Malaysian Borneo Research Articles

Description of two new species of Oecetis (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) from Borneo

Two new species of Oecetis from Maliau Basin, Malaysian Borneo, are described for the first time, O. mesospina sp. nov. and O. apelqvisti sp. nov. These two new species bring the total number of Oecetis found on the island of Borneo up to 16.

Exposure of Primate Reservoir Hosts to Mosquito Vectors in Malaysian Borneo

Several vector-borne pathogens of primates have potential for human spillover. An example is the simian malaria Plasmodium knowlesi which is now a major public health problem in Malaysia. Characterization of exposure to mosquito vectors is essential for assessment of the force of infection within wild simian populations, however few methods exist to do so. Here we demonstrate the use of thermal imaging and mosquito magnet independence traps (MMIT) to assess the abundance, diversity and infection rates in mosquitoes host seeking near long-tailed macaque (Macaca fasicularis) sleeping sites in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Malaysian Borneo. The primary Plasmodium knowlesi vector, Anopheles balabacensis, was trapped at higher abundance near sleeping sites than control trees. Although none of the An. balabacensis collected (n = 15) were positive for P. knowlesi by PCR screening, two were infected with another simian malaria Plasmodium inui. Analysis of macaque stools from sleeping sites confirmed a high prevalence of Plasmodium infection, suspected to be P. inui. Recently, natural transmission of P. inui has been detected in humans and An. cracens in Peninsular Malaysia. The presence of P. inui in An. balabacensis here and previously in human-biting collections highlight its potential for spillover from macaques to humans in Sabah. We advocate the use of MMITs for non-invasive sampling of mosquito vectors that host seek on wild simian populations.

Local‐scale temperature gradients driven by human disturbance shape the physiological and morphological traits of dung beetle communities in a Bornean oil palm–forest mosaic

Abstract Temperature change is an often‐assumed, but rarely tested, mechanism by which sensitive species may decline in forest landscapes following habitat degradation, fragmentation and destruction. Traits mediate how species respond to environmental change, with physiological, morphological and behavioural traits key to determining the response of ectotherms to temperature. We collected data on traits linked to thermal sensitivity (critical thermal maxima, body size, cuticle lightness and pilosity) for 46 dung beetle species (Scarabaeinae) in a forest–oil palm mosaic in Malaysian Borneo. By combining these data with a large‐scale community sampling campaign (>59,000 individuals sampled from >600 traps) and an airborne Light Detection and Ranging‐derived thermal map, we investigated how traits mediate species‐ and community‐level responses to temperature. Using hierarchical models, we found that critical thermal maxima predicted how species respond to maximum temperatures. These results were mirrored in community‐level analyses alongside similar patterns in other thermal traits. Increased body size and decreased pilosity were associated with higher temperatures, while cuticle lightness showed a complex relationship with temperature across the disturbance gradient. Our findings highlight the potential mechanisms by whichforest specialists decline in human‐modified landscapes, resulting in changes to community patterns and processes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Studies on Schismatoglottideae of Borneo LXXV — Two ornamental new species of Schismatoglottis from Borneo

Two ornamental new species of Schismatoglottis are described and illustrated from Borneo. Schismatoglottis metallica from Kalimantan Barat, Indonesian Borneo, assigned to the Schismatoglottis Multinerva clade, and S. reticosa from the upper Engkari river in SW Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, provisionally placed in the Petradoxa clade. Recognition of these novelties takes Schismatoglottis on Borneo to 132 species, of which 86 have been described since the year 2000.

The Compilation Records of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Diversity and Distribution and Display Trees Throughout Malaysia

The populations of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are increasingly being threatened, and it is, thus, a significant problem in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. Fireflies and their habitat must immediately be protected before they go extinct. Simpson’s Diversity Index used in this paper review to measure the diversity of firefly species across Malaysia. The Simpson’s Diversity Index showed that the richness and evenness of firefly species in Malaysia is infinite diversity with D = 0.2255. The authors compiled and reviewed the studies on the firefly species to incorporate available information/data and emphasised their preferred habitat/display trees in response to the issue. Therefore, this paper was also able to track down records of fireflies’ species’ distribution through the previous studies in eight states in West Malaysia (Peninsula), namely Johor, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, and Terengganu, as well as two states in East Malaysia (Borneo), namely Sabah and Sarawak. It indicates that firefly species, especially from the general Pteroptyx (Pteroptyx tener species), are widely distributed in Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. Based on the records from the study conducted by previous researchers, it was found that the population of fireflies is declining in some areas in Malaysia, and so are their habitats and host/display trees that have suffered the same decline. Perhaps, this paper will help broaden human beings’ geographical understanding/knowledge and create awareness which eventually leads to conservation actions of firefly species and their host/display trees.

Linking Land Use and Plant Functional Diversity Patterns in Sabah, Borneo, through Large-Scale Spatially Continuous Sentinel-2 Inference

Global biodiversity losses erode the functioning of our vital ecosystems. Functional diversity is increasingly recognized as a critical link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Satellite earth observation was proposed to address the current absence of information on large-scale continuous patterns of plant functional diversity. This study demonstrates the inference and spatial mapping of functional diversity metrics through satellite remote sensing over a large key biodiversity region (Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, ~53,000 km2) and compares the derived estimates across a land-use gradient as an initial qualitative assessment to test the potential merits of the approach. Functional traits (leaf water content, chlorophyll-a and -b, and leaf area index) were estimated from Sentinel-2 spectral reflectance using a pre-trained neural network on radiative transfer modeling simulations. Multivariate functional diversity metrics were calculated, including functional richness, divergence, and evenness. Spatial patterns of functional diversity were related to land-use data distinguishing intact forest, logged forest, and oil palm plantations. Spatial patterns of satellite remotely sensed functional diversity are significantly related to differences in land use. Intact forests, as well as logged forests, featured consistently higher functional diversity compared to oil palm plantations. Differences were profound for functional divergence, whereas functional richness exhibited relatively large variances within land-use classes. By linking large-scale patterns of functional diversity as derived from satellite remote sensing to land-use information, this study indicated initial responsiveness to broad human disturbance gradients over large geographical and spatially contiguous extents. Despite uncertainties about the accuracy of the spatial patterns, this study provides a coherent early application of satellite-derived functional diversity toward further validation of its responsiveness across ecological gradients.

“Engaging the Enemy”: Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) Conservation in Human Modified Environments in the Kinabatangan floodplain of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Throughout the equatorial tropics, forest conversion to agriculture often fragments crucial primate habitat. In 30 years, 80% of the alluvial lowland forests along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, have been supplanted by oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations. Today, only about 20% of the former orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) population remains in the region. Because most of the land is now under the tenure of agribusiness companies, we used a pragmatic approach of mixed biosocial methods and citizen science engagement of oil palm growers (N = 6) as active conservation partners to study orangutan use of the privately administered landscape between protected forest fragments. We found that 22 of 25 remanent forest patches (0.5 to 242 hectares) surveyed within plantations contained food or shelter resources useful for orangutans. Of these, 20 are in regular transitory use by wider-ranging adult male orangutans, and in 9 patches, females are resident and raising offspring isolated within oil palm plantations. These findings indicate that orangutans retain a measure of normal metapopulation dynamics necessary for viability at the landscape level despite drastic habitat modification. We found that barriers to in situ conservation in these agroforest matrices were due to the following misconceptions across sectors: 1) Good farming practices require exclusion of wildlife; 2) Orangutans seen in plantations must be “rescued” by people; and 3) Translocation is an appropriate conservation strategy, and nondetrimental to orangutans. Our exploratory study exemplifies the value of biosocial methods and collaboration with industrial-scale farmers to support primate resilience in forests fragmented by agriculture.

Fruit tree phenology in traditionally managed versus protected forests in Malaysian Borneo

AbstractCommunity‐managed forests (CF) bordering protected areas are critical to conservation in Borneo. Iban‐managed CF retain tree species characteristic of primary forests within pulau, remnant old growth forests conserved for harvesting forest products. However, the selective felling of large trees, and proximity to surrounding mixed‐use mosaic habitat, likely influence pulau structure and composition. Tropical Asian forests exhibit supra‐annual mast fruiting (3–7 years) and extended periods of fruit scarcity, but fruit trees encouraged and planted by communities, in mixed‐use mosaic bordering pulau, may benefit wildlife during periods of fruit scarcity. We investigated seasonal availability of foods important to wildlife within protected primary forest and pulau at the boundary of the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS), in Sarawak, Malaysia. We tracked the presence of fruits and seeds, comparing relative composition and fruiting activity between forests, using bi‐monthly phenology surveys across 50 locations (October 2016–2019). We also compared fruit presence along walking transects within LEWS’s primary forest and the mixed‐use mosaic in Iban territories. We found forests within and adjacent to LEWS shared similar composition, synchrony, and extended periods of fruit scarcity. Mixed‐use mosaic bordering pulau provided more consistent fruits, however, due largely to an invasive tree (Bellucia pentamera). Our study suggests pulau retain diversity and synchrony of fruit resources comparable to primary forest, sustaining valuable habitat for wildlife within the greater mixed‐use mosaic of traditional Iban land management practices. These findings are important for understanding resources available to wildlife outside of protected areas, and how CF contribute to conserving biodiversity.

Antecedents of Management Accounting Practices and Hotel Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Borneo States

Antecedents of Management Accounting Practices and Hotel Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Borneo States

The prediction of Malaysian Borneo tide water level using a Chaotic approach

Predicting sea level is crucial since the rising of sea levels can cause flood, inundation and coastal erosion. This study investigates the potential of the chaotic model to forecast the future sea level in Malaysian Borneo (Sabah). The studied data is an hourly time series of water level collected at the particular benchmark location (station 74003) in the district of Sandakan, Sabah. This study employed 5136 time series data from June 2017 to November 2017. The research goals are to discover the existence of chaotic dynamics by reconstructing the multi-dimensional phase space and Cao method, and to predict future water level data using the local linear approximation approach. The outcome reveals that the correlation coefficient betwixt actual and forecasted data is 0.9228 which is close to 1. It thus reveals the reliability of the prediction method for forecasting the sea level time series data, as well as encouraging indication that the chaotic approach is appropriate to a time series of Malaysian sea level. In implication, these findings are expected to help agencies, particularly the Malaysian Department of Survey and Mapping (JUPEM), organise better sea-level management.

Contrasting patterns of nickel distribution in the hyperaccumulators Phyllanthus balgooyi and Phyllanthus rufuschaneyi from Malaysian Borneo.

Globally, the majority of Ni hyperaccumulator plants occur on ultramafic soils in tropical regions, and the genus Phyllanthus, from the Phyllanthaceae family, is globally the most represented taxonomical group. Two species from Sabah (Malaysia) are remarkable because Phyllanthus balgooyi can attain >16 wt% of Ni in its phloem exudate, while Phyllanthus rufuschaneyi reaches foliar concentrations of up to 3.5 wt% Ni, which are amongst the most extreme concentrations of Ni in any plant tissue. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy, nuclear microbe (micro-PIXE+BS) and (cryo) scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to spatially resolve the elemental distribution in the plant organs of P. balgooyi and P. rufuschaneyi. The results show that P. balgooyi has extraordinary enrichment of Ni in the (secondary) veins of the leaves, whereas in contrast, in P. rufuschaneyi Ni occurs in interveinal areas. In the roots and stems, Ni is localized mainly in the cortex and phloem but is much lower in the xylem. The findings of this study show that, even within the same genus, the distribution of nickel and other elements, and inferred processes involved with metal hyperaccumulation, can differ substantially between species.

Oil palm expansion increases the vectorial capacity of dengue vectors in Malaysian Borneo.

Changes in land-use and the associated shifts in environmental conditions can have large effects on the transmission and emergence of mosquito-borne disease. Mosquito-borne disease are particularly sensitive to these changes because mosquito growth, reproduction, survival and susceptibility to infection are all thermally sensitive traits, and land use change dramatically alters local microclimate. Predicting disease transmission under environmental change is increasingly critical for targeting mosquito-borne disease control and for identifying hotspots of disease emergence. Mechanistic models offer a powerful tool for improving these predictions. However, these approaches are limited by the quality and scale of temperature data and the thermal response curves that underlie predictions. Here, we used fine-scale temperature monitoring and a combination of empirical, laboratory and temperature-dependent estimates to estimate the vectorial capacity of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes across a tropical forest-oil palm plantation conversion gradient in Malaysian Borneo. We found that fine-scale differences in temperature between logged forest and oil palm plantation sites were not sufficient to produce differences in temperature-dependent demographic trait estimates using published thermal performance curves. However, when measured under field conditions a key parameter, adult abundance, differed significantly between land-use types, resulting in estimates of vectorial capacity that were 1.5 times higher in plantations than in forests. The prediction that oil palm plantations would support mosquito populations with higher vectorial capacity was robust to uncertainties in our adult survival estimates. These results provide a mechanistic basis for understanding the effects of forest conversion to agriculture on mosquito-borne disease risk, and a framework for interpreting emergent relationships between land-use and disease transmission. As the burden of Ae. albopictus-vectored diseases, such as dengue virus, increases globally and rising demand for palm oil products drives continued expansion of plantations, these findings have important implications for conservation, land management and public health policy at the global scale.

Integrated Taxonomy Revealed Genetic Differences in Morphologically Similar and Non-Sympatric Scoliodon macrorhynchos and S. laticaudus.

Simple SummaryIn this study, the species identities of similar-looking coastal spadenose sharks from different areas were clarified by adding new molecular markers and more individual body measurements, including animals from the Malaysian Peninsula that had not been examined previously. Collective evidence showed that there are two genetically distinct species that do not overlap in their spatial occurrence. The Malacca Strait acts as a boundary delineating the distribution range of the Pacific spadenose shark Scoliodon macrorhynchos to the east and, of the Northern Indian Ocean, S. laticaudus to the west. In addition, the need to determine the species status of Scoliodon animals from Indonesian waters was identified. The present study reinforced the need to rely on comprehensive genetic information in addition to external characteristics to assess the species identities and distribution range for small sharks and rays that have apparent contiguous coastal distribution with limited dispersal abilities.Previous examination of the mitochondrial NADH2 gene and morphological characteristics led to the resurrection of Scoliodon macrorhynchos as a second valid species in the genus, in addition to S. laticaudus. This study applied an integrated taxonomic approach to revisit the classification of the genus Scoliodon based on new materials from the Malaysian Peninsula, Malaysian Borneo and Eastern Bay of Bengal. Mitochondrial DNA data suggested the possibility of three species of Scoliodon in the Indo-West Pacific, while the nuclear DNA data showed partially concordant results with a monophyletic clade of S. macrorhynchos and paraphyletic clades of S. laticaudus and S. cf. laticaudus from the Malacca Strait. Morphological, meristic and dental characteristics overlapped between the three putative species. Collective molecular and morphological evidence suggested that the differences that exist among the non-sympatric species of Scoliodon are consistent with isolation by distance, and Scoliodon macrorhynchos remains as a valid species, while S. cf. laticaudus is assigned as S. laticaudus. The Malacca Strait acts as a spatial delineator in separating the Pacific S. macrorhynchos (including South China Sea) from the Northern Indian Ocean S. laticaudus. Future taxonomic work should focus on clarifying the taxonomic status of Scoliodon from the Indonesian waters.

MAMMALS IN AN OIL PALM DOMINATED LANDSCAPE

The Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project has been running since 2011 in the state of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Over the past ten years we have conducted 19 studies that have generated data that can be used to compare the ecology of non-flying mammals in forest areas with those in oil palm plantations. This paper summarises information on the diversity, abundance and behaviour of these mammals in oil palm dominated landscapes. The studies have robustly demonstrated a dramatic decline in diversity of mammals in oil palm plantations compared to logged forests, with approximately 50 per cent of species completely disappearing. A small subset of species otherwise found in tropical forests can survive in, and apparently adapt to, this new habitat to some extent. It is also shown that there is very little movement of native rodents from forests into plantations. Our results highlight the importance of remnant forest patches, even heavily logged patches and riparian buffers in the agricultural landscape, and demonstrate the importance of maintaining the structural complexity of these forest remnants to enhance their conservation value for native mammals. In view of the findings, several management recommendations are made derived from the practical applications of our research.

The discovery of novel coronaviruses in bat guano, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

PurposeVirological surveillance was conducted in to determine the presence of bat CoVs in the bat population in Wind Cave Nature Reserve, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.Methods & MaterialsPartial RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene sequences of 11 bat-CoV positive guano collected in Wind Cave Nature Reserve was analysed. Five pellets of fresh guano from insectivorous bats were collected on plastic tarp and pooled in 500uL of ice-cold viral transport medium. The 440-bp gene was amplified using family-wide hemi-nested RT-PCR for phylogenetic analysis. Amplicon sequences were analysed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool software (BLAST) to determine their corresponding species. Sequence alignment was carried out without primer sequence and phylogenetic tree with Maximum Likelihood bootstrap-Bayesian inference value (MLb/PPv) support.ResultsThe positive rate was 47.6% (10/21) with the distribution of 60% (n=6/10) and 40% (n=4/10) Alpha and Beta-coronaviruses respectively. BatCoVs identified in this study formed four novel monophyletic clades referred to as Borneo Alpha-1 and -2, and Borneo Beta-1 and -2. Borneo Alpha-1 and -2 viruses diverged to form a monophyletic clade with Decacovirus-1 and Decacovirus-2 respectively (83.0-85.1% and 80.7-81.0% nucleotide identity) with batCoV found in Sabah (NCBI Accession# KX284940). Borneo Beta-1 viruses are also closely related to BatCoV found in Sabah (KX284939) (86.5-87.5% nt identity), forming a monophyletic group with Sarbecovirus. Meanwhile, Borneo Beta-2 are closer to BatCoVs in Loas (MN312609) (89.7-90.4% nt identity), forming a monophyletic clade with Hibecovirus. It is worthy to note that viruses found in the Sarbecovirus subgenus such as SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 attributed to two zooneses with Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) over the past two decades. However, Borneo Beta-1 viruses are distant to the RaTG13 (MN996532) (69.1-697% nt identity), the proposed progenitor of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionThe study has discovered both novel alpha and beta bat-coronaviruses in 40% of the guano sampled in Wind Cave Nature Reserve, Sarawak, East Malaysia based on the phylogeny of the partial RdRp gene sequence. The batCoVs are phylogenetically grouped into four clades via phylogeny confirms the presence of Borneo Beta-1 clade being monophyletic to the epidemic Sarbecoviruses.

A protocol for a longitudinal, observational cohort study of infection and exposure to zoonotic and vector-borne diseases across a land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo: a socio-ecological systems approach

Introduction. Landscape changes disrupt environmental, social and biological systems, altering pathogen spillover and transmission risks. This study aims to quantify the impact of specific land management practices on spillover and transmission rates of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases within Malaysian Borneo. This protocol describes a cohort study with integrated ecological sampling to assess how deforestation and agricultural practices impact pathogen flow from wildlife and vector populations to human infection and detection by health facilities. This will focus on malaria, dengue and emerging arboviruses (Chikungunya and Zika), vector-borne diseases with varying contributions of simian reservoirs within this setting. Methods. A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study will be established in communities residing or working within the vicinity of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a landscape gradient within Malaysian Borneo encompassing different plantation and forest types. The primary outcome of this study will be transmission intensity of selected zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, as quantified by changes in pathogen-specific antibody levels. Exposure will be measured using paired population-based serological surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the two-year cohort study. Secondary outcomes will include the distribution and infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquito vectors, human risk behaviours and clinical cases reported to health facilities. Longitudinal data on human behaviour, contact with wildlife and GPS tracking of mobility patterns will be collected throughout the study period. This will be integrated with entomological surveillance to monitor densities and pathogen infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes relative to land cover. Within surrounding health clinics, continuous health facility surveillance will be used to monitor reported infections and febrile illnesses. Models will be developed to assess spillover and transmission rates relative to specific land management practices and evaluate abilities of surveillance systems to capture these risks.

Limited influence of experimentally induced predation risk on granivory in a tropical forest

AbstractSeed predation by rodents can strongly influence plant recruitment and establishment. The extent to which predation risk indirectly alters plant survival in tropical forests via impacts on granivory is unclear, making it difficult to assess the cascading impacts of widespread predator loss on tree recruitment and species composition. Experimental field studies that manipulate predation risk can help address these knowledge gaps and reveal whether antipredator responses among small mammals influence plant survival. We used camera traps and seed predation experiments to test the effects of perceived predation risk (via predator urine gel) on foraging behaviour of and seed removal by murid rodents in an unlogged and unhunted rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. We also explored the influence of seed traits (e.g., seed size) on removal by granivores and assessed whether granivore preferences for particular species were affected by predator urine. Murid visits to seed plots were positively related to overall seed removal, but were not affected by predator scent. Granivory was the lowest for the largest-seeded (>6 g) plant in our study, but was not influenced by predation risk. Predator urine significantly affected removal of one seed taxon (Dimoocarpus, ∼0.8 g), suggesting that removal by granivores may be affected by predation risk for some seed species but not others. This could have implications for plant species composition but may not affect the overall level of granivory.

A new record of the spiny lobster, Panulirusfemoristriga (von Martens, 1872) from the coastal waters of Malaysia, with revision of global distribution.

BackgroundSpiny lobsters of the family Palinuridae Latreille, 1802 are known to be industrial crustaceans in the global fishing market amongst other crustacean marine species. Panulirusfemoristriga has been reported in the Maldives, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia (Ambon, Irian Jaya, Celebes Island, Seram Island), the Polynesian Islands, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, Wallis and Futuna and off the coast of northern Australia, but there is uncertainty about their distributions due to the morphological similarity with Panulirusfemoristriga, Panuliruslongipesbispinosus and Panulirusbrunneiflagellum. However, the identification on P.femoristiga can only be confirmed if the morphological descriptions are mentioned in literature.New informationA specimen of the spiny lobster Panulirusfemoristriga Von Martens, 1872 was discovered in Semporna, located on the west coast of Sabah State, Malaysia Borneo. While the status of P.femoristriga has been classified as "least concern" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, studies on the species' population size, habitat and distribution are still inadequate. This study adopted both morphological and molecular approaches for species delimitation.The phylogenetic position of the Sabah P.femoristriga was revealed by the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene (COI) marker. This represents the first record of the species in the coastal waters of Sabah, despite its wide geographical distribution in the Indo-West Pacific. A revision on the species global distribution was also conducted by harvesting all literature with species named Panuliruslongipesfemoristriga and Panulirusfemoristriga which were available online including those prior to year 2001 before the presence of P.femoristriga is confirmed. Due to the uncertainties on the morphological distribution in previous literature, further studies are required to fill in the missing data for confirmation.

A protocol for a longitudinal, observational cohort study of infection and exposure to zoonotic and vector-borne diseases across a land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo: a socio-ecological systems approach.

Introduction. Landscape changes disrupt environmental, social and biological systems, altering pathogen spillover and transmission risks. This study aims to quantify the impact of specific land management practices on spillover and transmission rates of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases within Malaysian Borneo. This protocol describes a cohort study with integrated ecological sampling to assess how deforestation and agricultural practices impact pathogen flow from wildlife and vector populations to human infection and detection by health facilities. This will focus on malaria, dengue and emerging arboviruses (Chikungunya and Zika), vector-borne diseases with varying contributions of simian reservoirs within this setting. Methods. A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study will be established in communities residing or working within the vicinity of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a landscape gradient within Malaysian Borneo encompassing different plantation and forest types. The primary outcome of this study will be transmission intensity of selected zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, as quantified by changes in pathogen-specific antibody levels. Exposure will be measured using paired population-based serological surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the two-year cohort study. Secondary outcomes will include the distribution and infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquito vectors, human risk behaviours and clinical cases reported to health facilities. Longitudinal data on human behaviour, contact with wildlife and GPS tracking of mobility patterns will be collected throughout the study period. This will be integrated with entomological surveillance to monitor densities and pathogen infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes relative to land cover. Within surrounding health clinics, continuous health facility surveillance will be used to monitor reported infections and febrile illnesses. Models will be developed to assess spillover and transmission rates relative to specific land management practices and evaluate abilities of surveillance systems to capture these risks.

Cytogenetic Analyses Detect Cryptic Diversity in Megaderma spasma from Malaysia

As many as 17 subspecies are currently recognized for the lesser false vampire, Megaderma spasma along its wide distributional range, from India to Southeast Asia. Cytogenetic studies have been so far restricted to specimens from only four geographical regions, namely Malaysia, Thailand, China and the Philippines. We examined the karyotypes of M. spasma medium from Peninsular Malaysia and M. s. trifolium from Malaysian Borneo with conventional and molecular cytogenetic techniques, using whole chromosome painting probes from the vespertilionid Myotis myotis and the hipposiderid Aselliscus stoliczkanus. Both Megaderma subspecies showed the same diploid chromosome number, 2n = 38, but differed concerning interstitial heterochromatic segments and number and shape of heterochromatic B chromosomes. Comparison with published data revealed that the Bornean specimens' karyotype best resembled the chromosomal set of the Chinese specimen. In contrast, a single male specimen from Malaysian Borneo showed a different karyotype (2n = 40) without B chromosomes and interstitial heterochromatin, indicating that it may represent a cryptic, yet unknown Megaderma species.