All Creatures Great and Small #15

Wild Cattle of Borneo

All Creatures Great and Small # 15

Tom’s Note: The changes in font and colour mean nothing. I still can’t figure out how to change them.

The Kimaragang People of Sabah

The essay describes the Kimaragang about where they came from, where they live, their language, economy and relations with each other. ETHNIC MINORITIES IN BORNEO: THE KIMARAGANG PEOPLE (I have a copy if needed)

New Species of Beetles

Seven new species of beetles Phaedis (Tenebrionidae: Cnodalonini) have been found in Borneo. DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4999.5.3 In other beetle news, another species was discovered from Sarawak. Insecta Mundi 0877: 1–5.

Nipa Palm Wine Blamed for Hepatitis A Outbreak

An outbreak of Hepatitis A has been blamed on Nipa Palm Wine drunk at a funeral, doctors say. Sixteen cases, 90% male and aged 18-58 were believed to be infected. The wine was made with untreated river water which was used to dilute the wine. The outbreak is extremely rare. American Journal of Tropical Medicine doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0036

Bidayuh Language

This article discusses the Hliboi language of West Kalimatan Indonesia. The language has several features that warrant attention. If you don’t understand linguistic jargon, you can skip this one. 10.1353/ol.2021.0004

Baitul Mal of Sambas

Baitul Mal is the Islamic governing body responsible for the distribution of funds from collections from the people. This article tells of the problems associated with the distribution from 1944 to the present.  https://doi.org/10.18860/j.v12i1.10942

Otter Species

Streams in agricultural sites were determined to have a greater population of otters in forested areas. Oil palm landscapes along streams provided large trees and other vegetation. In general, streams in oil palm plantations with vegetation are a useful habitat for the otters. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 38(3) 2021

Wild Cattle

Unregulated hunting is responsible for the near-extinction of wild cattle. The population in Sabah requires active management to prevent further decline. The results of this paper suggest the shielding of wild cattle against hunting will be the key to survival in the wild. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01112

New Genus of Moths

A new genus and four new species of moths have been discovered in Borneo. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5004.3.4

 Austronesian Review

A comprehensive summary with new genetic data on the Austronesian theory of expansion is presented. An important new work. If you don’t read anything else, read this. I have a copy. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol_preprints/182 

Agriculture and Biodiversity

This paper shows how biodiversity loss can be limited in oil palm estates if people would incorporate the idea of corridor development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109243

 Bamboo Sharks

Brown-banded bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum) live at the bottom of the sea. They are a major component of fish landed by trawlers. They are weak swimming sharks. Genetic information shows that the fish do not breed beyond their home areas, the genes in the home areas are quite different, there is a difference between how far apart they are and the directional gene flow travels from Peninsula Malaysia to Borneo. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94257-7

 Shrews

The family of Shews (Crocidura) are one of the species that live throughout the Southeast Asian region. They stopped changing about 40,000 years ago when the waters began to rise. The differentiation between the two lines in Borneo is attributed to the mountains. The black-footed shrew is a very recent breach of the Wallace Line by humans. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab045 

 Bamboo

The fastest-growing plant on earth has long been considered a source for paper, chopsticks and other replacements for timber. The problem is a fungus keeps attacking the plants. Three different locations for the species of bamboo(Gigantochloa scortechini) were prepared for the electron microscope. Researchers found the fungi were able to grow in the interior cells of the plants. Sufficiently treated bamboo were able to withstand the fungal decay. DOI: 10.9734/bpi/castr/v11/2610F

 Bajau Sea Nomads

A chapter in a book tells that Kendari Baju are a distinct group perhaps driven by marriages outside the population. Other factors include the Bajau are a result of a genetic admixture and the origin of the Bajau population was in southeast Borneo. A Genomic Perspective of the Origin and Dispersal of the Bajau Sea Nomads in Indonesia

 Pacific Swift Migration

The birds avoided prolonged sea crossing in their 10,000 km journey from Russia to Australia. They performed detours moving from Sakhalin Island (Russia) to the nearest Asian continent, Primorie, Russia and then to Indo China and the Indonesia Archipelago and onwards to Australia. The southward migration was 12 days longer than the return northern journey. During the northward migration, swifts stopped in Indonesia and Viet Nam. The data suggests they had to adjust to the weather conditions such as the end of the dry season in Australia the end of the wet season in Indonesia and the delay of spring in the far northern reaches. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-021-01913-w

 Singapore Shipwrecks

Two ancient shipwrecks have been found off the coast of Singapore. They date to the early 14th century and late 18th century. Southeast Asian Archaeology 31 July 2021

 Differences in zooplankton  

This study documents the differences in zooplankton during the northeast, south-west and inter monsoon seasons. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2021.101952

 Crickets

Five new species, three from Borneo, have been named. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.761.1449

 Flowers and Songkets

This study is an ongoing project that identifies the flowers on traditional songkets in Sarawak. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal6(SI4 (Special Issue 4).

Stick Insects

The stick and leaf insects are thought to have evolved about 55-38 million years ago. They originated in the Australasian/Pacific region and moved westward through Southeast Asia to the Southeast Asian mainland. They are thought to have evolved together with the flowering plant rainforest. Communications Biology volume 4, Article number: 932 (2021)