Diversity of Macromoths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) in Mount Serambu, Bau, Sarawak

Izyan Afiqah Saiful Alyazan1, Ratnawati Hazali1,

Muhamad Ikwan Idris1, and Alexander K Sayok2

2nd Wallace Conference 7-9 November, 2013

1Animal Resource Science Management Programme Faculty of Resource Science and Technology,

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak

2Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak

KUCHING

BAU Mt Serambu

30 Km

13 km

LOCATION OF Mt SERAMBU

7-9 November, 2013

Peninjau Hill, Mount Serambu

Moth Collections in Serambu

1. Alfred Russel Wallace, made his fantastic collections of moths by lamplight on dark nights during December 1855 and January 1856 , unparalleled elsewhere on his eastern voyages.

2. In January 1912, J. C. Moulton, Curator of the Sarawak Museum, repeated Wallace’s lamplight collections and obtained significant catches of moths and other insects.

3. Idris and Azhar, in 2008 undertook similar method of collection obtained 19 species of moth.

Methodology Moth sampling was undertaken using Modified Pennsylvanian light traps in Mount Serambu during January and February, 2013 to determine their abundance and diversity as well as to find if there is any difference in the lower and upper elevation and to establish database of true bugs for future references.

Two Modified Pennsylvania light traps with 160-watt mercury vapour lamp were set up for six hours durations at lower and higher elevation.

PAST program was used to calculate both the Shannon-Weaver Information Function and Species Evenness while diversity t-test was calculated to determine significance of diversity values.

VEGETATION AT COLLECTING SITES

LOWER ELEVATION HIGHER ELEVATION

Results • A total of 967 macromoths from 17 families

comprising 407 species were captured. • Family Geometridae with 228 (23.6%) individuals

predominated followed closely by Noctuidae with 225 (23.3%) while Arctiidae (182 individuals, 15.2%), a distant third.

• Thalassodes depulsata Walker 1861 (F: Geometridae) with 44 individuals dominated at both elevations: 27 lower and 17 upper.

• Several endemic species to Borneo had been caught namely Orvasca rufalba, Euproctis viridoculata and Hyposidra altivolescens.

• One individual was caught from Ratardidae (Ratarda flavimargo Hering 1925) although considered very rare in nature.

• High number of singletons (234 or 24.2% of individuals and 57.5% of species)

Macromoths species and individuals collected using Modified Pennsylvanian light traps at two different elevations,

Family

Lower (40 m-60 m) Upper (300 m-500 m)

No. of individuals Percentages No. of individuals Percentages

Geometridae 119 27.11 109 20.64

Saturniidae 0 0 1 0.19

Crambidae 0 0 1 0.19

Noctuidae 85 19.36 140 26.52

Uraniidae 3 0.68 1 0.19

Nolidae 28 6.38 38 7.2

Cossidae 8 1.82 3 0.57

Limacodidae 17 3.87 14 2.65

Drepanidae 7 1.59 42 7.95

Castniidae 1 0.23 0 0

Lymantriidae 50 11.39 37 7

Arctiidae 77 17.54 105 19.89

Ratardidae 1 0.23 0 0

Notodontidae 28 6.38 28 5.3

Sphingidae 13 2.96 6 1.14

Bombycidae 0 0 3 0.57

Lasiocampidae 2 0.46 0 0

TOTAL 439 100 528 100

RESULTS by Elevation ATTRIBUTES TOTAL LOWER ELEVATION

(40-60m) HIGHER ELEVATION (300-500m)

INDIVIDUALS 967 439 528

FAMILIES 16 13 14

FAMILIES ABSENT Bombyciidae, Saturniidae Cerambidae

Castniidae and Lasiocampidae

Shannon Diversity Index (H)*

5.166 5.033

*similar diversity although overall species richness and abundance were higher at lower elevation.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Lower

Upper

Relative abundance of macromoths at the lower and upper elevation in Mount Serambu

Conclusion • Substantial macromoths obtained but not as many as that of

Wallace and Moulton but more than that of Ikwan Idris

• Dominance of Family Geometridae, Noctuidae and Arctiidae are similar to other studies in Sarawak.

• Moths in Serambu are highly diverse and a number of its species are uncommonly encountered,

• Diversity in both elevation is similar due to the small difference in height.

• Thalassodes depulsata Walker 1861 (F: Geometridae) with 44 individuals dominated at both elevations: 27 lower and 17 upper.

• High number of singletons (24.2% of individuals and 57.5% of species)

Recommendations

Because period of sampling is too short and cover basically one season as well as the high number of singletons warrants more surveys to be undertaken to cover different times of the year and longer duration as well as in more sites to capture most species in the area and show their relationships with different vegetation along the slopes and phenological cycles.

THANK YOU

The authors wish to thank Wadell Pahon, Pang Sing Tyan, Fendra Robert, Lexter Nuon, Gervin Pinih, and Jopis Sidup for assistance during sampling as well as JKK Rajah Brooke Heritage Bung Muan, Peninjau for logistic arrangement