Butterfly Fauna in Kadamaian Area, Kota Belud, Sabah: A Survey during Borneo Geographic Expedition 2019

During the Borneo Geographic Expedition 2019 in Kadamaian area in Kota Belud, a survey on butterfly fauna was conducted for four days from 21st to 24th October, 2019. Three sites selected for the butterfly sampling were Site 1, Site 2 and Site 4. The methods applied were fruit and carrion baited traps, and aerial netting. A total of 56 individuals were sampled and belonged to 25 species from four families (Nymphalidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae and Papilionidae). Nymphalidae was the dominant family with Ragadia makuta recorded as the most abundant species. About 60% of the butterflies sampled in the area are forest species, while 40% of the overall species have narrow geographical distribution restricted to Sundaland. The butterfly fauna in Kadamaian area is comparable to other forest types in Sabah in terms of their diversity and species richness. The findings reflected the potential of Kadamaian area as a nature tourism site, and the area could also serve as a corridor for the conservation of flora and fauna as it is located adjacent to Kinabalu Park

Butterfly Diversity at the Different Elevations along Crocker Range Park, in Malaysian Borneo

The butterfly diversity and assemblages at five substations located at the different elevations along the Crocker Range Park, ranging from 396m to 1,891m a.s.l were documented in this study. The butterfly samplings were conducted from April to December 2019, involving 10 sampling sessions. The butterflies were sampled by using 20 baited traps and an aerial net at 20 sampling stations. A total of 727 individuals were sampled comprising 187 species. Nymphalidae was the dominant family at the five substations, which accounted for approximately 53% of the total species and 71% of the total individuals recorded, while Ypthima pandocus was the dominant species. The highest number of species was recorded at Keningau substation (965-1,062 m a.s.l) but the highest number of individuals was recorded at Mahua substation (1060-1,249 m a.s.l). Mount Alab substation recorded the least number of butterfly species and individuals. The overall pattern indicated that the butterfly species and abundance were relatively high at an elevation range of about 960-1,250 m a.s.l. Keningau substation was the most diverse area as shown by Shannon-Wiener Index (H’=2.885), followed by Inobong, Mahua and Ulu Kimanis substations. Ten endemic species were sampled in this study with most of these found at an elevation above 965 m a.s.l. The information obtained from this study would contribute to a better understanding of the elevational diversity pattern of tropical biota and also could serve as baseline data for conservation management at Crocker Range Park in facing threats on biodiversity, including global warming