Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre Research Articles

A short taxonomic note on the katydids from the genus Cercoteratura Gorochov,2019 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae), with a key to species.

The tribe Meconematini is a monophyletic and speciose group of slender and predatory katydids from the Indomalayan and Palearctic region (Mugleston et al., 2018). It is especially species-rich from the biodiverse regions of Southeast Asia (Cigliano et al., 2020) but also elusive, as many new species and genera are still being discovered from tropical Southeast Asia (e.g., Tan Wahab, 2018a; Gorochov, 2019). As more material is accumulated, new understandings of how species are related and/or classified emerged. A species of Meconematini was first described from the primary dipterocarp forest of Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam, Borneo among a few other related species (Tan et al., 2017, Tan Wahab, 2018): Kuzicus mirabilis Tan Wahab, 2018. This species exhibits the deep posteromedian notch of the last male tergite characteristics of Xiphidiopsis Redtenbacher, 1891 but differs by the presence of sclerotized yoke-like epiphallus, typical of Kuzicus Gorochov, 1993 (see Tan Wahab, 2018a). A year later, A. V. Gorochov erected a new genus Cercoteratura Gorochov, 2019 based on a new species Cercoteratura variegata Gorochov, 2019 from Sumatra and Borneo (Gorochov, 2019). Three other species were also included in this genus, mainly from Sumatra and Thai-Peninsula. We found that the species from Brunei Darussalam could also belong to this genus and represent the eastern-most record of this genus. We provide a key to known species of Cercoteratura, although it is likely that this genus is more speciose than currently known. We also present a morphological comparison of the three similar genera Cercoteratura, Kuzicus and Xiphidiopsis.

Craspedotropis gretathunbergae, a new species of Cyclophoridae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda), discovered and described on a field course to Kuala Belalong rainforest, Brunei.

BackgroundTerrestrial Caenogastropoda form an important but threatened component of the Borneo tropical rainforest malacofauna, where the group is nearly as rich in species as the Stylommatophora. They are, however, more sensitive to drought, temperature extremes and forest degradation.New informationOn a field course at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), a new caenogastropod species, belonging to the genus Craspedotropis, was discovered by the course participants. The participants decided to name the species Craspedotropis gretathunbergae n. sp., in honour of the climate change activist Greta Thunberg, as caenogastropod land snails, such as this species, are likely to suffer because of climate change.

A new species of Clavicornaltica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), discovered and described on a field course to Kuala Belalong, Brunei.

BackgroundClavicornaltica is a genus of very small flea beetles living in the leaf litter layer of Asian forests, easily sampled with Winkler extraction. The genus is presumably very rich in species, but their taxonomy is hampered by their small size and morphological uniformity.New informationOn a ‘taxon expedition’-style field course at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), a new species, Clavicornaltica belalongensis n. sp., was discovered and taxonomically treated by the course participants. We also present the first DNA barcodes for the genus.

Lowland rainforest bat communities of Ulu Temburong National Park with two new records for Brunei Darussalam

Tropical rainforest ecosystems have high levels of both animal and plant biodiversity with many aspects of their ecology understudied. In particular, extensive research is still required to gather accurate estimates of distribution and abundance of forest-interior bat species in Borneo. Accurate abundance data and further knowledge of individual species’ ecology is vital for implementing effective conservation. Bats were captured using a harp trap, set up along established trails and around buildings, at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Ulu Temburong National Park, Brunei Darussalam between 14th-19th January 2018. Ulu Temburong National Park is comprised of pristine primary mixed dipterocarp lowland rainforest that has not been exposed to logging or fragmentation. A total of nine bat species were recorded, with two new records for Brunei, Miniopterus australis (Lesser bent-winged bat, N = 1) and Myotis horsfieldii (Horsfield’s myotis, N = 5). Furthermore, a coincidental sighting of a colony of Megaderma spasma roosting on the mangrove island Selirong, in Temburong District is reported here. The bat species captured and encountered in this small-scale study expand our understanding of bat communities in Temburong as well as indicate that current records for the area are far from complete. This affirms the need for further work in building up accurate abundance and diversity estimates, both for Ulu Temburong National Park and Brunei Darussalam.

Preliminary study on the diversity of Orthoptera from Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Brunei Darussalam, Borneo

The Orthoptera, comprising grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids, is diverse and species rich in tropical Southeast Asia, including the island of Borneo. However, not every part of Southeast Asia is equally well sampled and studied. This includes Brunei Darussalam, specifically at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) within the Ulu Temburong National Park. We present here an annotated and illustrated checklist of Orthoptera from the primary dipterocarp forest around Kuala Belalong based on three field trips in 2016 and 2017. We provide notes on their taxonomy (including how each species was identified) and natural history of species. In total, 72 species were recorded, representing eight of the 16 monophyletic orthopteran superfamilies. In total, 73.6% of all species recorded were singletons and doubletons, indicating that many species are probably rare. The collection led to the discovery of ten species new to science already published separately, with more expected to be described from pending material and confirmation. More species, including undescribed ones (at least four new species), are expected with continued sampling effort. Despite the 21 day-long surveying efforts from three trips around KBFSC, we believe that the species list provided here is non-exhaustive and only a preliminary one.

A new species of Tapiena (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea: Phaneropterinae) from Brunei Darussalam (Borneo, Southeast Asia).

There are now more than 28,000 described orthopterans globally (Cigliano et al., 2018) and this figure is likely to increase in the future. The same is true for Southeast Asia, where we are still at a stage of discovering species new to science, and this is partly an artefact of incomplete sampling (Tan et al., 2017a). In one of the most popular biodiversity hotspots, i.e., Borneo, is the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre. It is located in the primary lowland and ridge dipterocarp forests of the Ulu Temburong National Park, Brunei Darussalam. Recent collection of orthopterans in the area led to the discovery of several new species of katydids (Tan et al., 2017b; Tan Wahab, 2017a) and crickets (Tan et al., 2017c; Tan Wahab, 2017b). Here, we describe another new species of katydid, from the genus Tapiena Bolívar, 1906. Tapiena currently consists of 26 species (Tan et al., 2015) and is distributed around Asia and even Africa. In Borneo, only one species is known: Tapiena incisa Karny, 1923 from Sarawak (see Karny, 1923). The new species Tapiena paraincisa sp. nov. represents the second species described from Borneo.

New taxa and notes of katydids from the tribe Meconematini (Orthoptera: Meconematinae) from Brunei Darussalam (Part 2).

Based on extended surveys in Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Brunei Darussalam, one new species of Kuzicus is described here: Kuzicus mirabilis sp. nov. This represents the first species described from Borneo for this Asiatic genus. The female of Pulchroteratura huiqing Tan et al., 2017 is described here, first time for the genus. The females of Leptoteratura (Rhinoteratura) chela Tan et al., 2017 and Pseudoteratura (Pseudoteratura) kenuan Tan et al., 2017 are also described for the first time.

Description of two final stadium platystictid larvae from Borneo, including that of Drepanosticta ?attala Lieftinck, identified using DNA barcoding (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae).

The final stadium larva of Drepanosticta ?attala Lieftinck, is described and illustrated based on a single male specimen collected at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Brunei. The larva was identified by matching the mitochondrial marker COI with that of known adult specimens. The larva presented a good match with both D. attala and D. barbatula Lieftinck in this gene, but as adults of only the former species had been collected at the locality, it is presumed more likely to be that species. Another, unidentified platystictid larva, Platystictidae A, collected at the same general locality is also described. The two larvae show significant differences from each other and from D. sundana Krüger, the only other Oriental region member of the family for which larval morphology is known. The three species are also compared with the larvae of the Neotropical genus Palaemnema, which they closely resemble, despite being currently placed in different subfamilies. Based on this known material, Oriental and Neotropical forms differ significantly in details of mandibular morphology, especially the armature of the molar field.