IBECBulletin Vol.1No.2– June2020 e-ISSN:2716-6422

IBECBULLETIN 2020

QUARTERLYUPDATESFROMTHEINSTITUTEOFBIODIVERSITYANDENVIRONMENTALCONSERVATION

TableofContentsWebinar-‘Herpetologyofanantiqueland’byProf.IndraneilDasonfacebooklivebyMsPangSingTyan 1Member-at-largeintheSocietyofMarineMammalogy(SMM)BoardbyMsCindyPeter 2WorldTurtleDay23May2020byProf.IndraneilDas 3Highendemicityofcavernicolouscrabs–implicationofhighconservationvaluebyDrJongkarGrinang 4Systematics,ecologyandbiogeographyofthegekkonidgenusCnemaspisinBorneo(Squamata:Gekkonidae)byMrIzneilNashriq 6PollinationstudiesofaroidsinMuluNationalPark byMrChaiShongKian 7WaterqualityassessmentandmolecularcharacterizationofantimicrobialresistantbacteriafromrecreationalwaterinKuchingareabyMsKhairunnisaMohammadHamdi 9Evaluationanddevelopmentofbio-activecompoundsfromSennaalata(L.)Roxb.againstmultipleantibioticresistantbacteriafromaquacultureenvironmentbyMsScholasticaRamihAnakBunya 10IsolationandidentificationofbacteriaspeciesfromrecreationalwateranditsenvironmentbyMrStanleySaitAnakAgusti 11Recentpublications 12AdvertisementforBaramHeritageSurvey 13

EditorialBoardEditor:Assoc.Prof.DrWongSinYengEditorialAdvisors:Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohd. Azlan Jayasilan binAbdulGulamAzadProf.DrIndraneilDasPleasesubmitallmaterialsforinclusiontotheEditor.Enquiries:Telephone:+6082-582932Email:sywong@unimas.myWebsite:http://www.ibec.unimas.my/research

Vol.1No.2-June

Frontcover, top,Cerberusatipula,GunungMuluNationalPark,bottom,Stygothelphusaantu,Padawan.PhotobyJongkarGrinang.

WEBINAR-‘HERPETOLOGYOFANANTIQUELAND’BYPROF.INDRANEILDASONFACEBOOKLIVEBy

PangSingTyan,Ph.D.Candidate

Prof. IndraneilDas sharedhiswork in an interviewhostedby JayadityaPurkayastha in ‘HeartTalk’,liveonFacebookon17May2020,at2.30pm(Malaysiatime),whichispartofaseriesofwebinar interviewsofenvironmentalistsandscientistsonavarietyof topics. Itbeganwithanintroductory presentation that covers his recent research works with his colleagues andstudentsinUNIMAS.Lifehistorystrategiesofamphibiansandreptilesishisall-timeinterestandpassion, inspired by hismother at a young age, paving theway to his career. Themain talkentitled‘HerpetologyofanAntiqueLand’followsthechronologyofcollectorsandresearchesinIndia and South Asia, starting from Vedic times, through the British colonial period, to thecurrentperiod.Post-presentationquestionsfromviewers includedadviceonwritingandpublishingpapers,aswell as collecting and curating specimens. He is regarded as “TheWalking Encyclopaedia ofHerpetology”forhisvastexperiences,knowledgeandcredibilityinthefield.Thesessiontook105minutesandhad675liveviewers.

“Doittodayratherthanworrywhathappenstomorrow”IndraneilDas2020

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EVENTS

ELECTIONAS‘MEMBER-AT-LARGE’TOTHESOCIETYOFMARINEMAMMALOGY(SMM)BOARDBy

CindyPeter

I was recently voted in as aMember-at-Large in the Society forMarineMammalogy (SMM)board.Thevotingpollwasconductedonlinebetween23Aprilto11May2020bymembersoftheSMM.IwillbejoiningtheBoardforafour-yearterm,beginninginJuly2020.The Society for Marine Mammalogy was founded in 1981 and is the largest internationalassociationofmarinemammal scientists in theworld.Themissionof theSMM is topromoteglobaladvancementofmarinemammalsscienceandcontributetoitsrelevanceandimpact ineducation,conservation,andmanagement.TheSMMholdsbiennialinternationalmeetingswiththe goal of enhancing collaboration, sharing ideas, and improving the quality of research onmarinemammalswithinthescientificcommunity.MarineMammalScienceisthejournalarmofSMMwhere it publishes significant new findings onmarinemammals resulting from originalresearch.I am so grateful that the SMMboard gave a chance for this researcher all theway from theislandofBorneo,torunfortheelection.Ihopetobringpositiveenergytothecommitteewhilepushingformyprioritiesofbeingavoicefordevelopingcountrymembers,especiallystudents,andtopromotetheirinclusionintheSociety,thusadvancingmarinemammalscienceglobally.

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EVENTS

WORLDTURTLEDAY23MAY2020By

IndraneilDas

23 May is celebrated as ‘World Turtle Day’ annually. The reasons are manifold- to bringattentiontoarguablyoneofthemostthreatenedgroupsofanimals(withoverhalfthespecieslisted as in danger of becoming extinct), and also, proverbially the longest lived species, thesymboloflongevity,patienceandgoodluck.Two IUCN Specialist Groups are tasked with monitoring their status and conservation- theMarineTurtleSpecialistGroupandtheTortoiseandFreshwaterTurtleSpecialistGroup.Yet,notmuchisknownofthenaturalhistoryoftheturtlesandtortoisesofSarawakandBorneo,norarethereseriouseffortstounderstandtheirconservationrequirements.Toremindusofourresponsibilitytothisgroupofanimals,theInstituteispleasedtoreleaseonthisday,aspecialpostcard. It featuresaclassicSarawakstampfrom1955 (partof theQueenElizabethIIDefinitiveSeries;15centultramarine)onobverse,andashortconservationmessageon the reverse. The card, along with a matching postage stamp, will be mailed out to ourpartnersontheday.

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EVENTS

HIGHENDEMICITYOFCAVERNICOLOUSCRABS–IMPLICATIONOFHIGHCONSERVATIONVALUE

By

JongkarGrinangLimestoneoutcropsrepresentlessthanonepercentofthetotallandmassofBorneo.Nonetheless,these

smallandoftenisolatedhabitatcontainshighdiversityofplantsandanimalsincludingcaveinhabitantsor cavernicoles, many of which are endemic. In particular, the crab fauna of limestone caves is wellrepresentedwithno less than18species. Interestingly,14speciesare trogophilic (liveboth insideandoutsideof thecave)and fourspeciesare truly troglobiticor liveentirely in thedarkhabitat (see tablebelow).Alltroglobiticandsometrogophilicspeciesareendemictotherespectivecavesystem.Cavesystems inSarawakplayacrucial roleashistoricalandcultural sites,andhavebeen regardedasnatural laboratory for investigatingevolutionandclimatechangebecauseof their stablemicroclimate.Currentutilizationofcavesystems includingproductionofediblebird-nestandguano,andecotourismposeathreattogeologicalformsandbiodiversityofthesesystems.Ourresearchfocusesondescribingspecies, anddocumenting theiroccurrenceandconservation issue thatare crucial formanagementofthecavesystemsandtheirbiodiversity.Assuch,weareexpandingourcollaborationwithcounterpartsfromSabahandKalimantantoachieveourgoaltosystematicallydocumentthecrabfaunaoflimestonecaves in Borneo. Our research activities are funded by grants from TheMohamed bin Zayed SpeciesConservationFund(ProjectNo.13054042)andMalaysianPalmOilBoard(GL(I01)/MPOB/03/2016).Species Typelocality AdeleanachapmaniHolthuis,1979* GreatCave,NiahNationalPark,MiriCerberusacaecaHolthuis,1979* DeerCave,GunungMuluNationalPark,MiriCerberusatipulaHolthuis,1979* ClearwaterCave,GunungMuluNationalPark,MiriGuaplaxdenticulataNaruse,Ng&Guinot,2008* GuaLaowacling,EastKalimantanBalassiathelphusaphasmaNg&Guinot,2014** GuaKambing,EastKalimantanArachnothelphusarhadamanthysiNg&Goh,1987** GomantongCave,Sandakan,SabahIsolapotamonbauenseNg,1987** GuaSireh,SerianIsolapotamoncollinsiHolthuis,1979** ClearwaterCave,GunungMuluNationalPark,MiriParathelphusapulcherrima(DeMan,1902)** Uncertain.BaramParathelphusavalidaNg&Goh,1987** GomantongCave,Sandakan,SabahPerithelphusaborneensis(vonMartens,1868)** Uncertain.KalimantanStygothelphusaantuNg&Grinang,2014** GuaRembus,PadawanStygothelphusabidienseNg,2013** BidiCave,BauStygothelphusacranbrookiNg,2013** GuaSireh,SerianSundathelphusatenebrosaHolthuis1979** DeerCave,GunungMuluNationalPark,MiriThelphusulastyxNg1989** BatCave,GunungMuluNationalPark,MiriArachnothelphusanewspecies(inreview)** BukitSaranglimestonecave,BintuluStygothelphusanobilii(Colosi,1920)** Uncertain.Samarahan(researchinprogress)*troglophilic–livebothinsideandoutsideofthecavesystem**truetroglobitic–liveentirelyinsidethecavesystemtypelocality–theplacewherethespecimenusedforspeciesdescription(aholotype)wasdiscovered

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RESEARCHUPDATES

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RESEARCHUPDATES

A.AnentranceofGreatCave,Niah;B.APadawanlimestoneformation;C.AdeleanachapmaniatNiahGreatCave;D. Stygothelphusa antu inside Rembus Cave, Padawan; E. Stygothelphusa cranbrooki in Gua Sireh, Serian; F.Cerberusa tipula from Agong Cave, Gunung Mulu National Park; G. Arachnothelphusa, a new species from alimestone caveofBukit Sarang,Bintulu;H.Arachnothelphusa rhadamanthysi fromGomantongCave, Sandakan,Sabah; I. garbage dump as a result of edible bird-nest and guano production activity; J. one of cave surveysparticipatedbytheauthoratGunungMuluinSeptember2012.GandHphotographedbyTanHeokHuiandKeithChristenson,respectively.

SYSTEMATICS,ECOLOGYANDBIOGEOGRAPHYOFTHEGEKKONIDGENUSCNEMASPISINBORNEO(SQUAMATA:GEKKONIDAE)

By

IzneilNashriq,M.Sc.CandidateThegenusCnemaspis includessmall-bodied,diurnalorcrepusculargeckosthatinhabitprimary

to old secondary rainforests found in Africa and Asia, and are mostly associated with rockybiotopes.TheSoutheastAsianCnemaspisrepresentativesrangefromsouthernLaos,southwardthrough Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, through the Thai-Malaya Peninsula and eastward toBorneo and Java, through the Seribuat, Anambas and Natuna archipelagos. The uniquecharacters of these rock-dwelling geckos are expressed in their long limbs, slender digits,roundedpupils,brightcolours,andoften,interestingbehaviouraldisplays.StudiesonBorneanCnemaspis have laggedbehind those inotherpartsof the continent, andonly five species have been described, all from Sarawak.My thesis is on the systematics andecologyoftheselizards,andfieldworkhasledtothediscoveryoftwonewspecies,fromSerianand Miri respectively. Although occupying different habitat types, individual species of thegenusarerestrictedtospecificgeologicalformations,suchaslimestone,granite,andsandstone.Many of such habitats, unfortunately, are outside of protected areas and exposed to humanactivitiessuchas limestonemininganddeforestation,reducingpotentialareasforthespecies.Conserving theseareas is thusessential for the survivalof thegeckos, and forotherendemiccomponentsofbiodiversitythatrelyonsuchformations.Cnemaspisparipari,anendemicoftheWindandFairyCavesofwesternSarawak.

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RESEARCHUPDATES

POLLINATIONSTUDIESOFAROIDSINMULUNATIONALPARKBy

ChaiShongKian,M.Sc.Candidate

GunungMulu National Park is the largest National Park of Sarawak, consisting of an area of85,671habetweenMiriandLimbangDivisionandisoneoftheUNESCOWorldHeritageSitesinMalaysia. Gunung Mulu N. P. is dominated by Mount Mulu (2,376 m, sandstone interbedshales),Mount Api (1,750m, limestone) andMount Benarat (1,858m, limestone). There arethree notable caves in Mulu’s limestone mountains: Sarawak Chamber (World’s largestundergroundchamber),DeerCave(World’sLargestcavepassage)andClearwatercave(World8th longest cave system). Besides, there are other less notable caveswith uniqueness amongeach of them in terms of cave formation and cave features. The park is also famous for itsmillion-bat exodus (Wrinkle-lipped bat) from Deer Cave at dusk and the white pinnacles onMountApi. The forest types ofGunungMuluN. P. include riverine forest, lowland limestoneforest, lower montane limestone forest, upper montane limestone forest, lowland mixeddipterocarpforest,lowermontaneforest,mossyforest,kerangasforest,andpeatswampforest.The pristine forest of the park contains over 3,500 plant species and 1,500 flowering plants.Therewere 20,000 species of invertebrates, 81 species ofmammals, 270 species of birds, 55speciesofreptiles,76speciesofamphibians,and48speciesoffishidentifiedinthepark.ThefirsttimeIsteppedintotheparkwasduringSeptember2017,whereIworkedasaninterninthepark.Atthattime,Igainedaccesstomostoftheguidedtourstomainattractionsofthepark (Deer cave, Clearwater cave, Lagang cave, the Mulu’s pinnacles). I also did self-guidedtrekkingstoallthetrailsneartheheadquartertolookforaroidspecies(Araceae)asthefocusedspeciesformyM.Sc.project.Thereare96identifiedaroidspeciesofwhich22speciesarenewto science. I have recently described four new species which are allMulu endemics. FormyM.Sc. work, I worked on pollination studies of 21 aroid species in the park. The pollinationstudiesofBorneanaroidsarestillatthebeginningstageastherearestillmanyspeciesawaitingtobestudied.The timingofanthesis, floralmechanism, floral traitsandrewards,pollinator(s)and theirbehavior,and the typeofpollination remainunknown formostaroid species. I alsotooktheopportunitytocapturetheimagesofflora,fauna,andsceneryoftheparkwhichIsharesomeinthenextpage.

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RESEARCHUPDATES

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A. Mel inau r iverupstream (Camp 5).B. Mount Benarat(viewfromCamp5).

C. Garnet pitta. D.Nepenthes muluensis(Mulu summit). E.Nep en t h e s l ow i i(Mulusummit).F. Amorphophallusjulaihii.G.MountApi(left),Mount Benarat(right), view fromCamp4.H.Deercave interior.I. Clearwater Caveentranceceiling.

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WATERQUALITYASSESSMENTANDMOLECULARCHARACTERIZATIONOFANTIMICROBIALRESISTANTBACTERIAFROMRECREATIONALWATERINKUCHINGAREA

By

KhairunnisaMohammadHamdi,M.Sc.Candidate

Waterisoneofthemostimportantcomponentsinecosystem.OwingtotheelevatingcasesofRecreationalWater Illness (RWI), the desirable level of water quality should be prolonged inconsonancetoMalaysiaWaterQualityStandard (WQI) in theaspectofphysical,chemicalandbiologicalproperties. This is essential as recreationalwater acts asoneof the routesof germtransmission through the act of swallowing or having contact with contaminated water.Accordingly,thisstudyaimstoassessandanalyzethewaterqualityandtherisksassociatedwithantimicrobial resistantbacteria fromrecreationalwaterswithinKuchingarea.Theanalysiswillalso include the expected relationship between the current status of water quality and thecontributory factor of land uses. With all of the procured analysis results, this research willcontribute data for the monitoring programme of antimicrobial susceptibility bacteria andrecreationalwaterqualitystatusinKuching,Sarawak.

OneoftherecreationalareasinBau,Sarawak.

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RESEARCHUPDATES

EVALUATIONANDDEVELOPMENTOFBIO-ACTIVECOMPOUNDSFROMSENNAALATA(L.)ROXB.AGAINSTMULTIPLEANTIBIOTICRESISTANTBACTERIAFROMAQUACULTURE

ENVIRONMENTBy

ScholasticaRamihAnakBunya,M.Sc.Candidate

Theemergenceofbacteriawithmultipleantibioticresistancefromtheaquacultureenvironmentisabigthreattohumanhealthasaquacultureisamajorsectorintheagricultural industryforproteinsources.Thedecreasingefficiencyofantibioticswhentreatinginfectionshaslimitedthechoiceofantibioticsfordiseasetreatment.Therefore,thisstudytargetstosearchforalternativeantimicrobial agents from amedicinal plant: Senna alata (L.) Roxb. Although there has beenconsiderable research on the extraction of antimicrobial compounds from S. alata, however,thereare limiteddataonthestudyofS.alataagainstpathogensoccurring intheaquacultureenvironment. This study will provide baseline data on its chemical compounds including anyantimicrobial properties with potential to be used as new, safe, efficient and cost-effectivenatural drugs for combating multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria from the aquacultureenvironment.

Sennaalata(L.)Roxb.(Fabaceae)

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RESEARCHUPDATES

ISOLATIONANDIDENTIFICATIONOFBACTERIASPECIESFROMRECREATIONALWATERANDITSENVIRONMENT

By

StanleySaitAnakAgusti,M.Sc.Candidate

RecreationalareassuchaswaterfallsareanattractioninSarawak,hatarebecomingincreasinglypopular among locals and tourists. Although the natural aquatic environment providesenjoymenttousers,theyarealsoapotentialreservoirforwaterbornedisease-causingbacteria.Recreational water users may impose various health risks owing to exposure to a range ofpathogenicbacteriasomeduetofaecalpollution.The current study aims to isolate, identify and characterize diverse types of bacterial speciesfrom recreational water and its environment. The risk associated with potential pathogenicbacterialfromtherecreationalriverwaterwillbeassessedinrelationtopublichealth.

SikogWaterfall,Siburan,Sarawak

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RESEARCHUPDATES

RECENTPUBLICATIONS

1.  Andrea, K. P., Dewi, M., Gemma, K. Y .F., Samuel, L., Azham Z., and Cheng S. T. (2020).Evaluation of the efficacy of a phage cocktail against gentamicin-resistant Klebsiellapneumoniae.JournalofSustainabilityScienceandManagement15(3):86-100.

2.  Blandoi, J.A.J., Jamian, M.A.H. & Mohd-Azlan, J. (2020). An assessment of land usesurrounding hydropower reservoirs using remote sensing in Sarawak,Malaysia. Journal ofSustainabilityScienceandManagement15(2):66-78.

3.  Das, I. (2020). The 10thWorld Congress of Herpetology, 2024, Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo.NewsletteroftheWorldCongressofHerpetology(6).

4.  Gee,G.V.A.&Das,I.(2020).Extremephilately.ThemostunusualstampsoftheWorld.Part3.JournalofthePhilatelicSocietyofKuching,Sarawak12(1):43–77.

5.  GenevieE.R.,UngkuFatimah,U.Z.A.,SamuelL.,Nuzul,N.J.,NewC.Y.&SonR.(2020).Themoderating effects of gender and education level on safe food handling intention amongconsumer inSibuMalaysia:Basedon the theoryofPlannedBehavior.FoodResearch4(2):366-374.

6.  Hines, E., Ponnampalam, L.S., Junchompoo, C., Peter, C., Vu, L., Huynh, T., Caillat, M.,Johnson,A.F.,Minton,G., Lewison, R.L.&Verutes,G.M. (2020).Getting to thebottomofbycatch:aGIS-basedtoolboxtoassesstheriskofmarinemammalbycatch.EndangSpeciesRes42:37-57.https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01037.

7.  Justin,S.,Lihan,S.,Elvis-Sulang,M.R.&Chiew,T.S.(2020).Formulatedmicrobialconsortiumasinoculantforagarwoodinduction.JournalofTropicalForestScience32(2):161-169.

8.  Liew,Y.S.,Sim,S.F.,Ling,T.Y.,Nyanti,L.&Grinang,J. (2020).Relationshipsbetweenwaterqualityanddissolvedmetalconcentrationsinatropicalriverundertheimpactsoflanduse,incorporating multiple linear regression (MLR). Aquaculture, Aquarium, Conservation &Legislation13(2):470-480.

9.  Mohd-Azlan, J. & Thaqifah, S.J. (2020). New records of the Flat-headed Cat Prionailurusplaniceps (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)(Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in western Sarawak,Malaysia.JournalofThreatenedTaxa12(2):15238-15243.

10. Perry,G.,M.Lacy&Das,I.(2020).Snakes,snakebites,andhumans.In:ProblematicwildlifeII.Newconservationandmanagementchallengesinthehuman-wildlifechallenges.pp:561–580. Angelici, F.M. & Rossi, L. (Eds.). Springer International Publishing AG, Cham,Switzerland.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42335-3_18

11. Roslan, H.A., Husaini, A., Lihan, S. & Kota, M.F. (2020). Partial purification andcharacterizationofantifungalpeptidesproducedbyBacillusamyloliquefaciensPEP3againstPhytophthoracapsici.AppliedScienceandEngineeringProgress13(1):56-66.

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PUBLICATIONS

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