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Siamangs ( Symphalangussyndactylus ) are native to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and southern Thailand and their taxonomical classification at subspecies level remains unclear. Morphologically, two subspecies were proposed as early as 1908 by Thomas namely Symphalangus s.syndactylus and Symphalanguss.continentis. Thus, this study aims to clarify the Siamang subspecies status, based on mtDNA D -loop sequences. Faecal samples were collected from wild Siamang populations at different localities in Peninsular Malaysia. A 600-bp sequence of the mitochondrial D -loop region was amplified from faecal DNA extracts and analysed along with GenBank sequences representing Symphalangus sp., Nomascus sp., Hylobates sp., Hoolock sp. and outgroups ( Pongopygmaeus , Macacafascicularis and Papiopapio ). The molecular phylogenetic analysis in this study revealed two distinct clades formed by S.s.syndactylus and S.s.continentis which supports the previous morphological delineation of the existence of two subspecies. Biogeographical analysis indicated that the Sumatran population lineage was split from the Peninsular Malaysian population lineage and a diversification occurrred in the Pliocene era (~ 3.12 MYA) through southward expansion. This postulation was supported by the molecular clock, which illustrated that the Peninsular Malaysian population (~ 1.92 MYA) diverged earlier than the Sumatran population (~ 1.85 MYA). This is the first study to use a molecular approach to validate the subspecies statuses of S.s.syndactylus and S.s.continentis . This finding will be useful for conservation management, for example, during Siamang translocation and investigations into illegal pet trade and forensics involving Malayan and Sumatran Siamangs., Competing Interests: No conflict of interest to declare Disclaimer: This article is (co-)authored by any of the Editors-in-Chief, Managing Editors or their deputies in this journal., (Nur Hartini Sariyati, Muhammad Abu Bakar Abdul-Latiff, Nor Rahman Aifat, Abd Rahman Mohd-Ridwan, Nur Azimah Osman, Kayal Vizi Karuppannan, Eddie Chan, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)

The Malayan tiger ( Pantheratigrisjacksoni ) is a critically endangered species native to the Malaysian Peninsula. To imitate wild conditions where tigers do not hunt every day, numerous wildlife sanctuaries do not feed their tigers daily. However, the effects of fasting on the gut microbiota of captive Malayan tigers remains unknown. This study aimed to characterise the gut microbiota of captive Malayan tigers by comparing their microbial communities during fasting versus normal feeding conditions. This study was conducted at the Melaka Zoo, Malaysian Peninsula and involved Malayan tigers fasted every Monday. In total, ten faecal samples of Malayan tiger, two of Bengal tiger (outgroup) and four of lion (outgroup) were collected and analysed for metabarcoding targeting the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region. In total, we determined 14 phyla, 87 families, 167 genera and 53 species of gut microbiome across Malayan tiger samples. The potentially harmful bacterial genera found in this study included Fusobacterium , Bacteroides , Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Solobacterium , Echerichiashigella , Ignatzschineria and Negativibacillus . The microbiome in the fasting phase had a higher composition and was more diverse than in the feeding phase. The present findings indicate a balanced ratio in the dominant phyla, reflecting a resetting of the imbalanced gut microbiota due to fasting. These findings can help authorities in how to best maintain and improve the husbandry and health of Malayan tigers in captivity and be used for monitoring in ex-situ veterinary care unit., Competing Interests: We declare no conflict of interest. No editor is co-authored in this manuscript. I want to declare a conflict of interest Disclaimer: This article is (co-)authored by any of the Editors-in-Chief, Managing Editors or their deputies in this journal., (Mohamad Khairulmunir, Millawati Gani, Kayal Vizi Karuppannan, Abd Rahman Mohd-Ridwan, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) contributes to the increasing death of Asian elephants due to road accidents, retaliatory killings and fatal infections from being trapped in snares. Understanding the diet of elephants throughout Peninsular Malaysia remains crucial to improve their habitat quality and reduce scenarios of HEC. DNA metabarcoding allows investigating the diet of animals without direct observation, especially in risky conflict areas. The aim of this study was to determine: i) the diet of wild Asian elephants from HEC areas in Peninsular Malaysia using DNA metabarcoding and ii) the influence of distinct environmental parameters at HEC locations on their feeding patterns. DNA was extracted from 39 faecal samples and pooled into 12 groups representing the different sample locations: Kuala Koh, Kenyir, Ulu Muda, Sira Batu, Kupang-Grik, Bumbun Tahan, Belum-Temengor, Grik, Kampung Pagi, Kampung Kuala Balah, Aring 10 and the National Elephant Conservation Centre, which served as a positive control for this study. DNA amplification and sequencing targeted the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene using the next-generation sequencing Illumina iSeq100 platform. Overall, we identified 35 orders, 88 families, 196 genera and 237 species of plants in the diet of the Asian elephants at HEC hotspots. Ficus (Moraceae), Curcuma (Zingiberaceae), Phoenix (Arecaceae), Maackia (Fabaceae), Garcinia (Clusiaceae) and Dichapetalum (Dichapetalaceae) were the highly abundant dietary plants. The plants successfully identified in this study could be used by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) to create buffer zones by planting the recommended dietary plants around HEC locations and trails of elephants within Central Forest Spine (CFS) landscape., (Nor Hafisa Syafina Mohd-Radzi, Kayal Vizi Karuppannan, Nurfatiha Akmal Fawwazah Abdullah-Fauzi, Abd Rahman Mohd-Ridwan, Nursyuhada Othman, Abdul-Latiff Muhammad Abu Bakar, Millawati Gani, Mohd Firdaus Ariff Abdul-Razak, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)

The long-tailed macaque ( Macacafascicularis ) has a wide range in both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Although the primates are especially vulnerable to habitat alterations, this primate lives in disturbed habitats due to human-induced land-use. Thus, this study presents a faecal metabarcoding approach to clarify the plant diet of long-tailed macaques from five locations in Peninsular Malaysia to represent fragmented forest, forest edge, island and recreational park habitats. We extracted genomic DNA from 53 long-tailed macaque faecal samples. We found 47 orders, 126 families, 609 genera and 818 species across these five localities. A total of 113 plant families were consumed by long-tailed macaques in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 61 in the Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute, 33 in Langkawi Island, 53 in Redang Island and 44 in the Cenderawasih Cave. Moraceae (33.24%) and Fabaceae (13.63%) were the most common families consumed by long-tailed macaques from the study localities. We found that habitat type impacted diet composition, indicating the flexibility of foraging activities. This research findings provide an understanding of plant dietary diversity and the adaptability of this macaque with the current alteration level that applies to long-tailed macaque conservation management interest in the future., (Nur Azimah Osman, Muhammad Abu Bakar Abdul-Latiff, Abd Rahman Mohd-Ridwan, Salmah Yaakop, Kayal Vizi Karuppannan, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)