Nguyen, Dai D., Oguri, Emiko, Yamada, Aiki, Lin, Chung-Chi, Zhilin, Chen, Nguyen, Anh D., Suyama, Yoshihisa, Eguchi, Katsuyuki (2020): Genome-wide MIG-seq and morphometric data reveals heterospecificity of the Gnamptogenys taivanensis group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ectatomminae) in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 68: 539-555, DOI: 10.26107/RBZ-2020-0070

peer reviewed

<p>The preference to feed on particular plant species may reflect the most desirable components that an animal perceives, in relation to what is available. The food preference of the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis Deraniyagala, 1950) in the Sebuku area of North Kalimantan was studied by chemical analysis on the metabolites of several known food plant species. We analysed the chemical properties of the Bornean elephant diet from thirteen food-plant species which represented the level of food-plant categories utilised by the Bornean elephant in the study area. All samples were analysed for nutritional value, and their metabolic profiles were obtained using 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These data were subjected to multivariate data analyses to identify the common components. This study confirmed that Bornean elephants tend to follow a strategy to maximise their energy intake by selecting food items rich in sugar and crude protein and minimise fibrous elements. The fact that they also prefer food items with high glutamate suggests that taste plays a role and this element may be a cue for the Bornean elephant to assist in foraging and searching for palatable food.</p>

A new species of Pseudogobiopsis is described, solving the identity of a goby from Java in a Kuhl and van Hasselt painting from Java. The species reached the European aquarium trade since at least 2001 but its identity had remained unknown due to lack of preserved, scientific specimens. Recent collections in Sumatra and Java included specimens of this new goby, which resembles P. oligactis. A revised key to the species of the genus is provided. Raffles Bulletin Of Zoology Vol. 65. 1 June 2017. P: 175–180

A new species of ricefi sh is described from a hill stream in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi. Oryzias eversi, new species, is distinguished from all other adrianichthyids in Sulawesi by having a low number of fi n rays in anal (17-18 (19)) and dorsal (10-12) fi ns, only 33-36 scales in lateral midline, ½14 transverse scale rows at dorsal fi n origin, 30-32 (33) vertebrae, small eyes (28.2-35.5% of head length), a conspicuous blackish male courtship colouration, and brooding behaviour similar to lacustrine ricefi shes. Female Oryzias eversi carry the eggs until the embryos hatch, and show a conspicuous abdominal concavity and extended fi ns, accommodating and holding the clutch of eggs. The eggs are connected to the female for the whole time of development by attaching fi laments that protrude from the female's urogenital pore. A mitochondrial haplotype phylogeny suggests that the new species is closely related to another pelvic the lake-dwelling O. sarasinorum from Lake Lindu in Central Sulawesi. However, the haplotype group of O. eversi and O. sarasinorum is nested within a clade of egg-depositing Oryzias from central, southwest, and southeast Sulawesi, whereas another brooder, Adrianichthys oophorus from Lake Poso, forms a distinct, second lineage of Sulawesi's ricefi shes. Accordingly, the brooding strategy has probably evolved more than once and may be realised in river habitats, which represents a new evolutionary trajectory in the radiation of ricefi shes in Sulawesi. The present discovery adds another new ricefi sh species to Sulawesi's still only partially known ichthyofauna, and highlights the island's role as hotspot of adrianichthyid diversity.