oxysceliojugi Burks, Oxysceliokramatos Burks, Oxysceliolongiventris Burks, Oxyscelionaraws Kozlov & Lê, Oxyscelioperpensus Kononova, Oxyscelioplanocarinae Burks, and Oxysceliostriarum Burks. Oxyscelio is primarily found in the tropics, and most of these species are shared with Taiwan and southeast Asia. Three species previously known only from Japan, Oxyscelioarvi, Oxyscelioflorus, Oxyscelioperpensus, are shared. The Chinese species are recorded from Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang as well as additional material from Taiwan. Heptasceliohamatus Masner & Johnson and Platysceliopulchricornis Kieffer are both recorded from Hainan and Guangdong, as well as records of Platysceliopulchricornis from Sarawak and Thailand.
  4. Golovatch S, Stoev P
    PMID: 24723759 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.1.e957
    The Philippine fauna of the family Paradoxosomatidae is reviewed and shown to comprise only 12 certain species (+ one dubious), definitely only a fraction of the real diversity to be expected from such a large tropical archipelago. Two new combinations are proposed: Euphyodesmusphilippina (Nguyen Duc & Sierwald, 2010), comb. n. ex Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, and Luzonomorphapolilloensis (San Juan & Lit, 2010), comb. n. ex Prionopeltis Pocock, 1895. The first representative of the large, basically Papuan genus Eustrongylosoma Silvestri, 1896 is described from Luzon, Philippines: Eustrongylosomapenevi sp. n. It differs from the other congeners in certain details of gonopod structure, as well as by the particularly long legs. Based on a restudy of the types of Strongylosomaluzoniense Peters, 1864, from Luzon, the species is shown to be a new senior subjective synonym of Helicorthomorphaorthogona (Silvestri, 1898), syn. n. This formally results also in Helicorthomorphaluzoniensis (Peters, 1864), comb. n. Anoplodesmusanthracinus Pocock, 1895 is illustrated and briefly redescribed, based on material from State Pulau Penang, Malaysia, which represents the first formal record of the species in that country. This species is also new to the fauna of Sri Lanka. A review of the Anoplodesmus species reported from Sri Lanka, nearly all of them dubious, is presented.
  5. Poorani J, Booth RG
    PMID: 27099561 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e8030
    Harmonia dunlopi (Crotch), a rare lady beetle species, was originally described from 'India' by Crotch (1874). But information on subsequent sightings of this species is absent and it has not been reported by anyone from India and its neighbouring countries ever since its original description. Because of this, Indian records of H. dunlopi were suspected to be probably misidentifications of H. dimidiata (F.), a species common in northern and northeastern India and also widely distributed in the Oriental region.
  6. Tan MK, Kamaruddin KN
    PMID: 27099555 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7775
    Catantopinae is a huge subfamily and is in need of a major revision. We contribute to the taxonomy of the subfamily by reviewing one poorly known genus, Willemsella Miller, 1934. This is a monotypic genus so far found only in Peninsular Malaysia.
  7. Wilson JJ, Jisming-See SW, Brandon-Mong GJ, Lim AH, Lim VC, Lee PS, et al.
    PMID: 26751033 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e7159
    Over the past 50 years, Southeast Asia has suffered the greatest losses of biodiversity of any tropical region in the world. Malaysia is a biodiversity hotspot in the heart of Southeast Asia with roughly the same number of mammal species, three times the number of butterfly species, but only 4% of the land area of Australia. Consequently, in Malaysia, there is an urgent need for biodiversity monitoring and also public engagement with wildlife to raise awareness of biodiversity loss. Citizen science is "on the rise" globally and can make valuable contributions to long-term biodiversity monitoring, but perhaps more importantly, involving the general public in science projects can raise public awareness and promote engagement. Butterflies are often the focus of citizen science projects due to their charisma and familiarity and are particularly valuable "ambassadors" of biodiversity conservation for public outreach.
  8. Abdullah NA, Radzi SNF, Asri LN, Idris NS, Husin S, Sulaiman A, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2019;7:e35679.
    PMID: 31582889 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e35679
    Riparian areas hold vast number of flora and fauna with exceptional contributions to the ecosystem. A study was conducted in Sungai Sepetang, Sungai Rembau and Sungai Chukai to identify the insect community in a riparian zone of Peninsular Malaysia. Sampling was conducted in six consecutive months from December 2017 to May 2018 during both day and night using sweep nets. Twenty sampling stations (S1-S20) had been assembled along the riverbanks with an average distance of 200 m between each station. The 17,530 collected insects were from 11 orders and consisted of Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Blattodea, Thysanoptera, Mantodea and Odonata. The three most abundant orders were Diptera (33.84%; 5933 individuals), Coleoptera (28.82%; 5053 individuals) and Hemiptera (25.62%: 4491 individuals). The collected insect community consisted of different guilds such as the scavenger, predator, herbivore, pollinator and parasitoid. Sungai Sepetang and Sungai Rembau were dominated by mangrove flora, Sonneratia caseolaris (Myrtales: Lythraceae), while Sungai Chukai was dominated by Barringtonia racemosa. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the composition of insects between the three rivers though clustering analysis showed that the insect communities in Sungai Sepetang and Sungai Rembau were 100% similar compared to Sungai Chukai which consisted of a totally different community. There is a significant negative correlation between abundance of insects with salinity and wind speed at Sungai Chukai and Sungai Sepetang.
  9. Qiu S, Chen B, Du J, Loh KH, Liao J, Liu X, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2021;9:e63945.
    PMID: 33732033 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e63945
    Background: The Xisha Islands are composed of the Yongle Islands and the Xuande Islands in Hainan Province, China. It has one of the highest species diversity in the world and is also a typical oceanic distribution area of coral reefs globally. The ichthyofauna of the Xisha Islands were recorded by underwater visual census in May 2019 and July 2020. The survey data were combined with previous records of species into the checklist of the Xisha Islands presented herein. A total of 691 species, belonging to 24 orders and 97 families, was recorded. The major families were Labridae, Pomacentridae, Serranidae, Chaetodontidae, Hexanchidae, Lutjanidae, Scaridae, Gobiidae, Scorpaenidae and Carangidae. In this study, the Coral Fish iversity Index (CFDI) of six families (Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae, Scaridae and Acanthuridae) was 229, indicating 756 coral fishes. In terms of the IUCN Red List, one species is Critically Endangered (Glyphis gangeticus), six species are Endangered (Stegostoma fasciatum, Aetomylaeus maculatus, Aetomylaeus vespertilio, Epinephelus akaara, Cheilinusundulatus sp. and Xiphias gladius), 16 species are Vulnerable, and 13 species are Near Threatened in the Xisha Archipelago, so conservation should be strengthened in this area in the future.

    New information: One species is a new record for China (Dischistodus pseudochrysopoecilus) and 23 species are newly found in the Xisha Islands.

  10. Souma J
    Biodivers Data J, 2021;9:e63188.
    PMID: 33958947 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e63188
    Background: The lace bug genus Eritingis Drake and Ruhoff, 1962 is widely distributed in the Australian and Oriental Regions, whereas only a single species, E. recentis (Drake and Poor, 1937), has been recorded from the Oriental Region. To date, E. recentis is known to occur in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Vietnam, but has not been recorded from Japan and Thailand.

    New information: Eritingis and E. recentis are recorded from Japan and Thailand for the first time.

  11. Chew M, Abdul Rahim A
    Biodivers Data J, 2020;8:e54748.
    PMID: 32675937 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e54748
    Background: An up-to-date checklist of the Peninsular Malaysian marine Anthuroidea is presented, based on previous taxonomic or ecological literature and recent collections. The present study, a part of the subproject on the Biodiversity of Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, recognised 24 species in 12 genera and 5 families from Peninsular Malaysia. An extensive list of bibliographical references, detailed information on habitat and distributional records, museum locations of type material are provided for each species. Amongst the listed species, 11 are recently discovered Malaysian species belonging to the genera Amakusanthura Nunomura, 1977, Apanthura Stebbing, 1900, Expanathura Wägele, 1981, Leptanthura G. O. Sars, 1897, Kupellonura Barnard, 1925, Pendanthura Menzies & Glynn, 1968 and Tinggianthura Chew, Rahim & bin Haji Ross, 2014. Our records were limited to shallow subtidal reefs of peninsular Malaysian coast, suggesting that the number of species in the list may rise with an extensive survey.

    New information: The up-to-date checklist of marine Anthuroidea of the Peninsular Malaysia comprises 24 species in 12 genera and 5 families, including some new distributional data.

  12. Ampeng A, Liam J, Simpson B, Traelholt C, Md Nor S, Abdan-Saleman MSB, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2021;9:e60753.
    PMID: 33531863 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e60753
    Wildlife surveys were conducted in Usun Apau National Park (UANP), Sarawak from Oct 2017 to Oct 2020. This was the first attempt to document fauna diversity in Usun Apau National Park on the UANP plateau at 1200-1400 m a.s.l. On 17 September 2020, 10 AM, we observed an orangutan individual, Pongo pygmaeus, over a period of one minute at Libut Camp UANP (E: 114039'.546, N: 2052'36.44) at 1,020 m a.s.l. We also recorded four nests and orangutan vocalisation twice. This observation is important for Bornean orangutan conservation as this was the first orangutan sighting in UANP and well outside the species distribution range for in Sarawak.
  13. Ismail J, Mustafa Kamal AH, Idris MH, Amin SMN, Hamli H, Sien LS, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2021;9:e67449.
    PMID: 34177311 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e67449
    Seagrass habitats are considered to be some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet and safeguard some ecologically and economically important fauna, amongst which are some globally threatened species, including dugong. Malaysian seagrass ecosystems are not widespread, but their existence supports some significant marine fauna. A rigorous zooplankton study was conducted from May 2016 to February 2017, in the seagrass habitat of Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia, to examine their temporal composition and diversity, together with their ecological influences. A total of 45 zooplankton species from 13 significant groups were recorded in the seagrass habitat. The population density of zooplankton ranged between 2,482 ind/m³ and 22,670 ind/m³ over three different seasons. A single zooplankton copepod was found to be dominant (47.40%), while bivalves were the second largest (31.8%) group in terms of total abundance. It was also noticed that the average relative abundance (0.62) and important species index (62.08) of copepods were higher than for other groups that exist in the seagrass meadow, whereas copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris showed both the highest average relative abundance (0.41) and the highest important species index (41.15). The diversity (H') and richness index of the intermediate season were found to be highest due to favourable physico-chemical conditions. Within the referred seasonal cluster, the wet and dry seasons were almost similar in terms of species abundance, while the intermediate season was distinct, with high species diversity backed by ANOSIM analysis results. Copepod and bivalves formed one group with a common similarity level of 0.80. The CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis) model established that abiotic factors, especially turbidity, NO2, rainfall, dissolved oxygen and pH were significantly correlated with abundance of individual groups of zooplankton. Zooplankton assemblage and abundance in Lawas were found to be very rich in multiple seasons, indicating that the productivity of uninterrupted seagrass habitat might be high and the system rich in biodiversity.
  14. Miller JA, Freund C, Rambonnet L, Koets L, Barth N, van der Linden C, et al.
    PMID: 29674940 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e24777
    Background: Males of Opadometa are difficult to associate with conspecific females, and sex-matching errors may persist in the taxonomic literature. Recommended best practices for definitive sex matching in this genus suggest finding a male in the web of a female, or better yet, mating pairs.

    New information: A male Opadometa was observed hanging on a frame line of the web of a female Opadometa sarawakensis, a species for which the male was previously undescribed. This occurred during a tropical ecology field course held at the Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah, Malaysia. A taxonomic description was completed as a course activity.

  15. Du J, Loh KH, Hu W, Zheng X, Affendi YA, Ooi JLS, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2019;7:e47537.
    PMID: 31849564 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e47537
    Background: Redang Islands Marine Park consists of nine islands in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Redang Island is one of the largest off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, which is famous for its crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches. The ichthyofauna of the Redang archipelago was surveyed by underwater visual observations between August 2016 and May 2018. Census data were compiled with existing records into the checklist of the marine fish of the Redang archipelago presented herein. A total of 314 species belonging to 51 families were recorded. The most speciose families (Pomacentridae, Labridae, Scaridae, Serranidae, Apogonidae, Carangidae, Gobiidae, Chaetodontidae, Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae and Siganidae) were also amongst the most speciose at the neighbouring Tioman archipelago (except Chaetodontidae). The coral fish diversity index value for the six families of coral reef fishes (Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae, Scaridae and Acanthuridae) of the study sites was 132. We estimated that there were 427 coral reef fish species in the Redang archipelago. According to the IUCN Red List, eight species are Near Threatened (Carcharhinus melanopterus, Chaetodon trifascialis, Choerodon schoenleinii, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, E. polyphekadion, Plectropomus leopardus, Taeniura lymma and Triaenodon obesus), eleven are Vulnerable (Bolbometopon muricatum, Chaetodon trifasciatus, Chlorurus sordidus, Dascyllus trimaculatus, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, E. polyphekadion, Halichoeres marginatus, Heniochus acuminatus, Nebrius ferrugineus, Neopomacentrus cyanomos and Plectropomus areolatus) and three are Endangered (Amphiprion clarkia, Cheilinus undulatus and Scarus ghobban) in the Redang archipelago.

    New information: Five species are new records for Malaysia (Ctenogobiops mitodes, Epibulus brevis, Halichoeres erdmanni, H. richmondi and Scarus caudofasciatus) and 25 species are newly recorded in the Redang archipelago.

  16. Schilthuizen M, Lim JP, van Peursen ADP, Alfano M, Jenging AB, Cicuzza D, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2020;8:e47484.
    PMID: 32132859 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e47484
    Background: Terrestrial Caenogastropoda form an important but threatened component of the Borneo tropical rainforest malacofauna, where the group is nearly as rich in species as the Stylommatophora. They are, however, more sensitive to drought, temperature extremes and forest degradation.

    New information: On a field course at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), a new caenogastropod species, belonging to the genus Craspedotropis, was discovered by the course participants. The participants decided to name the species Craspedotropis gretathunbergae n. sp., in honour of the climate change activist Greta Thunberg, as caenogastropod land snails, such as this species, are likely to suffer because of climate change.

  17. Schilthuizen M, Berenyi AEA, Limin A, Brahim A, Cicuzza D, Eales AJ, et al.
    PMID: 30740026 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e32555
    Background: Clavicornaltica is a genus of very small flea beetles living in the leaf litter layer of Asian forests, easily sampled with Winkler extraction. The genus is presumably very rich in species, but their taxonomy is hampered by their small size and morphological uniformity.

    New information: On a 'taxon expedition'-style field course at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), a new species, Clavicornaltica belalongensis n. sp., was discovered and taxonomically treated by the course participants. We also present the first DNA barcodes for the genus.

  18. Munian K, Azman SM, Ruzman NA, Fauzi NFM, Zakaria AN
    Biodivers Data J, 2020;8:e50304.
    PMID: 32317855 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e50304
    Volant and non-volant small mammals from three forest reserves, located inside and outside Selangor State Park, Malaysia, were trapped and documented. A total of five-line transects, each 200 m long and a total of 100 collapsible cage traps, three harp traps and ten mist nets were deployed at each study site to capture rodents and bats species. The presence of 47 species of volant and non-volant mammals was documented with the highest abundant species being Leopoldamys sabanus (n = 61). The Family Vespertilionidae was the most diverse, while Muridae was the most abundant species. Diversity indices have shown forest reserves - Gading Forest Reserve (FR) and Bukit Kutu FR - located in the State Park, have a higher species composition than the impaired adjacent forest reserve, Bukit Tarek FR extension. The taxonomic diversity and taxonomic distinctness of the three forest reserves ranged between 2.433 and 2.610, while the taxonomic distinctness values ranged between 2.638 and 2.748. Even though Gading FR recorded the highest number of species diversity, the Chao 1 diversity estimator and the rarefaction accumulation curve indicated that Bukit Kutu comprised more species. Comparisons between other state parks and national parks in Peninsular Malaysia indicated that Selangor State Park indeed harbours relatively more species of small mammals. Northern Selangor State Park and adjacent forest should be recognised as a conservation priority area, although there are comparatively more species harboured in other regions of the State Park. With the current information on fauna diversity, proper management should be formulated to preserve the existing ecosystems in order to ensure the continuity of fauna diversity in Malaysia.
  19. Chen PH, Chung AC, Yang SZ
    Biodivers Data J, 2020;8:e51544.
    PMID: 32327931 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e51544
    Background: The family Opiliaceae in Santalales comprises approximately 38 species within 12 genera distributed worldwide. In Taiwan, only one species of the tribe Champereieae, Champereia manillana, has been recorded. Here we report the first record of a second member of Opiliaceae, Cansjera in tribe Opilieae, for Taiwan.

    New information: The newly-found species, Cansjera rheedei J.F. Gmelin (Opiliaceae), is a liana distributed from India and Nepal to southern China and western Malaysia. This is the first record of both the genus Cansjera and the tribe Opilieae of Opiliaceae in Taiwan. In this report, we provide a taxonomic description for the species and colour photographs to facilitate identification in the field.

  20. Ohtsuka S, Nawata M, Nishida Y, Nitta M, Hirano K, Adachi K, et al.
    Biodivers Data J, 2020;8:e52271.
    PMID: 32565681 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e52271
    The siphonostomatoid copepod Caligus undulatus Shen & Li, 1959 has been widely reported from plankton samples obtained from neritic and oceanic waters off coasts of the Indo-West Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Until now, its fish host has remained unknown. This copepod belongs to an intriguing group of congeners that, despite being part of a chiefly parasitic group, are consistently found as zooplankters. Quite unexpectedly, in October 2019, a fish host of C. undulatus was discovered in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan-namely, the Japanese sardinella Sardinella zunasi (Bleeker, 1854). Both juvenile (chalimus) and adult individuals of this caligid were observed as parasites of the fish host. The discovery suggests that the species has an alternative life cycle as previously proposed for other purportedly 'planktonic' congeners and might frequently switch hosts during the adult stage. Thus, the C. undulatus group is newly proposed as a species group in the genus, in which five species are known as planktonic. Some hypotheses on the modified life cycle of caligids also briefly discussed.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links