The significance of wing and body morphometry in discriminating six species of Eurema butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) of Peninsular Malaysia

Six species of Eurema butterflies comprised of 261 adult individuals collected from various sampling sites in Peninsular Malaysia were identified. The morphometric measurement of the specimens was carried out by using seven characters measured from the wing and body regions. Morphometric analysis was determined through the multivariate analysis of Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) and Cluster Analysis. The results of DFA showed that two out of seven characters utilized have the lowest values of Partial’s Wilks Lambda; basal length and hindwing length. These characters therefore are significant for the discrimination of the Eurema species. The classification matrix shows that both E. hecabe and E. blanda were completely discriminated by the characters set. Moreover, there was great overlaps occurred between the species groups when plotting a conical graph except for species E. blanda that formed homogenous group. Basal length was also suggested as the species-specific character for grouping the species E. blanda. In Cluster Analysis, E. hecabe tends to be closer to E. sari with the lowest value of agglomeration. The results from dendogram generated from average linkage also showed several relationship patterns among the six species

Flea-borne pathogens in the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis and their association with the mtDNA diversity of the flea hosts

Flea-borne pathogens were screened from 100 individual cat fleas using a PCR approach, of which 38 % were infected with at least one bacterium. Overall, 28 % of the flea samples were positive for Bartonella as inferred from ITS DNA region. Of these, 25 % (7/28) were identified as Bartonella clarridgeiae, 42.9 % (12/28) as Bartonella henselae consisted of two different strains, and 32.1 % (9/28) as Bartonella koehlerae, which was detected for the first time in Malaysia. Sequencing of gltA amplicons detected Rickettsia DNA in 14 % of cat flea samples, all of them identified as Rickettsia asembonensis (100 %). None of the flea samples were positive for Mycoplasma DNA in 16S rRNA gene detection. Four fleas were co-infected with Bartonella and Rickettsia DNAs. Statistical analyses reveal no significant association between bacterial infection and mtDNA diversity of the cat flea. Nevertheless, in all types of pathogen infections, infected populations demonstrated lower nucleotide and haplotype diversities compared to uninfected populations. Moreover, lower haplotype numbers were observed in infected populations

Phylogenetic relationships of Eurema butterflies from Peninsular Malaysia inferred from COI and 28S gene sequences with emphasis on Eurema hecabe

The phylogenetic relationships among species of the genus Eurema from Peninsular Malaysia were reconstructed using nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial CO1 (307 bp) and nuclear ribosomal 28S DNA (471 bp). A total of twenty-eight sequences generated through PCR amplification for each gene region were used to construct the Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Maximum Parsimony (MP) phylogenetic trees. The separate taxonomic grouping of the genus Eurema and the genus Gandaca, and their close association is tested here together with sequences of other pierid butterflies obtained from GenBank. All trees reveal a strongly supported monophyletic group of Eurema conspecifics and well-resolved interspecific genetic distances, indicating the usefulness of the genetic markers in local species identification. The combined phylogenetic analyses of CO1 and 28S genes strongly supports a close relationship of E. hecabe with E. blanda, while E. andersonii is recovered as a sister taxon to E. ada

Cat owners’ perceptions toward flea infestation and flea-borne diseases: impact for public health and community awareness

A structured questionnaire was distributed to a total of 531 cat owners in Peninsular Malaysia to evaluate their perceptions toward fleas and flea-borne diseases (FBD) using a knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) approach. This study showed that majority of cat owners (50.5%) had a moderate level of knowledge on fleas, while 65.3% of them had a relatively low level of knowledge on FBD. However, most of them had positive attitudes (87.9%) and good practices (94.5%) toward efforts on prevention from flea infestation and FBD. Statistical analysis showed significant associations between knowledge on fleas and FBD toward demographic and pet ownership profiles of the respondents. Educated cat owners from urban area were more likely to have positive attitudes toward prevention of fleas and FBD. Female cat owners with monthly income of RM 5,001–7,000 ($1143–1600) were more likely to have good practices. Middle-aged cat owners showed the highest odds toward both positive attitudes and good practices. Correlation analyses indicated significant linear relationships between both knowledge, which were also associated with attitudes, but not with practices

Knowledge, attitudes and practices on the use of household insecticide products: is the awareness in place?

Insecticide application is one of the most important control measures for protection from mosquito bites. A descriptive, community-based cross-sectional survey involving 986 respondents was conducted to probe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding household insecticide use in Selangor—the state that recorded the highest number of dengue cases in Malaysia. In this study, we classified the responses as either low (poor) or high (good) based on median cut-off points. Age, gender, ethnicity, and household income were found to be significantly associated factors relative to the respondents’ mosquito knowledge score, whereas no factors were significantly associated with attitudes toward the use of household insecticide. Practices, on the other hand, were associated with age and high attitude scores. Most respondents (71.4%) had good knowledge of mosquitoes. Conversely, 51.1% and 59.2% of respondents scored high on attitudes and practices, respectively, on the use of household insecticides. This study highlights the need to expand health promotion activities through social mobilization to raise awareness about vector-borne disease prevention and promoting positive attitudes and safe practices in the use of household insecticides

The role of museum of biological collections in environmental research: a short note

This paper summarizes the use of museum of biological collection (MBC) in comparison of chemical contaminants between the past and the present specimens. It is inferred that MBC provides a unique and crucial insight into the spatio-temporal trend of environmental contamination by establishing a historical reference point

Bioefficacy of mosquito mat vaporizers and associated metabolic detoxication mechanisms in Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) in Selangor, Malaysia: A statewide assessment

This study aims to examine the efficacy of mosquito mat vaporizers on Aedes aegypti and their associated metabolic detoxication mechanisms. For this purpose, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) was collected from nine districts in Selangor, Malaysia and tested with mosquito vaporizing mat bioassays. The same populations were also subjected to biochemical assays to investigate activities of detoxifying enzymes, namely non-specific esterase (EST), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and mixed function oxidase (MFO). The efficacy of Ae. aegypti on the active ingredients tested in decreasing order were d- allethrin > dimefluthrin > prallethrin with PBO > prallethrin. The results further indicated significant enhancement mean levels of EST, GST and MFO in pyrethroid-resistant populations. The mortality rate of Ae. aegypti in response to pyrethroid active ingredients was associated with MFO activity, suggesting it is an important detoxification enzyme for the populations tested. In view of the presence of resistance against household insecticide products, pyrethroid efficacy on Ae. aegypti populations needs to be monitored closely to ensure the implementation of an effective vector control program in Malaysia

Ecological–health risk assessments of copper in the sediments: a review and synthesis

The ecological and children’s Health Risk Assessments (HRA) of Copper (Cu) in aquatic bodies ranging from rivers, mangrove, estuaries, and offshore areas were studied using the Cited Cu Data in The Sediments (CCDITS) from 125 randomly selected papers published from 1980 to 2022. The ecological and children’s HRA were assessed in all CCDITS. Generally, local point Cu sources (8%) and lithogenic sources were the main controlling factors of Cu concentrations. The present review revealed three interesting points. First, there were 11 papers (8%) documenting Cu levels of more than 500 mg/kg dw while China was the country with the highest number (26%) of papers published between 1980 and 2022, out of 37 countries. Second, with the Cu data cited from the literature not normally distributed, the maximum Cu level was higher than all the established guidelines. However, the median Cu concentration was lower than most of the established guidelines. The median values of the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated a status of ‘unpolluted‘ and ‘moderate contamination’ for the contamination factor (CF), and ‘low potential ecological risk’ for the ecological risk (ER) of Cu. However, the Cu ER could be based at present on the above mentioned 8% of the literature in the present study. Third, the calculated hazard index (HI) values were found to be below 1, indicating no potential chance of Cu non–carcinogenic effects in both adults and children, except for children’s HI values from Lake Pamvotis of Greece, and Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong. Thus, regular monitoring (every 2 years), depending upon the available resources, is recommended to assess the ecological–health risk of Cu pollution in aquatic bodies to abate the risk of Cu exposure to children’s health and avoid injurious impacts on the biota. It can be concluded that there is always a need for the mitigation and management of a Cu exposure risk assessment that can be used successfully for screening purposes to detect important human health exposure routes. Consequently, any sediments contaminated with Cu require rapid sediment remediation techniques

Ecological–health risk of antimony and arsenic in Centella asiatica, topsoils, and mangrove sediments: a case study of Peninsular Malaysia

The current study assessed the ecological–health risks of potentially toxic arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) in the vegetable Centella asiatica, topsoils, and mangrove sediments sampled from Peninsular Malaysia. The As concentrations ranged from 0.21 to 4.33, 0.18 to 1.83, and 1.32 to 20.8 mg/kg dry weight, for the leaves, stems, and roots of the vegetable, respectively. The ranges of Sb concentrations were 0.31–0.62, 0.12–0.35, and 0.64–1.61 mg/kg dry weight, for leaves, stems, and roots of the vegetable, respectively. The children’s target hazard quotient (THQ) values indicated no non-carcinogenic risks of As and Sb in both leaves and stems, although children’s THQ values were higher than those in adults. The calculated values of estimated weekly intake were lower than established provisional tolerable weekly intake of As and Sb for both children and adult consumers. The carcinogenic risk (CR) values of As for children’s intake of leaves and stems of vegetables showed more public concern than those of adults. The levels of Sb and As in the topsoils were generally higher (although not significantly) than those in the mangrove sediments, resulting in a higher geoaccumulation index, contamination factor and ecological risk, hazard index, THQ, and CR values. This indicated that the anthropogenic sources of Sb and As originated from the land-based activities before reaching the mangrove near the coast. The CR of As signifies a dire need for comprehensive ecological–health risks exposure studies, as dietary intake involves more than just vegetable consumption. Therefore, risk management for As and Sb in Malaysia is highly recommended. The present findings of the ecological–health risks of As and Sb based on 2010–2012 samples can be used as an important baseline for future reference and comparison