First Report on Wild Ginger (Family: Zingiberaceae) Species Composition with New Records in Limestone Forests of Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia.

The wild gingers in the family Zingiberaceae have a wide range of habitat distribution. The species growing in Malaysian forests are the most studied. Nevertheless, the aromatic perennial herb family found in limestone forests is the least studied. The present study identified the ginger species compositions, determined the conservation status of the identified ginger species, and compared the distribution of the ginger species in selected limestone forests of Kelantan due to the lack of intensive study focusing on wild gingers in Malaysian limestone forests, especially in the state of Kelantan, to date. In various months, wild ginger species observation was conducted at four limestone forests in Kelantan. From the survey performed during the present study, Gua Setir and Gua Ikan recorded 16 species with 12.5% overlapping species. Gua Setir comprised 61.5% more ginger species than Gua Ikan. In total, 13 species (81.25%) were evaluated based on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Three wild ginger species listed as high conservation value (HCV), Zingiber aurantiacum, Zingiber petiolatum and Zingiber wrayi, were identified at the limestone karst valley of Gua Setir. The current study presented updated and new records of the limestone wild ginger flora in Kelantan. The research also demonstrated that each limestone forest consisted of different combinations of ginger species. Consequently, conservation efforts and sustainable management currently enforced in the limestone forests would lead to long-term protection of the plants. Furthermore, the wild gingers could become a tourist attraction for limestone forests located in recreational areas.

Halia hutan (Famili: Zingiberaceae) mempunyai taburan habitat yang luas. Kajian mengenai tumbuhan herba yang berbau harum ini kurang dilakukan di kawasan hutan batu kapur Malaysia. Kajian ini telah mengenal pasti komposisi spesies halia, menentukan status pemuliharaan spesies halia yang telah dikenal pasti, serta membandingkan taburan spesies halia di beberapa hutan batu kapur di Kelantan. Kajian ini juga dilakukan kerana kekurangan kajian intensif yang memfokuskan halia hutan di hutan batu kapur Malaysia, terutamanya di negeri Kelantan, sehingga kini. Pemerhatian terhadap spesies halia hutan telah dilakukan di empat hutan batu kapur di Kelantan. Gua Ikan dan Gua Setir telah merekodkan 16 spesies halia semasa pemerhatian tersebut dengan 12.5% spesies yang bertindih. Gua Setir merangkumi 61.5% spesies halia berbanding Gua Ikan. Secara keseluruhan, 13 spesies (81.25%) halia yang dikenal pasti telah dinilai berdasarkan Red List of Threatened Species oleh International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Sebanyak tiga spesies halia telah disenaraikan sebagai spesies high conservation value (HCV) iaitu Zingiber aurantiacum, Zingiber petiolatum dan Zingiber wrayi. Ketiga-tiga spesies ini telah dikenal pasti di lembah kars Gua Setir. Kajian ini telah memberikan rekod spesies yang telah dikemas kini serta rekod baru bagi spesies halia hutan di kawasan batu kapur di Kelantan. Kajian ini juga menunjukkan bahawa setiap hutan batu kapur terdiri daripada gabungan spesies halia yang berbeza. Oleh yang demikian, usaha pemuliharaan dan pengurusan mampan yang dilakukan pada masa kini di hutan batu kapur akan membawa kepada perlindungan jangka panjang untuk tumbuhan halia. Tambahan pula, tumbuhan halia hutan juga boleh dijadikan sebagai tarikan pelancong untuk hutan batu kapur di kawasan rekreasi.

ChiroVox: a public library of bat calls.

Recordings of bat echolocation and social calls are used for many research purposes from ecological studies to taxonomy. Effective use of these relies on identification of species from the recordings, but comparative recordings or detailed call descriptions to support identification are often lacking for areas with high biodiversity. The ChiroVox website (https://www.chirovox.org) was created to facilitate the sharing of bat sound recordings together with their metadata, including biodiversity data and recording circumstances. To date, more than 30 researchers have contributed over 3,900 recordings of nearly 200 species, making ChiroVox the largest open-access bat call library currently available. Each recording has a unique identifier that can be cited in publications; hence the acoustic analyses are repeatable. Most of the recordings available through the website are from bats whose species identities are confirmed, so they can be used to determine species in recordings where the bats were not captured or could not be identified. We hope that with the help of the bat researcher community, the website will grow rapidly and will serve as a solid source for bat acoustic research and monitoring.

A review on introduced Cichla spp. and emerging concerns.

Peacock bass (Cichla spp.) originates from the Neotropical environments of Brazil and Venezuela but, through trade and smuggling for aquarium keeping, sport fishing and aquaculture, it is now an emerging concern. Yet, less is known for Cichla spp. distribution and its ability to invade new environments. Aimed to communicate on Cichla spp. ecology, biology and introduction schemes from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and also National Centre for Biotechnology Information, this review also contains management strategies for invading fish species. While Cichla spp. can displace native fish populations, this concern is explained using ecological functions, physiological demands, direct and secondary invasion, disease tolerance and parasite spillover. Briefly, Cichla spp. has rapid embryogenesis (72 h) and matures in short periods (11-12 months), giving it an advantage to colonize new environments. With a large appetite, this true piscivore gains territorial control over water bodies by making it their feeding and nursery grounds. Perceived as an emerging concern after becoming introduced, seal-off or sport fishing were used to manage Cichla spp. but, this practice is not sustainable for the entire ecosystem. Hence, we recommend bottom-up management that involves community participation because they interact with the fish and have knowledge about their environment.

The systematic position of Hypsugo macrotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and a new record from Peninsular Malaysia.

The Southeast Asian species of Hypsugo are rare bats, except for H. cadornae and H. pulveratus, which are distributed throughout the Indomalayan region. Hypsugo macrotis is restricted to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and adjacent islands, and is known only from a handful of specimens. Here we report a new locality record of the species from Seremban, Peninsular Malaysia, which also represents the first known building-dweller colony of any Hypsugo from the region. We discuss the taxonomic status of two morphologically similar species, H. macrotis and H. vordermanni, and provide the first COI and cyt b gene sequences for H. macrotis and reconstruct the species' phylogenetic relationships.

Isolation and identification of gastrointestinal microbiota from the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus brachyotis brachyotis.

Studies on the microbial ecology of gut microbiota in bats are limited and such information is necessary in determining the ecological significance of these hosts. Short-nosed fruit bats (Cynopterus brachyotis brachyotis) are good candidates for microbiota studies given their close association with humans in urban areas. Thus, this study explores the gut microbiota of this species from Peninsular Malaysia by means of biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis. The estimation of viable bacteria present in the stomach and intestine of C. b. brachyotis ranged from 3.06×10(10) to 1.36×10(15)CFU/ml for stomach fluid and 1.92×10(10) to 6.10×10(15)CFU/ml for intestinal fluid. A total of 34 isolates from the stomach and intestine of seven C. b. brachyotis were retrieved. A total of 16 species of bacteria from eight genera (Bacillus, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Pseudomonas and Serratia) were identified, Enterobacteriaceae being the most prevalent, contributing 12 out of 16 species isolated. Most isolates from the Family Enterobacteriaceae have been reported as pathogens to humans and wildlife. With the possibility of human wildlife transmission, the findings of this study focus on the importance of bats as reservoirs of potential bacterial pathogens.

Phylogenetic analysis of different breeds of domestic chickens in selected area of Peninsular Malaysia inferred from partial cytochrome b gene information and RAPD markers.

The present investigation was carried out in an attempt to study the phylogenetic analysis of different breeds of domestic chickens in Peninsular Malaysia inferred from partial cytochrome b gene information and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Phylogenetic analysis using both neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum parsimony (MP) methods produced three clusters that encompassed Type-I village chickens, the red jungle fowl subspecies and the Japanese Chunky broilers. The phylogenetic analysis also revealed that majority of the Malaysian commercial chickens were randomly assembled with the Type-II village chickens. In RAPD assay, phylogenetic analysis using neighbor-joining produced six clusters that were completely distinguished based on the locality of chickens. High levels of genetic variations were observed among the village chickens, the commercial broilers, and between the commercial broilers and layer chickens. In this study, it was found that Type-I village chickens could be distinguished from the commercial chickens and Type-II village chickens at the position of the 27th nucleotide of the 351 bp cytochrome b gene. This study also revealed that RAPD markers were unable to differentiate the type of chickens, but it showed the effectiveness of RAPD in evaluating the genetic variation and the genetic relationships between chicken lines and populations.