A new record of Chaerephone johorensis at Mount Jerai, Kedah, Malaysia

Chaerephonjohorensis, a wrinkled lipped bat ofthe family molossidae was recorded in mount Jerai, Kedah. this new record for Kedah was caught at hutan Lipur air terjun Batu hampar. this species was previously recorded in Krau wildlife reserve, taman negara, Johor (type locality) and a single locality in sumatra. this new record extends the current distribution of this species right up to northwest of Peninsular malaysia. Other notable discovery includes 25 species of small mammals

Bat Ensembles Differ in Response to Use Zones in a Tropical Biosphere Reserve

Biosphere reserves, designated under The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Man and Biosphere Programme, aim to sustainably integrate protected areas into the biological and economic landscape around them by buffering strictly protected habitats with zones of limited use. However, the effectiveness of biosphere reserves and the contribution of the different zones of use to protection is poorly known. We assessed the diversity and activity of bats in the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve (CRBR) in Sabah, Malaysia, using harp traps, mist nets and acoustic surveys in each zone-core, buffer, transition and in agricultural plots outside of the reserve. We captured 30 species, bringing the known bat fauna of CRBR to 50 species, half of Borneo's bat species. Species composition and acoustic activity varied among zones and by foraging ensemble, with the core and buffer showing particular importance for conserving forest-dependent insectivorous bats. Frugivorous bats were found in all zones but were the most abundant and most species-rich ensemble within agricultural sites. Although sampling was limited, bat diversity and activity was low in the transition zone compared to other zones, indicating potential for management practices that increase food availability and enhance biodiversity value. We conclude that, collectively, the zones of the CRBR effectively protect diversity, but the value of the transition zone can be improved

Checklist of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) and their associated bat hosts in Malaysia

The number of publications on bat flies of Malaysia suggests that this group of parasitic dipterans is understudied. From April 2011 to September 2013, we surveyed 10 localities from seven states in Malaysia with the main objective to compile a checklist of bat flies. As a result, a total of 15 species of bat flies were recorded from 24 species of hosts. Our surveys indicated that there is a correlation between the number of bat species and the number of bat flies species recorded due to the host specific nature of bat flies

Bat Diversity in Imbak Canyon Conservation Area: Note on their Echolocation Calls and Ectoparasites

Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA) is one of the conservation areas managed by the Sabah Foundation, which comprise of mixed vegetation forest landscape. A bat survey was conducted at ICCA from August 16th to 26th, 2017. A total of 141 individuals of bats representing 17 species were recorded from the eight nights of mist netting and harp trapping at various sites within the conservation area. Echolocation calls from 120 individuals of insectivorous bats representing 13 species were recorded, with 90% accuracy in relative amount. The captured bats were screened for ectoparasites from Order Diptera (91%), Mesostigmata (5%) and Ixodida (1%), and indicate that there is 66.7% prevalence. The results from the survey are paramount in enhancing information and knowledge on Bornean bats and their obligate ectoparasites

Diversity and Conservation status of Mammals in Wang Kelian State Park, Perlis, Malaysia

A series of surveys in Wang Kelian State Park, Perlis were carried out since 2009 to 2011 to document the diversity of mammals. Two sampling stations; 1) the Wang Burma cave trail and 2) the Orchard leading to Tasik Meranti were sampled for small mammals using mist-nets, harp traps, cage traps and were accounted through direct observation. The highlight of this study includes new geographic records for Rhinolophus chiewkweeae and Rousettus leschenaultii for the state of Perlis. Additionally, there were also 30 new distributional records of mammals in this protected area, increasing the total known mammals of Wang Kelian State Park to 86 species. Although having poorly known mammals such as R. chiewkweeae and Macaca arctoides in this park, the diversity of mammals in Wang Kelian State Park is still underestimated as the species cumulative curve over time has yet to reach a stationary phase. In conclusion more surveys need to be done especially the northern part of the park near the Malaysia-Thailand border and Tasik Meranti in order to look at possible occurrences of threatened mammals highlighted in this study

BATS

A hundred species of bats, representing nine families, are now known from Borneo. Classifi ed as either frugivorous, nectarivorous or insectivorous feeder, their diets permit them to play important roles in the maintenance of ecosystem functions and dynamics, through their action as seed dispersers, pollinators and regulators of insect populations. Of these, the insectivorous bats of the families Hipposideridae, Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae contribute the most to species numbers

NON-VOLANT SMALL MAMMALS

Borneo is home to at least 87 species of non-volant small mammals, and is represented by at least seven families: Muridae, Soricidae, Erinacidae, Tupaiidae, Sciuridae, Hystricidae and Ptiloceridae. The primary forests of Bako National Park has a rich non-volant small mammal fauna. However, as past studies on mammals were focused on bats, flying lemurs and primates, a substantial gap exists in our knowledge of the small terrestrial mammals of the Park

Small Mammals from Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Small mammal survey was conducted at Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary (WS) from 20th until 25th October 2014. This survey aimed to assess the diversity of small mammals particularly from the order Chiroptera, Insectivora, Rodentia and Scadentia. These orders were targeted primarily to gain better understanding on the ecology and distribution of these understudied taxa in Borneo. Our survey recorded a total of 30 species of small mammals from six trapping nights. Order Chiroptera was recorded with the highest number of species (seven families; 22 species), followed by order Rodentia (two families; six species) and order Scandentia (two species). None was recorded from the order Insectivora. The most abundant species were Rhinolophus trifoliatus (n=6) for Chiroptera, Maxomys whiteheadi (n=7) for Rodentia and Tupaia tana (n=5) for Scandentia. Data presented here is the first comprehensive information on Samunsam’s small mammals. This data can be used to gain better insights on the population trends at regional and local scale, as well as in improving the management plans of Samunsam WS. Although species diversity in Samunsam WS is comparable to other sites in western Sarawak, result presented here need to be treated with caution as this is the first comprehensive study that only cover area close to park headquarters

Survey on the small mammals in Sg. Kangkawat research station Imbak canyon conservation areas

Sg. Kangkawat Research Station is a newly established research station in the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area, Sabah which encompasses both primary and secondary forest areas. Limited data is available on the small mammal diversity for this particular area. Therefore, a survey-based study on small mammal diversity was carried out between the 29th September – 8th October 2018 along the established trails within the vicinity areas of this research station. Small mammal trapping was done using traps (mist nets, harp traps, cage traps and pitfall traps) employed randomly along the Nepenthes trail, the Kawang trail, the South Rim trail and the Pelajau trail. This study documented a total of 32 small mammal species i.e. represented by 26 species (15 spp. of new records for ICCA ) of volant small mammals (Chiroptera) and 6 species of non-volant small mammals (Rodentia, Scadentia, Insectivora, Carnivora). The total number of specimens recorded was 108. A new distribution record on the Free-tailed Bat, Chaerephon cf. johorensis, was documented for Sabah and Borneo during this study