The Asian brown tortoise has been recorded from the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore, but it is regarded as an alien species because there have not been any known historical records from the country (Anonymous, 1989: 4, as Geochelone (Testudo) emys; Yeo & Chia, 2010: 35). Large turtles like this are often deliberately released by people for religious reasons. The present individual appears blackish-brown and is suspected to be of the subspecies Manouria emys phayrei which is native to north-eastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand. Manouria emys emys, which range covers the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra differs in being medium-brown, and having small and separate pectoral scutes on the plastron. The pectoral scutes on M. e. phayrei are large and in contact with each other (Das, 2010: 175). As the underside of the present example was not examined, its subspecific identity could not be verified.

Cyclemys dentata is regarded as a ‘critically endangered’ native turtle in Singapore with only two other recent records. One in the Western Catchment Area in 2006 and the other from the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in 2007 (Lim et al., 2008: 174)

The two turtles featured here, observed more than a year apart, do not appear to be the same individual. Both were likely to have hatched in or near the stream. Asian softshell turtles inhabit forest streams and are regarded as native to Singapore (Baker & Lim, 2012: 126). However, some individuals, particularly those found outside the forest nature reserves may be introduced (Ng & Lim, 2010: 121).

The diversity of reduviid bugs in Singapore is poorly known with at least 16 species recorded from there (see Wang & Tran, 2011). Recently, over 20 species of reduviids were recorded from the Mandai Lake Road area (Tan et al., 2015), but there was no representative from the subfamily Ectrichodiinae. Members of the subfamily Ectrichodiinae appear to be exclusive predators of millipedes, with immature and adult bugs exhibiting both solitary and communal predation. As in the featured observation, they typically target the prey’s intersegmental membranes in the ventral or ventro-lateral trunk area (Forthman & Weirauch, 2012). The identity of the prey millipede in the featured observation is tentative. It appears to be the tropical tramp species Leptogoniulus sorornus, which is known to occur in the Botanic Gardens (see Decker, 2013: 5)

Myanmar is regarded as a last frontier of biodiversity in Asia. We used results from camera-traps set for tigers (Panthera tigris) during 2001–2011 in the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary of northern Myanmar to assess overall species richness of large mammals and birds, and to identify differences in species detection rates spatially and temporally. We deployed 403 camera stations during the dry seasons, October–July, of 2001–2011, placing 260 in the Core area (~1,800 km²) and 143 in the Extension area (~15,500 km²). From 10,750 trap-nights we obtained 2,077 independent photographs of wildlife species and 645 of humans.

Lyle’s flying fox (Pteropus lylei) is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; therefore, assessing the population distribution and density of P. lylei is fundamental to its conservation and management. We combined community-based and field surveys to update information on the distribution and population of P. lylei in Thailand. Questionnaires were distributed to 2,024 government officers across 26 provinces (covering 20.29% of the area of Thailand), in a region previously identified as a P. lylei distribution hotspot. A total of 623 (30.78%) replies were obtained from the surveyed provinces. The field survey validated the results of the questionnaire, with 67.65% of respondents correctly identifying P. lylei in their area; there were 30 roosting sites, a total population of 75,016 bats, and a total roosting area of 1,328,720 m2. The roosting sites of P. lylei were at an average elevation of 23.73 m, and near rivers and bodies of water; 53% of roost sites were located within Buddhist temples. In addition, bat hunting areas were reported around 57% of the roost sites, and 62% of the total bat population was located near these sites. Our results confirm that close proximity between P. lylei and human populations is common. It is imperative that we continue to improve our understanding of P. lylei habitat requirements to develop land-management strategies and conservation policies that simultaneously protect P. lylei and safeguard public health.

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/933

Based on the results of deep-sea surveys conducted by the M.V. DA-BFAR, waters approaching the Manila Bay area abound with deep-sea shrimp resource, and that traps had been found to be the most suitable gear to harvest the resource. However, there is a need to develop management measures in order that the resource would not be depleted in the long-term.

The rate of biodiversity collapse in Southeast Asia is amongst the highest in the world, and averting species extinctions in the region is now a global priority. Here we estimate the density of the threatened grey peacockpheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum) in the pristine sub-montane evergreen forest of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Thailand, where poaching is low. In our density assessments, we compared four commonly used survey methods: (a) triangulation using fixed listening posts; distance sampling using both (b) line transects and (c) point transects; and (d) camera trapping using the single season Royle-Nichols heterogeneity model, to assess which one is the most appropriate for population estimation in such a loud-calling terrestrial bird species. Species density was estimated between 14.69 and 22.97 birds km-2 depending on the method used

Continuing disappearance and degradation of primary tropical rainforests in Indonesia, and the ongoing conversion of degraded forest to monoculture plantations, threaten many bird species with local extinction. Yet, information on bird populations from the Sundaic region, which covers western Indonesia, is generally lacking, limiting our understanding of species responses to disturbance, extinction risks, and potential ways to counteract local species extinction processes. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, bird density information is only known from two studies (on four hornbill species and one pheasant species). Here, we compare bird densities between less degraded and highly degraded forests within the Harapan Rainforest Ecosystem Restoration Concession in Sumatra. From a total of 148 bird species recorded, densities were calculated for 47 species with the highest encounter rate, 33 of which were recorded in forests of both disturbance levels, allowing comparisons to be made. We found five species with higher densities in the highly degraded forest and seven species with higher densities in the less degraded forest. While our species-specific results were generally consistent with previous biological insights, there were exceptions, such as a species previously considered to be sensitive to habitat degradation, the sooty-capped babbler Malacopteron affine, being more abundant in the highly degraded forest. Our study revealed that despite its condition, degraded forest retains much value for Sumatran lowland forest birds, providing a compelling argument for securing its important conservation status under improved management, rather than assigning it for clearance as typically happens.