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The Bornean banded langur (Presbytis chrysomelas chrysomelas) is critically endangered species primarily found in Sarawak, Malaysia. Albeit this species is in peril, the ecology knowledge of this endemic species of Borneo is still scarce. Thus, a rapid survey employing total count and scan sampling method was conducted between July to August 2023 at Tanjung Datu National Park (TDNP), Sarawak to observe the social interaction of species with the environment. The behaviour of langur was recorded by employing scanning sampling method at 10 minutes intervals. This study sought to provide preliminary data on behavioural ecology of the Bornean banded langur within the national park. During the survey, three groups (consisting two to seven individuals) and a solitary male Bornean banded langur were recorded. The langurs were observed in both dipterocarp forests and coastal forests within the park. The daily activities of the Bornean banded langurs in TDNP were predominantly resting (31%), moving (29%), feeding (26%), vocalizing (14%), but not engaging in other social activities such as grooming, playing and mating. Knowing the behavioural ecological status as well as understanding ecology by identifying the activity pattern of langur is essential to government authorities and pertinent stakeholders to implement conservation strategies for the Bornean banded langur and their habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanisation in Malaysia has led to an increase in anthropogenic activities, inducing degradation of the natural environment. This advocates the necessity of wildlife and resource inventories be conducted at available forested areas, promoting steady improvement in the existing conservation and management plans, especially for threatened taxa such as the small mammals. Small mammals surveys was conducted at Tasik Bera, Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve, Sungkai Wildlife Conservation Centre, Penang Island, and Wang Kelian State Park. Harp traps, mist-nets, cage traps and pitfall traps were set during the surveys. Rhinolophus affinis was the most abundant (N = 61) volant small mammal, followed by Rhinolophus lepidus (N = 27). Meanwhile, the most abundant non-volant small mammal are Leopoldamys sabanus (N = 33), followed by Maxomys rajah (N = 25), and Tupaia glis (N = 22). Two species of shrews, Suncus etruscus and Crocidura monticola were caught as singletons. The results indicated that Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve has the highest species diversity (H' = 2.754), whereas Penang Island recorded the lowest (H' = 2.245). The species lists of small mammals generated from the survey will be significant for various stakeholders' conservation and monitoring plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gut microbiota plays an important role in primates, which may be associated with their habitat. In Malaysia, pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) live in different habitat environments and have traditionally been used for coconut plucking for more than a century. There is currently no information regarding the gut microbiota of this macaque in Malaysia. To address this oversight, this study employed a fecal metabarcoding approach to determine the gut microbiota composition of pig-tailed macaques and establish how these microbial communities correspond with the macaque external environments of residential area, forest edge, and fragmented forest., Methods: To determine this connection, 300 paired-end sequences of 16S rRNA were amplified and sequenced using the MiSeq platform., Results: In the pig-tailed macaque fecal samples, we identified 17 phyla, 40 orders, 52 families, 101 genera, and 139 species of bacteria. The most prevalent bacterial families in the gut of pig-tailed macaques were Firmicutes (6.31%) and Proteobacteria (0.69%). Our analysis did not identify a significant difference between the type of environmental habitat and the gut microbiota composition of these macaques., Conclusions: There was great variation in the population richness and bacterial community structure. The abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria helps this macaque digest food more easily while maintaining a healthy gut microbiota diversity. Exploring the gut microbiota provides an initial effort to support pig-tailed macaque conservation in the future., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Importance: Recent developments in genetic analytical techniques have enabled the comprehensive analysis of gastrointestinal symbiotic bacteria as a screening tool for animal health conditions, especially the endangered gibbons at the National Wildlife Rescue Centre (NWRC)., Objective: High-throughput sequencing based on 16S ribosomal RNA genes was used to determine the baseline gut bacterial composition and identify potential pathogenic bacteria among three endangered gibbons housed in the NWRC., Methods: Feces were collected from 14 individuals ( Hylobates lar , n = 9; Hylobates agilis , n = 4; and Symphalangus syndactylus , n = 1) from March to November 2022. Amplicon sequencing were conducted by targeting V3-V4 region., Results: The fecal microbial community of the study gibbons was dominated by Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes (phylum level), Prevotellaceae and Lachnospiraceae/Muribaculaceae (family level), and Prevotella (and its subgroups) (genera level). This trend suggests that the microbial community composition of the study gibbons differed insignificantly from previously reported conspecific or closely related gibbon species., Conclusions and Relevance: This study showed no serious health problems that require immediate attention. However, relatively low alpha diversity and few potential bacteria related to gastrointestinal diseases and streptococcal infections were detected. Information on microbial composition is essential as a guideline to sustain a healthy gut condition of captive gibbons in NWRC, especially before releasing this primate back into the wild or semi-wild environment. Further enhanced husbandry environments in the NWRC are expected through continuous health monitoring and increase diversity of the gut microbiota through diet diversification., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Korean Society of Veterinary Science.)

Presbytischrysomelascruciger or also known as the Tricolour langur-is rare, endemic to Sarawak and Kalimantan in Borneo and classified as a critically endangered subspecies. The current P.c.cruciger population size is uncertain because the numbers are continuously decreasing. At present, there is no comprehensive scientific report on P.c.cruciger in Sarawak, although this subspecies is known to inhabit Maludam area. Recent first sighting of P.c.cruciger in Jemoreng Sarawak presents a research opportunity to study its feeding from a molecular ecology perspective. Herein, we report the first findings on the dietary intake of P.c.cruciger using a high-throughput DNA metabarcoding approach. We emphasise the diet intake of P.c.cruciger from Jemoreng Protected Forest in Sarawak using DNA metabarcoding of the trnL region. Preliminary findings revealed 11 amplicon sequence variants (ASV) classified into one phylum, four classes, four orders, four families, three genera and three plant species. Fibraureatinctoria (akar kuning; Family Menispermaceae), Poikilospermumsuaveolens (akar jangkang; Family Urticaceae) and Litchichinensis (lychee; Family Sapindaceae) were the three main plant species that were consumed by P.c.cruciger . Understanding the dietary intake of P.c.cruciger is of paramount importance for their conservation and management of the habitat areas where their population resides., 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., (Roberta Chaya Tawie Tingga, Jack Liam, Bilhan Deli, Mohd Luqman Anuar, Ahmad Ampeng, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)

The Bornean banded langur ( Presbytischrysomelaschrysomelas ) is critically endangered species primarily found in Sarawak, Malaysia. Albeit this species is in peril, the ecology knowledge of this endemic species of Borneo is still scarce. Thus, a rapid survey employing total count and scan sampling method was conducted between July to August 2023 at Tanjung Datu National Park (TDNP), Sarawak to observe the social interaction of species with the environment. The behaviour of langur was recorded by employing scanning sampling method at 10 minutes intervals. This study sought to provide preliminary data on behavioural ecology of the Bornean banded langur within the national park. During the survey, three groups (consisting two to seven individuals) and a solitary male Bornean banded langur were recorded. The langurs were observed in both dipterocarp forests and coastal forests within the park. The daily activities of the Bornean banded langurs in TDNP were predominantly resting (31%), moving (29%), feeding (26%), vocalizing (14%), but not engaging in other social activities such as grooming, playing and mating. Knowing the behavioural ecological status as well as understanding ecology by identifying the activity pattern of langur is essential to government authorities and pertinent stakeholders to implement conservation strategies for the Bornean banded langur and their habitats., 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., (Tukiman Nur-Aizatul, Abd Rahman Mohd-Ridwan, Mohammad Noor-Faezah, Roberta Chaya Tawie Tingga, Mohamad Fhaizal Bukhori, Jayasilan Mohd-Azlan, Azroie Denel, Muhammad Abu Bakar Abdul-Latiff, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)

Primate communities in the Genting Highlands consist of a single species of Hylobatidae and four species of Cercopithecidae, which are known to exhibit social interaction behaviour. Thus, a study on the diets of Symphalangussyndactylus (siamang; family Hylobatidae) and Macacanemestrina (pig-tailed macaque; family Cercopithecidae) was carried out at Genting Highlands, in order to compare the dietary preferences and interspecific competition between the two primate families. A DNA metabarcoding approach was used to analyse diet intake using non-invasive samples based on the trnL region. Based on the 140 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) generated, 26 plant orders, 46 different families, 60 genera and 49 species were identified from 23 different plant classes. Fabaceae and Moraceae were classified as the most preferred plants at the family level for S.syndactylus ; meanwhile, Piperaceae and Arecaceae were classified as the most preferred for M.nemestrina . Only six out of the 60 different plant genera classified in this study, were found to be consumed by both species. Therefore, the low similarity of preferred plants in the diets between the two families suggests that there is little interspecific competition. These findings are important for future conservation management of highland primates, especially in the Genting Highlands., 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., (Roberta Chaya Tawie Tingga, Millawati Gani, Nur Azimah Osman, Nor Rahman Aifat, Eddie Chan, Shamsul Khamis, Emelda Rosseleena Rohani, Norlinda Mohd-Daut, Abd Rahman Mohd-Ridwan, Badrul Munir Md-Zain.)