World Distribution of Heterobostrycus aequalis Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae).

Heterobostrychus aequalis is a major pest of seasoned hardwood. It attacks many timber and wood from other plant species and caused damage to a broad range of wood products. Their attacks are confined to starch-rich sapwood and often unsuspected until the emergence hole and frass is produced. The repeated introduction of this pest into new areas indicates that it is poorly inspected and ignored. In some cases, this species succeed in establishing its population in the wild. Hence, by providing the world wide distribution of this pest could be the pioneer step in developing better prevention, monitoring, quarantine and control programmes. From the review, it was found that H. aequalis distribute dominantly in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It is widely distributed in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia to Oceania, some parts of Africa, Central America and Caribbean region. The distribution map derived indicates the limits of distribution for H. aequalis to be 40° north and south of the equator. The recent reports and records showed that this pest is potentially becoming a high-risk pest and can establish its population whenever the condition is favourable

The effects of crude oil boiling treatment on physical properties of Bambusa vulgaris var. Striata (Buluh Gading)

Bamboo is a material formed from organic components such as cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. It is often attacked by biodegradation agents due to the presence of the organic components which affect the physical properties and durability of the bamboo, hence limiting its utilization as an input for production of value-added products. Preservation treatment for lignocellulosic material is not an exception. Boiling treatment was found to be one of the eco-friendly methods to preserve the material. A research was undertaken to study the effects of crude oil boiling treatment on the physical properties and durability of Bambusa vulgaris var. Striata (Buluh Gading) against biodegradation agents. Bamboo strips were boil treated in palm oil at 160-2000C for 10 minutes. The untreated and treated strips were tested using physical tests such as relative density, moisture content, swelling and shrinkage. The durability of the strips was also tested using weathering test, where they were exposed to the surrounding for 3 months. The results showed that the boiling treatments improved the dimensional stability of the bamboo and its durability against fungi and boring insects. Meanwhile, the treatments at different temperatures significantly affected the relative density, moisture content, durability, swelling and shrinkage of the bamboo. The moisture content, swelling and shrinkage dropped with regards to the increase in the treatment temperature. The reductions were 18.6% – 2.38%, 16.28% -7.51%, and 20.72% - 10.94, respectively. The relative density increased to 0.89% when the treatment temperature increased to 1600C, but it decreased from 0.89 to 0.74% as the temperature was increased to 2000C. The durability was assessed in term of percentage of weight loss (%). A smaller percentage of the weight loss indicates a better durability. Thus, the treatments were effective to reduce the percentage of weight loss for the above-ground and in ground graveyard tests. The reductions were found to range from 28.14% - 9.92% and 28.14 – 3.39%, respectively. This study has indicated that bamboo becomes less hygroscopic and more durable when it is exposed to higher temperatures

Sexual identification of bamboo borer Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae)

There is no available documented literature on sexual identification of the bamboo borer Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius). In this study, adult and pupal stages of Dinoderus minutus were examined in an attempt to differentiate the sexes for this particular species. Freshly killed and cleaned adult as well as pupal stages were examined under stereomicroscopy and different characteristics for both stages were compared. Results showed that there were no distinct morphological features in the adult stage that could be used as distinguishing sexual characters. However, differentiating sexual features were observed in the pupal stage. Gonapophyses, comprising of a pair of conical extrusions were present at the terminal abdominal segment in the female pupa whilst a pair of parameres was observed in the male. These morphological characteristics which were identified only in the pupal stage, proved to be the most reliable method to determine the sex of D. minutus

Impacts of 2 species of predatory Reduviidae on bagworms in oil palm plantations

Integrated pest management (IPM) is widely practiced in commercial oil palm agriculture. This management system is intended to minimize the number of attacks by pest insects such as bagworms on crops, as well as curb economic loss with less dependency on chemical pesticides. One practice in IPM is the use of biological control agents such as predatory insects. In this study, we assessed the response of predatory natural enemies to pest outbreak and water stress, and document the habitat associations of potential pest predators. The abundances of 2 predatory insect species, namely Sycanus dichotomus and Cosmolestes picticeps (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), were compared bagworm outbreak sites and nonoutbreak sites within oil palm plantations. We also examined habitat characteristics that influence the abundances of both predatory species. We found that the abundance of C. picticeps was significantly higher in bagworm outbreak sites than in nonoutbreak sites. There were no significant differences in the abundance of S. dichotomus among outbreak and non-outbreak sites. Both species responded negatively to water stress in oil palm plantations. Concerning the relationship between predatory insect abundance and in situ habitat quality characteristics, our models explained 46.36% of variation for C. picticeps and 23.17% of variation for S. dichotomus. Both species of predatory insects thrived from the planting of multiple beneficial plants in oil palm plantations. The results suggest that C. picticeps can be used as a biological agent to control bagworm populations in oil palm plantations, but S. dichotomus has no or little potential for such ecosystem service

Effects of polyculture and monoculture farming in oil palm smallholdings on tropical fruit-feeding butterfly diversity

1. In many developing countries, commercial oil palm farming supports the livelihood of millions of small-scale farmers in the rural areas. However, forest conversion into oil palm monocultures has a major impact on tropical biodiversity. In existing oil palm production landscapes, little is known about how different oil palm agricultural practices affect farmland biodiversity, particularly insect biota. 2. We quantified fruit-feeding butterfly species richness and community composition in oil palm areas subject to polyculture and monoculture farming in Peninsular Malaysia. Polyculture smallholdings were predicted to support greater butterfly diversity than monoculture smallholdings because of the greater structural complexity and floristic diversity associated with crop diversity in polyculture smallholdings. 3. We also identified local-scale habitat attributes important for maintaining fruit-feeding butterfly species richness. 4. We found no significant differences in butterfly species richness, abundance and the composition of butterfly assemblages between polyculture and monoculture smallholdings. Local-scale habitat quality explained 32.1% of the variation in fruit-feeding butterfly richness in oil palm smallholdings. 5. We found that polyculture farming failed to increase fruit-feeding butterfly diversity as a result of a limited number of crop species in oil palm smallholdings. To improve current agricultural practices and maintain high levels of butterfly diversity, commercial growers should increase the number of crop species planted in oil palm smallholdings

Effects of vegetation structure on avian biodiversity in a selectively logged hill dipterocarp forest

Southeast Asian tropical rainforests are shrinking at an alarming rate largely due to anthropogenic activities such as logging and agricultural expansion. The loss of tropical rainforests from human exploitations caused devastating and irreversible impacts on avian biodiversity. The establishment of protected areas is an effective tool to mitigate further forest biodiversity loss. However, the ability of degraded rainforest to support avian biodiversity is still remain little known. Here, we assessed bird assemblages in a hill dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia which was selectively logged almost three decades ago. We examined the effects of site-level attributes, particularly vegetation structure on bird community composition, species richness and abundance of selected feeding guild groups (i.e. insectivorous, carnivorous, and frugivorous). Generally, we found that a selectively logged hill dipterocarp forest can still support a large proportion of forest birds, including those species with high conservation values. Our data also revealed that avian biodiversity was positively related to the number of fallen snags, number of standing snags, number of shrubs, number of trees with DBH < 5 cm, and elevation. In contrast, avian biodiversity was negatively linked to canopy cover percentage, number of palms, and number of trees with DBH 30–50 cm. Our findings suggest the importance of post-harvest site-level attributes management in order to improve avian biodiversity in logged hill dipterocarp forests. Above all, urgent actions are needed to incorporate hill dipterocarp forests, including those already disturbed by logging into protected area networks in Peninsular Malaysia to mitigate forest biodiversity loss

Effects of monoculture and polyculture farming in oil palm smallholdings on terrestrial arthropod diversity

Oil palm agriculture has become one of the economic mainstays for biodiversity-rich countries in the tropics. The conversion of native forests to oil palm monoculture plantation has caused unprecedented biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia. Little is known about the effects of oil palm polyculture farming on arthropod diversity. In this study, arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps at 120 sites in Peninsular Malaysia. We examined how arthropod biodiversity responded to different oil palm farming practices and local-scale vegetation structure characteristics. We found that the number of arthropod orders was significantly greater in polyculture than monoculture smallholdings. However, we did not detect a significant difference in arthropod order composition nor abundance between monoculture and polyculture practices. In situ habitat characteristics explained 16% of the variation in arthropod order richness, with key predictor variables including farming practice, height of oil palm stands, and number of immature palm. The findings of this study suggest that polyculture farming together with management for in situ habitat complexity may be a useful strategy in supporting biodiversity within in oil palm plantations

Time to revisit oil palm-livestock integration in the wake of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

To date, the idea of using livestock animals as biological tools to manage weeds, sequester carbon, and boost food security in oil palm plantations has not been seriously considered by industry stakeholders of major producing countries (e.g., Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Colombia, and Nigeria). We revisit the integration of oil palm cultivation with livestock farming as a silvopastoral agroforestry practice in the wake of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Oil palm-livestock integration has the potential to promote sustainable palm oil production because it can provide multiple environmental and socio-economic benefits, including carbon sequestration, restoring top soil, improving ecosystem biodiversity, reducing pesticide and fertilizer inputs, and boosting national food security. In contrast to monocultural outputs of most conventional plantations, an oil palm silvopastoral system is an ideal way to address the global food insecurity challenge as it produces bioenergy, vegetable oil/fat and animal-based protein sources (e.g., red meat). In addition, the potential of contract targeted grazing could be considered as a new type of business and income diversification for rural people. Oil palm-livestock integration is a strategy by the palm oil industry to achieve multiple SDGs. Out of the 17 SDGs, oil palm-livestock integration is likely to deliver nine SDGs. Palm oil certification bodies should recognize oil palm-livestock integration as a biological control method in weed management practices. We recommend that oil palm-livestock integration should be promoted to revitalize sustainable palm oil production and strategic biodiversity conservation policy. Policy makers should encourage major players in the palm oil industry to practice oil palm-livestock integration

Development and reproductive biology of the bamboo borer, Dinoderus minutus fabricius (coleoptera : bostrychidae)

Infestation by the bamboo borer, Dinoderus minutus on felled culms and bamboo products is a serious problem in the bamboo industry worldwide particularly in Malaysia. However, biological studies concerning Dinoderus spp. is very scarce in spite of the great economic importance of this problem. Since bamboo is very susceptible to borers this project is conducted to examine and investigate the development and reproductive aspects of the bamboo borer, D. minutus. Developmental stages of D. minutus on bamboo block of Gigantochloa scortechinii shows a significant difference (p<0.01) in boring capacity and lifespan of adult beetle at different moisture content tested. Infestation can occur from early felling of bamboo and it became severe as moisture content decreased to 15% moisture content. Overall life cycle recorded for D. minutus from egg to adult stage in bamboo was 98.28±1.26 days. Establishment of culture on nutrient rich diet showed cassava (Manihot esculenta) as a suitable culture medium for D. minutus with continuous emergence of newly emerged beetle throughout the rearing period. Continuous emergence of newly emerged beetles started from day 90 onwards throughout the rearing period. Observation on sexual characteristics of D.minutus showed no sexual differences in adult beetle. Sexual identification was noticed in the terminal abdominal segment of pupa. Gonapophyses, comprising a pair of conical extrusions were present at the terminal abdominal segment in the female pupa whilst a pair of parameres was observed in the male. These morphological characteristics which was identified only in the pupal stage, proved to be the most reliable method to determine the sex of D. minutus. Ovipositional characteristics of D. minutus from population reared on bamboo and cassava showed no significant difference (p≥0.05) for pre-ovipositional and ovipositional period between female beetles from both culture. However, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in total egg laid per female per lifespan. Female beetle from cassava produced higher egg per lifespan due to longer ovipositional period. Egg incubation varied from fourth to sixth day with a mean period of 5.21±0.22 days. Egg development was observed to be prominent on third day with yolk globules becoming tightly packed taking the form of larvae. Hatchability of egg was 61.5%±1.24 from 100 eggs collected. Study on larval development of D. minutus using individual rearing method on different powder-state diet resulted with highest number of succeeding instar into pupal stage in cassava flour. Five classes of head capsule were obtained indicating five moults from first instar to pupa with a mean duration of 52.8±0.31 days. There were significant difference (p<0.01) for head capsule width, larval body length and weight, and duration for different instars. Detailed information provided on the development and reproductive biology of D. minutus will serve as a basis for a deeper understanding of its biological development before proper control management can be established