Papers by Mohd Abdul Muin Md Akil
Russian Journal of Herpetology, Feb 10, 2011
Pulau Pangkor is an important island off the west coast of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia which conta... more Pulau Pangkor is an important island off the west coast of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia which contains three forest reserves and a permanent source of freshwater. Despite that, the herpetofauna of the island has never been studied before. This paper represents the first report on the herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor with the documentation of 13 species of amphibians and 44 reptiles. These numbers are by no means exhaustive and future studies are expected to uncover new records. Keywords: Peninsular Malaysia, amphibians, ...
Selama empat hari, kesemua amfibia dan reptilia telah ditinjau dan ditangkap disekitar parit, jal... more Selama empat hari, kesemua amfibia dan reptilia telah ditinjau dan ditangkap disekitar parit, jalanraya, kawasan empangan, paya, denai hutan dan sungai. Keputusan menunjukkan sebanyak 14 spesies amfibia daripada 9 genus dan 5 famili mendiami kawasan tersebut. Di samping itu sebanyak tujuh spesies cicak, lima spesies ular dan dua spesies kura-kura air tawar turut mendiami kawasan tersebut. Dua spesies amfibia iaitu Fejervarya limnocharis dan Microhyla butleri dan dua spesies reptilia iaitu Hemidactylus frenatus dan Varanus salvator merupakan spesies amfibia dan reptilia yang biasa dan kerap ditemui di kawasan ini. Laporan ini adalah senarai awal dan merupakan laporan pertama tentang kepelbagaian amfibia dan reptilia di Lembah Beris, Kedah. Jumlah spesimen yang diperolehi daripada kajian ini adalah lebih rendah daripada jangkaan kerana tempoh kajian yang amat singkat dan diharapkan lebih banyak spesimen dapat direkodkan pada masa yang akan datang.
We report on the courtship and mating behaviors of the Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristate... more We report on the courtship and mating behaviors of the Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) observed
on August 2010 at the Sedim River Recreational Forest, Kedah, Malaysia. The courtship of the male was accompanied
by a darkening of the usual green body colors to dark brown and a pattern of stereotyped behaviors common
to many lizards including erection of the nuchal crest, expanding the throat pouch and head-bobbing. Drastic
color changes from green to dark brown are known for this species when they are stressed but this is the first time
this color change has been noted in courtship. This initial observation leaves a lot of room for future research into
the detailed mating and signaling behavior of this species and other lizards in Southeast Asia.
An integrative taxonomic analysis using color pattern, morphology and 1497 base pairs of the ND2 ... more An integrative taxonomic analysis using color pattern, morphology and 1497 base pairs of the ND2 mitochondrial gene and its five flanking tRNAs demonstrated that nine monophyletic species-level lineages occur within the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex (Cyrtodactylus pulchellus sensu strictu and C. macrotuberculatus) of the Thai-Malay Peninsula that have a sequence divergence between them ranging from 5.9–16.8%. Additionally, each lineage is discretely diagnosable from one another based on morphology and color pattern and most occur in specific geographic regions (upland areas or islands) that prevent or greatly restrict interpopulation gene flow. Six of these lineages were masquerading under the nomen C. pulchellus and are described as the following: Cyrtodactylus astrum sp. nov. from northwestern Peninsular Malaysia and southwestern Thailand; C. langkawiensis sp. nov., at this point endemic to Langkawi Island, Malaysia; C. bintangrendah sp. nov., a lowland species surrounding the Banjaran (=mountain range) Bintang of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia; C. bintangtinggi sp. nov., endemic to the upland regions of the Banjaran Bintang of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia; C. trilatofasciatus sp. nov., endemic to upland regions of Cameron Highlands in the central portion of the Banjaran Titiwangsa in Peninsular Malaysia; and C. australotitiwangsaensis sp. nov. from the more southerly upland regions of the Banjaran Titiwangsa. An additional species, Cyrtodactylus lekaguli sp. nov. from Satun, Trang, Surat Thani, and Phang-nga provinces in southern Thailand, was identified on the basis of morphology and color pattern and is hypothesized to be part of a clade containing C. astrum sp. nov. and C. langkawiensis sp. nov.
A study on the biodiversity of frogs and toads from Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve,... more A study on the biodiversity of frogs and toads from Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve, Kedah, was carried out for a 6 month period, beginning August 2008 till end of January 2009. Samplings were conducted once a month comprising a total catch effort of about 85 man-hours. Positive identification of specimens follows that of , and . Twenty-eight species of anurans from six families were found to inhabit the site. The two most abundant species were Amolops larutensis and Phrynoidis aspera. Thirteen species namely Megophrys nasuta, Leptobrachium hendricksoni Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Limnonectes malesianus, Limnonectes laticeps, Limnonectes plicatellus, Hylarana doriae, Hylarana erythraea, Hylarana luctuosa, Humerana miopus, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, Rhacophorus tunkui, and Nyctixalus pictus were considered rare. The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') was low at 0.745, while the Evenness Index (J) was low with the value of 0.149. The presence of clean water species, such as Hylarana luctuosa, Hylarana labialis, Odorrana hosii, and Phrynoidis aspera showed that the habitat at Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve was largely undisturbed and pristine. It is hoped that future development of the site into a recreational facility does not degrade the uncontaminated riparian ecosystem that is essential for amphibian survival.
A survey on the herpetofauna of Bukit Fraser, Pahang was conducted on three occasions: 27–30 Octo... more A survey on the herpetofauna of Bukit Fraser, Pahang was conducted on three occasions: 27–30 October 2008, 9 June 2009 and 19-21 June 2009. A total of 20 species of herpetofauna were obtained, representing 14 species of amphibians, five species of lizards, and one species of snake. A revised checklist is presented with five new records. In total, Fraser’s Hill now harbours 67 species of herpetofauna (22 frogs, one caecilian, two tortoises, 22 lizards, 20 snakes).
A study on the biodiversity of frogs and toads from Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve,... more A study on the biodiversity of frogs and toads from Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve, Kedah, was carried out for a 6 month period, beginning August 2008 till end of January 2009. Samplings were conducted
once a month comprising a total catch effort of about 85 man-hours. Positive identification of specimens follows that of Berry (1975), Sukumaran (2006) and Norhayati et al., (2009). Twenty-eight species of anurans
from six families were found to inhabit the site. The two most abundant species were Amolops larutensis and Phrynoidis aspera. Thirteen species namely Megophrys nasuta, Leptobrachium hendricksoni Duttaphrynus
melanostictus, Limnonectes malesianus, Limnonectes laticeps, Limnonectes plicatellus, Hylarana doriae, Hylarana erythraea, Hylarana luctuosa, Humerana miopus, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, Rhacophorus tunkui,
and Nyctixalus pictus were considered rare. The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H’) was low at 0.745, while the Evenness Index (J) was low with the value of 0.149. The presence of clean water species, such as Hylarana luctuosa, Hylarana labialis, Odorrana hosii, and Phrynoidis aspera showed that the habitat at Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve was largely undisturbed and pristine. It is hoped that future development
of the site into a recreational facility does not degrade the uncontaminated riparian ecosystem that is essential for amphibian survival.
A review of the taxonomic status of the Bent-toed Gecko Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus Taylor, 1962... more A review of the taxonomic status of the Bent-toed Gecko Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus Taylor, 1962 based on a molecular phylogeny, scalation, and color pattern analyses indicate that it is composed of a single, recently expanding, widespread population with weakly supported phylogeographic substructuring with no discrete morphological differentiation between populations. However, based on sampling, significant mean differences in selected scale counts occur between some populations.
The molecular phylogeny and morphological analysis strongly indicate lineage independence between a subset of individuals from the Bukit Panchor, Penang population and their closest relative C. pantiensis Grismer, Chan, Grismer, Wood & Belabut, 2008 from southern Peninsular Malaysia. Furthermore, the analyses indicate that the individuals of this subset are conspecific and not part of C. quadrivirgatus as previously suggested. Additionally, this subset is morphologically distinct from all other Sundaland species of Cyrtodactylus, and as such is described herein as Cyrtodactylus payacola
sp. nov.
The diversity and the feeding guilds of birds in three different habitats (secondary forest, oil ... more The diversity and the feeding guilds of birds in three different habitats (secondary forest, oil palm plantation and paddy field) were investigated in riparian areas of the Kerian River Basin (KRB), Perak, Malaysia. Point-count observation and mist netting methods were used to determine bird diversity and abundance. A total of 132 species of birds from 46 families were recorded in the 3 habitats. Species diversity,measured by Shannon’s diversity index, was 3.561, 3.183 and 1.042 in the secondary
forest, the paddy field and the oil palm plantation, respectively. The vegetation diversity and the habitat structure were important determinants of the number of bird species occurring in an area. The relative abundance of the insectivore, insectivore-frugivore and frugivore guilds was greater in the forest than in the monoculture plantation. In contrast,the relative abundance of the carnivore, granivore and omnivore guilds was higher in the plantation. The results of the study show that the conversion of forest to either oil palm plantation or paddy fields produced a decline in bird diversity and changes in the
distribution of bird feeding guilds.
A herpetological survey was conducted on Jerejak Island, Penang on 15 March 2010. The survey
res... more A herpetological survey was conducted on Jerejak Island, Penang on 15 March 2010. The survey
resulted in the discovery of eight species of amphibians, eight species of lizards and five species of
snakes. Many of the species present on the island are human commensals but amongst the findings
was an only recently described new species of gecko to Peninsular Malaysia; Cnemaspis sharuli.
This report constitutes the first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Jerejak Island.
Key words: amphibians, reptiles, Jerejak Island, Penang, checklist
Seven new species of amphibians and seven new species of reptiles are added to the herpetofauna o... more Seven new species of amphibians and seven new species of reptiles are added to the herpetofauna of Perlis State
Park including a new species of frog of the genus Chiromantis which is described here. The description is based on
a single adult male that can be differentiated from all other Asian congeners in having dark spots on the dorsum
and top of head; tympanum indistinct; dorsolateral stripe diffuse; width of third finger disc less than width of tympanum;
and webbing between the third and fourth finger encompassing one-half of penultimate phalanx of third
finger and reaching base of terminal phalanx of fourth finger (III 1.5 – 1 IV). This discovery and the 14 new species
records highlights the understudied nature of northern Peninsular Malaysia which has been comparatively
unsurveyed.
Keywords: Chiromantis marginis; herpetofauna; Southeast Asia; Malaysia; taxonomy.
Pulau Pangkor is an important island off the west coast of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia which conta... more Pulau Pangkor is an important island off the west coast of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia which contains three forest
reserves and a permanent source of freshwater. Despite that, the herpetofauna of the island has never been studied
before. This paper represents the first report on the herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor with the documentation of
13 species of amphibians and 44 reptiles. These numbers are by no means exhaustive and future studies are expected
to uncover new records.
Keywords: Peninsular Malaysia, amphibians, reptiles, survey.
Two new diminutive species of Cnemaspis are described from Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis monacho... more Two new diminutive species of Cnemaspis are described from Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis monachorum sp. nov. is
a karst-dwelling species endemic to Pulau Langkawi, Kedah and is the smallest species of Southeast Asian Cnemaspis to
date. Cnemaspis pseudomcguirei sp. nov. is a montane species known only from Bukit Larut, Perak in the Bintang
Mountain Range and is very similar in appearance to the considerably larger, sympatric species C. mcguirei. Evidence
supporting a working hypothesis of resource partitioning between sympatric species pairs of Cnemaspis on the basis of
size and microhabitat preference is presented.
A new species, Cyrtodactylus durio sp. nov., is described from northwestern Peninsular Malaysia o... more A new species, Cyrtodactylus durio sp. nov., is described from northwestern Peninsular Malaysia on the basis of its head, body, limbs, and tail being extremely spinose as well as other unique combinations of squamation and color pattern. It is proposed that C. durio sp. nov. forms a clade with C. brevipalmatus, C. elok, C. spinosus, and C. stresemanni on the basis of having a spiny, prehensile tail and that it is the sister species of C. stresemanni based on unique caudal tuberculation. Cytrodactylus durio sp. nov. is the latest in a growing list of new species of amphibians and reptiles recently described from the Malay Peninsula, and Peninsular Malaysia in particular, that clearly underscores the need for continuing exploratory research in these regions.
The herpetofauna of Beris Valley, Kedah, Malaysia, was studied using a rapid assessment survey du... more The herpetofauna of Beris Valley, Kedah, Malaysia, was studied using a rapid assessment survey during a scientific expedition organised by the School of Biological Sciences at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, from 14–17 August 2009. All amphibians and reptiles were observed and captured during the four-day survey along the ditches, roads, dam areas, swamps, forest trails and streams. The results showed that 14 species of amphibians from 9 genera and 5 families inhabit the area, and 7 species of lizards, 5 species of snakes and 2 species of freshwater turtles were also present in the area. Fejervarya limnocharis and Microhyla butleri seemed to be the most common amphibians, while Hemidactylus frenatus and Varanus salvator were the most common reptiles in the area. This report constitutes a preliminary checklist and first record of amphibians and reptiles in Beris Valley, Kedah. The number of specimens was less than expected because of the very short survey period, but we hope to record more species in future studies.
Keywords: Beris Valley
A survey was conducted to catalogue the diversity of anurans in District IV of the Muda Agricultu... more A survey was conducted to catalogue the diversity of anurans in District IV of the Muda Agriculture Development Authority Scheme (MADA) in Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia, from July 1996 to January 1997. Eight species of anurans from three families were present in the study area. Of these, the Common Grass Frog (Fejevarya limnocharis) was the most abundant, followed by Mangrove Frog (Fejevarya cancrivora), Long-legged Frog (Hylarana macrodactyla), and Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus). Puddle Frog (Occidozyga lima), Taiwanese Giant Frog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus), and Banded Bullfrog (Kaluola pulchra) were rare during the sampling period, and only one Paddy Frog (Hylarana erythraea) was captured. A simple identification key for the anurans of this area is included for use by scientists and laymen alike.
A new, diminutive species of Rock Gecko, Cnemaspis shahruli sp. nov. from Penang Island, Penang; ... more A new, diminutive species of Rock Gecko, Cnemaspis shahruli sp. nov. from Penang Island, Penang; Pulau Jerejak, Penang; Pulau Pangkor, Perak; and the adjacent mainland at Sungai Sedim, Kedah was previously confused with juveniles of the sympatric, endemic species C. affinis (Stoliczka) on Penang Island. Cnemaspis shahruli sp. nov. is diagnosed from all other Southeast Asian Cnemaspis on the basis of several unique aspects of squamation, coloration, and body size. It is proposed that this new species has a more extensive mainland distribution than is presented here based on its southernmost record on Pulau Pangkor, Perak. A pattern of resource partitioning on the basis of body size, habitat, and activity period among sympatric species pairs of Cnemaspis is discussed
A new species of endemic Cnemaspis is described from Gunung Jerai (also known as Kedah Peak) in t... more A new species of endemic Cnemaspis is described from Gunung Jerai (also known as Kedah Peak) in the northwestern
state of Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis harimau sp. nov. differs from all other Sundaland congeners except C.
affinis, C. biocellata, C. kumpoli, C. mcguirei, C. pseudomcguirei, and C. shahruli in having a black shoulder patch with
a white or yellow ocellus anteriorly located. It is most similar in appearance to its sister species, C. affinis, but differs by
having a smaller maximum SVL of 40.7 mm vs. 50.8 mm; three vs. five postmentals; caudal tubercles encircling vs. not
encircling tail; lateral caudal tubercles on anterior 25% of tail highly spinose and protruding vs. slightly spinose; and an
overall higher degree of scale keeling (most prominent on the tail). The discovery of another montane endemic once
again highlights the understudied nature of Peninsular Malaysia’s extensive mountain ranges.
Key words: Cnemaspis harimau, Gunung Jerai, herpetofauna, Kedah Peak, new species, taxonomy
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Papers by Mohd Abdul Muin Md Akil
on August 2010 at the Sedim River Recreational Forest, Kedah, Malaysia. The courtship of the male was accompanied
by a darkening of the usual green body colors to dark brown and a pattern of stereotyped behaviors common
to many lizards including erection of the nuchal crest, expanding the throat pouch and head-bobbing. Drastic
color changes from green to dark brown are known for this species when they are stressed but this is the first time
this color change has been noted in courtship. This initial observation leaves a lot of room for future research into
the detailed mating and signaling behavior of this species and other lizards in Southeast Asia.
once a month comprising a total catch effort of about 85 man-hours. Positive identification of specimens follows that of Berry (1975), Sukumaran (2006) and Norhayati et al., (2009). Twenty-eight species of anurans
from six families were found to inhabit the site. The two most abundant species were Amolops larutensis and Phrynoidis aspera. Thirteen species namely Megophrys nasuta, Leptobrachium hendricksoni Duttaphrynus
melanostictus, Limnonectes malesianus, Limnonectes laticeps, Limnonectes plicatellus, Hylarana doriae, Hylarana erythraea, Hylarana luctuosa, Humerana miopus, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, Rhacophorus tunkui,
and Nyctixalus pictus were considered rare. The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H’) was low at 0.745, while the Evenness Index (J) was low with the value of 0.149. The presence of clean water species, such as Hylarana luctuosa, Hylarana labialis, Odorrana hosii, and Phrynoidis aspera showed that the habitat at Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve was largely undisturbed and pristine. It is hoped that future development
of the site into a recreational facility does not degrade the uncontaminated riparian ecosystem that is essential for amphibian survival.
The molecular phylogeny and morphological analysis strongly indicate lineage independence between a subset of individuals from the Bukit Panchor, Penang population and their closest relative C. pantiensis Grismer, Chan, Grismer, Wood & Belabut, 2008 from southern Peninsular Malaysia. Furthermore, the analyses indicate that the individuals of this subset are conspecific and not part of C. quadrivirgatus as previously suggested. Additionally, this subset is morphologically distinct from all other Sundaland species of Cyrtodactylus, and as such is described herein as Cyrtodactylus payacola
sp. nov.
forest, the paddy field and the oil palm plantation, respectively. The vegetation diversity and the habitat structure were important determinants of the number of bird species occurring in an area. The relative abundance of the insectivore, insectivore-frugivore and frugivore guilds was greater in the forest than in the monoculture plantation. In contrast,the relative abundance of the carnivore, granivore and omnivore guilds was higher in the plantation. The results of the study show that the conversion of forest to either oil palm plantation or paddy fields produced a decline in bird diversity and changes in the
distribution of bird feeding guilds.
resulted in the discovery of eight species of amphibians, eight species of lizards and five species of
snakes. Many of the species present on the island are human commensals but amongst the findings
was an only recently described new species of gecko to Peninsular Malaysia; Cnemaspis sharuli.
This report constitutes the first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Jerejak Island.
Key words: amphibians, reptiles, Jerejak Island, Penang, checklist
Park including a new species of frog of the genus Chiromantis which is described here. The description is based on
a single adult male that can be differentiated from all other Asian congeners in having dark spots on the dorsum
and top of head; tympanum indistinct; dorsolateral stripe diffuse; width of third finger disc less than width of tympanum;
and webbing between the third and fourth finger encompassing one-half of penultimate phalanx of third
finger and reaching base of terminal phalanx of fourth finger (III 1.5 – 1 IV). This discovery and the 14 new species
records highlights the understudied nature of northern Peninsular Malaysia which has been comparatively
unsurveyed.
Keywords: Chiromantis marginis; herpetofauna; Southeast Asia; Malaysia; taxonomy.
reserves and a permanent source of freshwater. Despite that, the herpetofauna of the island has never been studied
before. This paper represents the first report on the herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor with the documentation of
13 species of amphibians and 44 reptiles. These numbers are by no means exhaustive and future studies are expected
to uncover new records.
Keywords: Peninsular Malaysia, amphibians, reptiles, survey.
a karst-dwelling species endemic to Pulau Langkawi, Kedah and is the smallest species of Southeast Asian Cnemaspis to
date. Cnemaspis pseudomcguirei sp. nov. is a montane species known only from Bukit Larut, Perak in the Bintang
Mountain Range and is very similar in appearance to the considerably larger, sympatric species C. mcguirei. Evidence
supporting a working hypothesis of resource partitioning between sympatric species pairs of Cnemaspis on the basis of
size and microhabitat preference is presented.
Keywords: Beris Valley
state of Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis harimau sp. nov. differs from all other Sundaland congeners except C.
affinis, C. biocellata, C. kumpoli, C. mcguirei, C. pseudomcguirei, and C. shahruli in having a black shoulder patch with
a white or yellow ocellus anteriorly located. It is most similar in appearance to its sister species, C. affinis, but differs by
having a smaller maximum SVL of 40.7 mm vs. 50.8 mm; three vs. five postmentals; caudal tubercles encircling vs. not
encircling tail; lateral caudal tubercles on anterior 25% of tail highly spinose and protruding vs. slightly spinose; and an
overall higher degree of scale keeling (most prominent on the tail). The discovery of another montane endemic once
again highlights the understudied nature of Peninsular Malaysia’s extensive mountain ranges.
Key words: Cnemaspis harimau, Gunung Jerai, herpetofauna, Kedah Peak, new species, taxonomy
on August 2010 at the Sedim River Recreational Forest, Kedah, Malaysia. The courtship of the male was accompanied
by a darkening of the usual green body colors to dark brown and a pattern of stereotyped behaviors common
to many lizards including erection of the nuchal crest, expanding the throat pouch and head-bobbing. Drastic
color changes from green to dark brown are known for this species when they are stressed but this is the first time
this color change has been noted in courtship. This initial observation leaves a lot of room for future research into
the detailed mating and signaling behavior of this species and other lizards in Southeast Asia.
once a month comprising a total catch effort of about 85 man-hours. Positive identification of specimens follows that of Berry (1975), Sukumaran (2006) and Norhayati et al., (2009). Twenty-eight species of anurans
from six families were found to inhabit the site. The two most abundant species were Amolops larutensis and Phrynoidis aspera. Thirteen species namely Megophrys nasuta, Leptobrachium hendricksoni Duttaphrynus
melanostictus, Limnonectes malesianus, Limnonectes laticeps, Limnonectes plicatellus, Hylarana doriae, Hylarana erythraea, Hylarana luctuosa, Humerana miopus, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, Rhacophorus tunkui,
and Nyctixalus pictus were considered rare. The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H’) was low at 0.745, while the Evenness Index (J) was low with the value of 0.149. The presence of clean water species, such as Hylarana luctuosa, Hylarana labialis, Odorrana hosii, and Phrynoidis aspera showed that the habitat at Compartment 15 of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve was largely undisturbed and pristine. It is hoped that future development
of the site into a recreational facility does not degrade the uncontaminated riparian ecosystem that is essential for amphibian survival.
The molecular phylogeny and morphological analysis strongly indicate lineage independence between a subset of individuals from the Bukit Panchor, Penang population and their closest relative C. pantiensis Grismer, Chan, Grismer, Wood & Belabut, 2008 from southern Peninsular Malaysia. Furthermore, the analyses indicate that the individuals of this subset are conspecific and not part of C. quadrivirgatus as previously suggested. Additionally, this subset is morphologically distinct from all other Sundaland species of Cyrtodactylus, and as such is described herein as Cyrtodactylus payacola
sp. nov.
forest, the paddy field and the oil palm plantation, respectively. The vegetation diversity and the habitat structure were important determinants of the number of bird species occurring in an area. The relative abundance of the insectivore, insectivore-frugivore and frugivore guilds was greater in the forest than in the monoculture plantation. In contrast,the relative abundance of the carnivore, granivore and omnivore guilds was higher in the plantation. The results of the study show that the conversion of forest to either oil palm plantation or paddy fields produced a decline in bird diversity and changes in the
distribution of bird feeding guilds.
resulted in the discovery of eight species of amphibians, eight species of lizards and five species of
snakes. Many of the species present on the island are human commensals but amongst the findings
was an only recently described new species of gecko to Peninsular Malaysia; Cnemaspis sharuli.
This report constitutes the first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Jerejak Island.
Key words: amphibians, reptiles, Jerejak Island, Penang, checklist
Park including a new species of frog of the genus Chiromantis which is described here. The description is based on
a single adult male that can be differentiated from all other Asian congeners in having dark spots on the dorsum
and top of head; tympanum indistinct; dorsolateral stripe diffuse; width of third finger disc less than width of tympanum;
and webbing between the third and fourth finger encompassing one-half of penultimate phalanx of third
finger and reaching base of terminal phalanx of fourth finger (III 1.5 – 1 IV). This discovery and the 14 new species
records highlights the understudied nature of northern Peninsular Malaysia which has been comparatively
unsurveyed.
Keywords: Chiromantis marginis; herpetofauna; Southeast Asia; Malaysia; taxonomy.
reserves and a permanent source of freshwater. Despite that, the herpetofauna of the island has never been studied
before. This paper represents the first report on the herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor with the documentation of
13 species of amphibians and 44 reptiles. These numbers are by no means exhaustive and future studies are expected
to uncover new records.
Keywords: Peninsular Malaysia, amphibians, reptiles, survey.
a karst-dwelling species endemic to Pulau Langkawi, Kedah and is the smallest species of Southeast Asian Cnemaspis to
date. Cnemaspis pseudomcguirei sp. nov. is a montane species known only from Bukit Larut, Perak in the Bintang
Mountain Range and is very similar in appearance to the considerably larger, sympatric species C. mcguirei. Evidence
supporting a working hypothesis of resource partitioning between sympatric species pairs of Cnemaspis on the basis of
size and microhabitat preference is presented.
Keywords: Beris Valley
state of Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis harimau sp. nov. differs from all other Sundaland congeners except C.
affinis, C. biocellata, C. kumpoli, C. mcguirei, C. pseudomcguirei, and C. shahruli in having a black shoulder patch with
a white or yellow ocellus anteriorly located. It is most similar in appearance to its sister species, C. affinis, but differs by
having a smaller maximum SVL of 40.7 mm vs. 50.8 mm; three vs. five postmentals; caudal tubercles encircling vs. not
encircling tail; lateral caudal tubercles on anterior 25% of tail highly spinose and protruding vs. slightly spinose; and an
overall higher degree of scale keeling (most prominent on the tail). The discovery of another montane endemic once
again highlights the understudied nature of Peninsular Malaysia’s extensive mountain ranges.
Key words: Cnemaspis harimau, Gunung Jerai, herpetofauna, Kedah Peak, new species, taxonomy