Reproductive ecology of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Rrelation to Guano Production in Cambodia

Wildlife populations in Southeast Asia are subject to increasing pressure from climate change, habitat loss and human disturbance. Cave-roosting bats are particularly vulnerable to all three factors. Because of the ecological services they provide, it is important to assess specific vulnerabilities to inform their conservation management. We evaluated the reproductive phenology and body condition of Chaerephon plicatus for 14 months in 2015–2016 and quantified guano harvesting at the largest colony in Cambodia in 2011–2016. As in Thailand and Myanmar, two annual breeding cycles were recorded, characterized as continuous bimodal polyoestry, with parturition primarily occurring in April and October. Significant declines occurred in body condition between the late wet season and the late dry season, suggesting that bats experience increasing energetic stress as the dry season progresses. Annual guano harvests increased over the study period but could not be used as a proxy for monitoring population size due to the loss of unknown amounts during the wet season and unquantified movements of bats between C. plicatus colonies in the region. We recommend studies to determine the scale and drivers of such movements and creation of sustainable guano harvesting and population monitoring initiatives to ensure the conservation of C. plicatus colonies in Cambodia

Taxonomic implications of geographical variation in Rhinolophus affinis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in mainland Southeast Asia

Background Rhinolophus affinis sensu lato is distributed throughout Southeast Asia. The taxonomic status of forms attributed to the species is unclear due to the limited sample size with incomplete datasets and the taxa have high variation in morphology and echolocation call frequency. The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution and taxonomic status of the subspecific forms of R. affinis in mainland Southeast Asia using large sample size with multiple datasets, including morphological, acoustic, and genetic data, both to elucidate taxonomic relationships and to test for congruence between these datasets. Results Three morphological forms were confirmed within the region; two concur with previously recognized taxa, namely R. affinis macrurus and R. affinis superans, and are strongly supported by morphological and genetic data. The third form is morphologically distinct, but its taxonomic status remains unclear. It is probable that this third form represents a distinct taxonomic entity; however, more data are required to confirm this. R. a. macrurus is known from the north of peninsular Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam (Indochinese subregion); R. a. superans is found throughout the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Sundaic subregion); whilst the third form is presently known from east central Myanmar (Shan state) and lower northern Vietnam (Nghe An Province). Conclusions Our results suggest that at least three morphological forms occur in mainland Southeast Asia including one form which appears to be new to science. Echolocation call data for R. affinis are not a robust taxonomic tool as it shows a significant degree of variation which is not explained or supported by genetic and morphological findings. This study highlights significant levels of morphological variation in mainland Southeast Asia and provides an essential basis for further studies aiming to understand the population genetics, phylogeography, and taxonomy of the species

A taxonomic study of rhinolophus affinis horsfield, 1823 (Rhinolophidae : chiropterax) in oriental region

Thesis (Ph.D. (Biology))--Prince of Songkla University, 201

Volatile interactions between specific undamaged barley cultivars affect aphid feeding behavior and performance

Recent studies have demonstrated that cultivar mixtures can reduce aphid plant acceptance and population development. It is still unknown as to which underlying mechanisms may contribute to this phenomenon. We investigated the effects of volatile interactions between undamaged barley cultivars on aphid feeding behavior and performance in the laboratory. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivar Salome was exposed to volatiles from Fairytale (SeF), Anakin (SeA), or clean air (Se0). We used an electrical penetration graph to test the effect of exposure to neighbor volatiles on the feeding behavior and performance of bird cherry-oat aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi L.). We also assessed aphid relative growth rate, intrinsic rate of increase, and development time on exposed and unexposed Salome plants. Aphids spent significantly longer time on epidermis and mesophyll plant tissues on SeF than Se0, and no difference was observed between SeA and Se0. Significant decreases in the duration of phloem ingestion and phloem sustained ingestion were recorded in SeF showing that volatileinduced effects cause difficulty for aphids to feed. However, no differences in these variables were detected between SeA and Se0. We also observed reduced aphid relative growth rate and intrinsic rate of increase on SeF compared to Se0 and SeA. Our study demonstrated that, in a specific combination, exposure of one barley cultivar to volatiles from another one can change aphid feeding behavior and performance, probably due to changes in host plant properties/quality. Our results provide an insightful explanation of mechanisms responsible for the reduced aphid population development previously observed in the field

Tracking the origin of ivory through genetic analysis in Cambodia

Cambodia is one of 13 countries that still contain dwindling numbers of wild Asian elephants, Elephus maximus. Now in highly fragmented populations, the Asian elephant is classified as endangered on the IUCN red list and they are believed to have declined by at least 50% in the last 60-75 years (Choudhury et al. 2008). The Asian elephant is facing multiple threats including deforestation, habitat fragmentation and illegal poaching. The latter, also a huge threat to its closest relatives in Africa, is often driven by demand for ivory. Although the trade of Asian elephant ivory is prohibited in Cambodia, trading non-native species, e.g. African Ivory, is unlegislated, and therefore ivory can be found for sale legally within the Cambodian domestic market. However, the origin of ivory is difficult to trace without laboratory analysis and so African and Asian ivory are often interchangeable in the market place. With the increasing wealth of China, the world’s biggest market for ivory (Milliken et al. 2016), and the increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia there is a high risk that this could increase demand for ivory. Not only could this threaten Cambodia’s dwindling populations of Asian elephants but potentially create a hub for illegally trafficked ivory from around the world (Nguyen & Frechette 2017). We are therefore establishing in-country conservation genetic analysis capacity for the determination of species identification and origin of ivory samples traded within Cambodia. 1. Choudhury, A., Lahiri Choudhury, D.K., Desai, A., Duckworth, J.W., Easa, P.S., Johnsingh, A.J.T., Fernando, P., Hedges, S., Gunawardena, M., Kurt, F., Karanth, U., Lister, A., Menon, V., Riddle, H., Rübel, A., Wikramanayake, E. (2008). Elephas maximus. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Viewed 5 January 2018 2. Milliken, T., Underwood, F.M., Burn, R.W. and Sangalakula, L. (2016). The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and the Illicit Trade in Ivory: a report to the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties. CoP17 Doc. 57.6 (Rev. 1), CITES Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland. 30 pp 3. Nguyen, T. and Frechette, J.L. (2017). The market for elephant ivory in Cambodia. TRAFFIC Bulletin 29(2):65-72peerReviewe

FIG. 13 in Geographical variation of Rhinolophus affinis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in the Sundaic subregion of Southeast Asia, including the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra

FIG. 13. PCA of nine external and cranial characters of R. affinis specimens from southern Malay Peninsula (green shaded Zone A in Fig. 1) (black squares) and northern Malay Peninsula (orange shaded Zone B in Fig. 1) (grey circles)Published as part of <i>Ith, Saveng, Bumrungsri, Sara, Thomas, Nikky M., Bates, Paul J. J., Willette, Demian A., Khan, Faisal Ali Anwarali, Wonglapsuwan, Monwadee, Soisook, Pipat & Maryanto, Ibnu, 2016, Geographical variation of Rhinolophus affinis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in the Sundaic subregion of Southeast Asia, including the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra, pp. 141-161 in Acta Chiropterologica 18 (1)</i> on page 159, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.1.006, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10120981">http://zenodo.org/record/10120981</a&gt

A taxonomic review of Rhinolophus coelophyllus Peters 1867 and R. shameli Tate 1943 (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in continental Southeast Asia

Recent field studies have provided new data for a review of the taxonomy, acoustic characters, distribution, and ecology of two often confused rhinolophid species, which have essentially parapatric distributions in continental Southeast Asia. Rhinolophus coelophyllus is widespread ranging from northern Myanmar to northern Malaysia, eastern Thailand and provisionally western Lao PDR. R. shameli is restricted to eastern Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and central and southern Vietnam. There are well defined differences in skull morphology, size, and echolocation call frequency, which discriminate between the two taxa