The presence of “avian sentinels” in bird waves (mixed-species foraging flocks), which mob or alarm-call in response to predators, is widely recognised. Yet in the highly threatened lowland deciduous forests of South-east Asia, a mammal, the western striped squirrel Tamiops mcclellandii, which usually accompanied bird-waves, was a more obtrusive sentinel than any bird. It called most often in response to predators (40 out of 70 observations) and was the first species to emit alarm calls on 24 occasions (60%) where studied in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, western Thailand. The squirrels fed in close proximity to drongos (Dicrurus spp.), suggesting they may benefit from the drongos’ tendency to mob predators. Additionally, the drongos actively followed the bark-foraging squirrels in order to capture flushed arthropods. The presence of the western striped squirrel both helped reduce the need for vigilance among avian flock members and contributed to flock cohesion.

In recent decades, several studies and reviews have contributed new data on marine mammal composition and distribution in Vietnam, including surveys of whale temples along the coast in the southern part of the country. Whale temples have amassed a sizeable number of specimens that have been used as a valuable source of information concerning marine mammals in Vietnam. Previous studies have examined some whale temples in southern Vietnam, but contents of whale temples along the whole coast of Vietnam have not been fully documented. Here we surveyed 18 whale temples in the central part of Vietnam in Đà Nẵng, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Thừa Thiên-Huế Provinces, an area that had not been scientifically documented previously. We identified and measured 140 individual marine mammals from 15 species, four families, and two orders (Artiodactyla, Sirenia). By far the most numerous species encountered (n=41) was the inshore Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides). We also encountered >10 skulls of two other taxa: bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) and the Indo- Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). Other delphinid species included Stenella longirostris, S. attenuata, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Grampus griseus, Feresa attenuata, Pseudorca crassidens, Lagenodelphis hosei, and Delphinus delphis tropicalis. We identified one specimen of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and three of Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai), increasing the number of records of the recently described Omura’s whale in Vietnam to five. In addition, we identified three skulls or partial skulls of the dugong (Dugong dugon) in varying conditions, documenting their historical presence in an area where they are no longer present. These records further underscore the importance of whale temples both as places of historical culture and reverence, and important repositories of biodiversity data, from which information on former and current marine mammal distributions can be derived.

Opinions and declarations Rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature

Whip spiders belong to the order Amblypygi, and are separate from true spiders (Araneae) in lacking both spinnerets (which true spiders use to produce silk) and venom glands. Amblypygids use a pair of extremely long raptorial palps with prominent terminal spines to secure (or impale) prey. To sense their environment, the first pair of legs have become antenniform, with several tibial and tarsal divisions that extends each appendage into a feeler-like organ equipped with various sensilla (bristles, setae and slit sense organs). The remaining three pairs of legs are used in locomotion and assume a latigrade (crab-like) posture that allows the dorso-ventrally lattened animal to squeeze into thin crevices and under loose bark (Beccaloni, 2009). In Singapore, the contributor has also observed whip spiders at the Bukit Bro wn Cemetery, on the trunks of mature trees covered by ferns and other epiphytes; and in the Central Nature Reserve, on or under logs. Examples identified as belonging to the genus Sarax were recently found in parkland habitat at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (Soh, 2016). Whip scorpions or uropygids may be confused with true scorpions but have a stingless tail and lack venom. Their ‘tail’ or flagellum serves as a sensory organ that is sensitive to chemical cues and air currents. Like amblypygids, uropygids capture prey using their palps, which are stoutly built and armed with spiny tarsi and tibia that form a movable ‘pincer’. When threatened, uropygids release a strong mist of acetic acid from a pair of posterior glands near the base of the flagellum, which readily permeate the surrounding air as well as the offending organism. The vinegary fragrance can last for several hours (Beccaloni, 2009). Elsewhere in Singapore, the contributor has observed whip scorpions in the Central Nature Reserve in similar microhabitats (base of fallen trees, under logs). An apparently mating pair was observed at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (Lim, 2014).

Relatively little research has been published on Singapore’s whip spiders. In Singapore, The contributor has previously observed these arachnids in the secondary forests of Venus Loop and Dairy Farm Nature Park. However, this is his first time encountering whip spiders in an urban park. Two species of whip spiders of the genus Sarax: Sarax buxtoni (Gravely, 1915) and Sarax singaporae (Gravely, 1911) are known from Singapore (Harvey, 2003). Recorded localities for these species in Singapore are provided by Seiter & Wolff (2014). Sarax buxtoni is known from the ‘South West District’, ‘North West Destrict near the Turf Club’, and the Jurong Bird Park; while Sarax singaporae has been obtained from the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The specific identity of the whip spiders at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park has not been determined.