Faszly Rahim

Pangkor Island has left a significant mark on the pages of Malaysia's history, and kept within its core, are secrets that have yet to be unravelled. These exquisite secrets, created by Allah SWT, are revealed in all their glory through macrophotography. Thus, hopefully the beauty displayed by this work will inspire, highlight, and strengthen our mission, as humans, towards the sustainable management of our natural resources. Truly, the future of Pangkor Island's many hidden jewels and gems is dependent on the conservation of the island's natural resources and virgin rainforest.

Putrajaya Lake and Wetland is the first man-made wetland in Malaysia and one of the largest constructed freshwater wetland in the tropics. The 200 hectares man-made water body is the result of transforming an oil palm site into wetland ecosystem with the help of modern stringent environmental management approach in design and construction. This ecosystem is teeming with life and showcased in this book is a glimpse of the multitudes of diverse insect fauna.

The Bitara-STEM Training of Trainer Programme is a short-term professional development programme aimed to increase STEM teachers or facilitators’ abilities to teach integrated STEM education and to increase their efficacy, beliefs and attitudes of integrated STEM teaching. The programme involves 35 facilitators, representing a broad spectrum of STEM fields. Pre- and post-test results of the participants’ beliefs, attitudes, perceived efficacy and content knowledge in the context of integrated STEM teaching revealed significant changes. The findings also revealed (i) knowledge of integrated STEM teaching to be related to facilitators’ efficacy for teaching integrated STEM and (ii) facilitators’ attitudes to be related to beliefs of integrated STEM teaching. The outcomes of this study provide evidence that a relatively short-term professional development can have a significant impact on facilitators’ beliefs, attitudes, efficacy and knowledge of integrated STEM teaching and STEM concepts.

A study was conducted to determine the tree species composition, diversity and estimate of above ground biomass at Chini watershed forest. Three types of forest were identified. Thirty plots of 0.1 ha were established in the inland, seasonal flood and riverine forests. A total of 3974 trees with diameter at breast height (dbh) at 5.0 cm and above were recorded. The inland forest recorded 2061 individuals representing 393 species from 164 genera and 57 families; the seasonal flood forest, 1019 individuals representing 268 species from 137 genera and 57 families; and the riverine forest, 894 individuals representing 260 species from 133 genera and 53 families. Endospermum diadenum (Euphorbiaceae), Streblus elongatus (Moraceae) and Aporusa arborea (Euphorbiaceae) was the most important species in the inland forest, seasonal flood forest and the riverine forest, with Importance Value Index (SIV i) of 3.36%, 4.43% and 2.96%, respectively. Euphorbiaceae was the most important family in the inland and riverine forest with FIV i of 14.25% and 12.91% and Myrtaceae in the seasonal flood forest at 12.36%. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H') were considered high in all three forest types at 5.40 (H' max = 5.97) in the inland forest, 5.10 (H' max = 5.54) at the seasonal flood forest and 5.08 (H' max = 5.56) for the riverine forest. Shannon evenness index (J') in the three types of forest was 0.9. The Sorenson's community similarity coefficient (CCs) showed that tree species communities between the three forest types had low similarities with CCs= 0.4. The total above ground biomass estimated in the inland forest was 366.2 tan/ha, in the seasonal flood forest was 379.8 tan/ha and in the riverine forest was 401.1 tan/ha. A total of 44 endemic species in Peninsular Malaysia were found and 104 species were listed in the checklist of Conservation Status of Malaysian Trees that utilized the 2009 IUCN Red List Categories by World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC). ABSTRAK Satu kajian telah dijalankan untuk menentukan komposisi, kepelbagaian dan anggaran biojisim atas tanah spesies pokok di hutan lembangan Chini, Pekan, Pahang. Terdapat tiga jenis hutan telah dikenal pasti di lembangan Chini iaitu hutan pedalaman, banjir bermusim dan riparia. Sebanyak 30 plot yang bersaiz 0.1 ha telah dibina dengan jumlah luas kawasan pensampelan di hutan pedalaman adalah 1.4 ha, hutan banjir bermusim 0.9 ha dan hutan riparian 0.7 ha. Sejumlah 3974 pokok bersaiz 5 cm dbh dan ke atas telah dicatatkan. Hutan pedalaman merekodkan 2061 individu, 393 spesies daripada 164 genus dan 57 famili; hutan banjir bermusim, 1019 individu, 268 spesies daripada 137 genus dan 57 famili; dan hutan riparia, 894 individu, 260 spesies daripada 137 genus dan 53 famili. Endospermum diadenum (Euphorbiaceae), Streblus elongatus (Moraceae) and Aporusa arborea (Euphorbiaceae) merupakan spesies yang mempunyai Nilai Kepentingan (SIV i) spesies tertinggi di hutan pedalaman, hutan banjir bermusim dan hutan riparia dengan masing-masing 3.36%, 4.43% dan 2.96%. Euphorbiaceae merupakan famili terpenting di hutan pedalaman dan hutan riparia dengan Nilai Kepentingan (FIV i) famili masing-masing 14.25% dan 12.91% dan Myrtaceae di hutan banjir bermusim dengan 12.36%. Nilai indeks kepelbagaian Shannon-Weiner (H') yang dicatatkan didapati tinggi di ketiga-tiga jenis hutan dengan hutan pedalaman 5.40 (H' max = 5.97), hutan banjir bermusim 5.10 (H' max = 5.54) dan hutan riparia 5.07 (H' max = 5.56). Nilai keseragaman Shannon (J') ketiga-tiga jenis hutan ialah 0.9. Koefisien kesamaan komuniti Sorenson (CCs) menunjukkan komuniti di ketiga-tiga jenis hutan mempunyai nilai kesamaan yang rendah iaitu CCs= 0.4. Jumlah biojisim atas tanah di hutan pedalaman ialah 366.2 tan/ha, di hutan banjir bermusim 379.8 tan/ha dan di hutan riparia 401.1 tan/ha. Sejumlah 44 spesies endemik di Semenanjung Malaysia telah dikenalpasti hadir dalam kajian ini dan sebanyak 104 spesies pokok telah disenaraikan dalam senarai pemuliharaan IUCN Red list Categories 2009 oleh World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC). Kata kunci: Kepelbagaian spesies; kesamaan komuniti; komposisi spesies pokok; lembangan Chini

Magnetic material such as magnetite are known as particles that respond to external magnetic field with their ferromagnetic properties as they are believed contribute to in responding to the geomagnetic field . These particles are used by terrestrial animals such as termites for navigation and orientation. Since our earth react as giant magnetic bar, the magnitude of this magnetic field present by intensity and direction (inclination and direction). The magnetic properties and presence of magnetite in termites Macrotermes gilvus, common mound-building termite were tested. M. gilvus termites was tested with a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer VSM to determine the magnetic properties of specimen. The crushed body sample was characterized with X-Ray Diffraction XRD to show the existent of magnetic material (magnetite) in the specimens. Results from VSM indicate that M. gilvus has diamagnetism properties. The characterization by XRD shows the existent of magnetic material in our specimen in low concentration.

We censused 18 field blocks approximately 190 ha with total of 28,604 palms in a grid of 2×4 palms from July 2011 to March 2013. The field blocks comprise of rows of palm trees, harvesting paths, field drains and stacking rows with maximum of 30 palms per row, planted about 9 m apart, alternately in maximum of 80 rows. SADIE analysis generating index of aggregation, Ia, local clustering value, Vi and local gap value, Vj is adopted to estimate spatial pattern. The patterns were then presented in contour map using Surfer 12 software. The patterns produced associated with factors i.e. habitat disturbance, habitat fragmentation and resources affecting nesting and foraging activities. Result shows that field blocks with great habitat disturbance recorded highest dead palms and termites hits. Blocks located far from the main access road recorded less than 2% palms with termite hits. This research may provide ecological data on termite spatial pattern in oil palm ecosystem.

Study on hemipteran at Endau Rompin Plantation (LER), Pahang was conducted at oil palm plantation planted at different type of soils. The aim of the study was to determine hemipteran diversity in oil palm ecosystem. Sampling was done from April 2012 to September 2012 by using Malaise and impact traps. Cicadellidae was the most abundance and dominance family with 105 individuals and 6 species (=morphospecies) recorded. The rarefaction curve becomes flatter to the right indicating a reasonable number of individual samples have been taken. Peat area show high Shannon index and Margalef index values compared to clay area.There were significant differences in hemipteran community between three type of soils (χ2=98.751,df=58,p<0.05). As such, hemipteran abundance in oil palm plantation is affected by the type of soil.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education plays a crucial role in economic development. STEM fields promising wide career opportunities, career flexibility and lucrative salaries. Efforts of various parties including education’s policy leaders and educators have been made to make improvements to strengthen STEM education. For most of us, the contemporary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is based on purely objective knowledge which also known as acquired knowledge. However, this one sided source of knowledge, neglecting subjective knowledge, produces people with ‘Excellence without a soul’ as mentioned by Harry Lewis (2006). Steven Muller, former President of John Hopkins University, USA stated that (Ulin 1980) ‘The failures to rally around a set of values means those universities are turning out potentially highly skilled barbarians’. Buncker Roy (1992) had remarked that ‘Having literates do more harm than good’. Based on these observations, there are a need and idea to integrate objective and subjective knowledge, so that the learning outcome of STEM education will produce people with wholly rounded skills, potential and abilities, competencies, together with emotional and spiritual quotients. In Islam, subjective knowledge refers to the ‘revealed knowledge’ which is a knowledge based on believing in revelation from God as described in al-Qur’an. This paper describes an attempt to integrate STEM education with revealed knowledge which has been deployed by Muslim scholars in the mediaeval era.

This paper discusses the concepts and the contents of intervention program modules for integrative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education based on tauhid – the integration of Aqli and Naqli knowledge. This integration is designed to produce Ulul Albab (those deeply rooted in knowledge). The Ulul Albab Empowerment Modules by STEMind (STEM islamic and da`wah), a pioneering group of applied sciences and educational researchers under UKM’s Education and Civilization Niche, are modules that integrate cross-disciplinary STEM teaching and learning with results from Tawhidic Science research activities delivered directly to the grass roots (school students). The modules applied the constructivism theory with learning-by-doing and scaffolding approaches, with facilitators guiding and connecting students’ learning experiences with excerpts from Al-Qur’an as essences in self-development and self-reflection. The modules were organized into six themes each containing s...

This is the first series representing a total of 222 spider species from 30 families and 130 genera recorded in Sabah. The data was obtained from available literatures, scientific expedition and other field collections from November 2010 to December 2011. A total of 40 species is considered as new record for this state. This inventory aims to offer valuable information that can be used as general guidelines for future research of Sabah spider fauna.

In 2003 , we published the first list of termites (20) species from an ex-felled peat soil oil palm plantation located to the northeast of Endau Rompin National Park. In this paper we present an annotated checklist from the same site based on collections of a decade (October 2001 to October 2011). The list provided here was generated from collections using various sampling methods in addition to only transect method where the first list was made.We can be certain that a total of 55 species of termites from five functional taxonomic groups can be found at this site. Status of the species from the initial list were revised and updated. The current list suggested that the total number of species known so far from a single oil palm plantation site converted from peat swamp forest in Malaysia was considerably higher compared to collections made by researchers from other sites. We propose comparative collections be made on termite assemblages from the natural forest particularly the peat ...

The first winged insects evolved from a wingless ancestor, but details of the transition from wingless to winged morphology remains unclear. Studying extant pterygotes undergoing secondary flight loss may help to understand such a transition in reverse temporal sequence. Stick insects (Order Phasmatodea) are characterized with slender body shape and exhibit various intermediates between transitions between fully-winged and wingless forms. Here, we studied the flight-related parameters of wings and body-leg system in different phasmids over a wing loading range from 1.4 – 2300 Nm−2 to address how these traits may correlate with flight evolution. Phasmid wings exhibited low aspect ratios (1.2 to 2.7) that was correlated with wing size. With reduced size, wing venation exhibited structural reconfiguration and the wingbase shifted nearer to the center of body mass, which position was highly conserved despite a wide range of variation in body shape. In addition, the masses of the wings a...

Sonneratia caseolaris commonly known as mangrove apple or Berembang in the Malay language, is a species of plant in the family Lythraceae. Area of S. caseolaris along Selangor River in Kampung Kuantan has become a natural habitat for a variety of arthropods. This study aimed to identify the species variations in arthropod communities at different selected stations along Selangor River at two different sampling times. Present study was conducted for six consecutive months (August 2010 until January 2011) at 19 selected stations along the Selangor River. Sampling was conducted once per day and night. Sweeping method by using sweep nets were used as the arthropod sampling method. Data analysis was done quantitatively to determine the composition of arthropod community. A total of 7,707 individual arthropods collected belonging to 10 different orders consisting of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, Lepidoptera, Blattodea, Mantodea and Araneae. A total of ...

Coleoptera adalah kumpulan serangga yang mempunyai kepelbagaian yang tinggi dan memainkan peranan yang penting di dalam ekosistem. Ia turut mempunyai kepentingan ekonomi terutamanya di dalam industri sawit. Satu kajian mengenai kepelbagaian dan kelimpahan kumbang tanah (Coleoptera: Carabidae) pada jenis tanah berbeza di Ladang Kelapa Sawit Endau-Rompin, Pahang telah dijalankan dari tahun 2009 sehingga tahun 2012 Objektif kajian adalah untuk mengkaji kepelbagaian dan kelimpahan kumbang tanah Carabid dan menyediakan satu inventori kumbang tanah Carabid di ladang kelapa sawit Endau-Rompin, Pahang. Persampelan yang digunakan untuk kumbang tanah Carabid ini adalah menggunakan transek dan perangkap cahaya (UV). Sejumlah 657 individu kumbang tanah Carabid telah berjaya direkodkan untuk hasil kajian ini. Terdapat lima subfamili iaitu Harpalinae (75.64%), Trechinae (14.46%), Scaritinae (8.37%), Cicindelinae (1.38%) dan Lebiinae (0.15%) yang telah direkod. Indeks Kepelbagaian Shannon-Wiener (...

A morphometric analysis was conducted on Rhynchophorus vulneratus and R. ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from insular and mainland populations. Twenty-three morphological characters were measured and the data were analysed using independent t-test, principal component analysis (PCA) and discrimination function analysis (DFA). Using independent t-test, all characters were found to be significant at p &lt; 0.05, except distance between eyes (ED), mesotarsus length (F2Ta) and metatarsus length (F3Ta). In PCA, cumulative variations of 80.7% were recorded from the first two principal components, resulting from high loadings in elytra length (EL), elytra width (EW) and pronotum length (PL). For DFA, a single function explained a canonical correlation of 0.952 with 100.0% of variation and the Wilk’s Lambda statistics (0.094) was strongly supported with p &lt; 0.0001. The highest character loadings were the total length (TL), elytra width (EW) and pronotum length (PL), which were us...

This is the first series on harvestmen species representing a total of 67 species from 25 genera and 9 families of harvestmen (Opiliones) from Malaysia compiled from available literatures between 1900s till date. In addition, the preliminary field survey identified six harvestmen species which are Dentobunus luteus, Gagrella longipalpis, Koyamaia curvipes, Marthana ferruginea, Zaleptus quadrimaculata and Hoplodino gapensis collected at Bukit Sawak, Langkawi Island (Kedah) and Hutan Lipur Lata Jarum (Pahang) which are considered as new locality record for this country. This information could serve as basic guideline and reference for future studies on harvestmen in Malaysia.

Kajian taksonomi berasaskan morfometrik merupakan satu teknik yang sering digunakan untuk pemisahan spesies. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji perbezaan antara spesies harvestmen berasaskan analisis morfometrik. Sampel harvestmen yang telah dikumpul dari Lata Jarum, Pahang dalam simpanan Pusat Sistematik Serangga UKM (PSSUKM) telah digunakan. Sebanyak 21 parameter morfometrik diukur dengan menggunakan Mikroskop Digital Dino-Lite dalam unit milimeter (mm). Hasil daripada analisis univariat tidak berkesan untuk memisahkan antara spesies. Analisis kanonikal diskriminan (CDA) menggunakan Nisbah Satu dapat membezakan kelima-lima spesies kepada empat kelompok iaitu Zaleptus quadrimaculata dengan Dentobunus luteus , Marthanella ferruginea , Marthana sp.1 dan Marthana sp.2 tetapi analisis Komponen Prinsipal (PCA) menggunakan data Nisbah Dua hanya dapat membezakan spesies kepada dua kelompok iaitu Zaleptus quadrimaculata , Dentobunus luteus , Marthana sp.1 dan Marthana sp.2 dan kelompok ke...

Kajian terhadap struktur komuniti tanah di kawasan ladang monokultur masih kurang dan tidak meluas sedangkan komuniti ini memberi sumbangan besar terhadap kestabilan sesuatu ekosistem. Tujuan kajian adalah untuk menentukan perbezaan komposisi makroartropoda yang berasosiasi dengan biojisim sawit mereput di atas tiga jenis tanah yang berbeza berdasarkan kumpulan pemakanan. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah garis transek dengan lima unit persampelan (kuadrat) pada tiga jenis tanah yang berbeza di ekosistem sawit Ladang Endau Rompin, Pahang iaitu di tanah liat, tanah gambut cetek dan juga tanah gambut dalam. Jumlah keseluruhan unit persampelan adalah 15 unit dan persampelan dilakukan sebanyak tiga kali. Sejumlah 942 individu daripada 14 order makroartropoda dan 38 famili berjaya disampel di Ladang Endau Rompin. Kajian ini memperolehi empat kelas artropoda iaitu Arachnida, Heksapoda, Malacostraca dan Miriapoda. Jenis tanah yang mencatatkan bilangan individu artropoda masing-masing iaitu tan...

One of the roles of insects in human life is to provide a balanced ecosystem. The contribution of insects in science is endless, with more discoveries in species that can be studied further. In Islam, scholars have described the legal texts as revelation and evidence of Allah&#39;s greatness besides giving numerous lessons to human beings. However, no study has yet been done to systematically analyse the themes and lessons in which insects are mentioned in Islamic law&#39;s primary scriptures. This study identified and analysed the insects mentioned in the Qur&#39;an and Sunnah according to the lexical themes. This study used the content analysis method on the primary sources of revealed knowledge in Islam. With the way of insects found based on 6236 verses analysed from the Quran, the list was then imported as theoretical samples and continued with the thousands of hadiths found in Sunan Sittah, the primary document reference hadith in Islam. This study found that insects have been...

Serangga memainkan peranan yang sangat penting di dalam ekosistem pertanian dan merangkumi pelbagai kumpulan berfungsi. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan arah pergerakan komuniti serangga yang merentasi ekosistem sawit pada sempadan guna tanah berbeza. Kajian ini dijalankan di Ladang Endau-Rompin (LER), Pahang. Enam stesen persampelan ditempatkan di dalam dan pinggir LER. Persampelan dilakukan menggunakan perangkap langgar-jatuh. Sejumlah 4,217 individu serangga terdiri daripada sembilan order merangkumi 81 famili telah diperoleh. Lapan order tersebut terdiri daripada Hymenoptera, Blattodea, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Orthoptera, Dermaptera, Lepidoptera, dan Siphonaptera. Tiga famili paling melimpah adalah Sciaridae (585 individu; 13.87%), Dolichopodidae (517 individu; 12.26%), dan Nitidulidae (382 individu; 9.06%). Ini diikuti dengan Formicidae (346 individu; 8.20%) dan Curculionidae (273 individu; 6.47%). Famili-famili serangga yang lain mempunyai peratus individu y...

The Bitara-STEMTM Training of Trainer Programme is a short-term professional development programme aimed to increase STEM teachers or facilitators’ abilities to teach integrated STEM education and to increase their efficacy, beliefs and attitudes of integrated STEM teaching. The programme involves 35 facilitators, representing a broad spectrum of STEM fields. Pre- and post-test results of the participants’ beliefs, attitudes, perceived efficacy and content knowledge in the context of integrated STEM teaching revealed significant changes. The findings also revealed (i) knowledge of integrated STEM teaching to be related to facilitators’ efficacy for teaching integrated STEM and (ii) facilitators’ attitudes to be related to beliefs of integrated STEM teaching. The outcomes of this study provide evidence that a relatively short-term professional development can have a significant impact on facilitators’ beliefs, attitudes, efficacy and knowledge of integrated STEM teaching and STEM con...

The crisis of error and confusion of knowledge in cumulative today is inevitable as it has given birth to the false leaders who are incapable of making correct decision in their scope of responsibilities. Secularism as the poisoning ideology had inflicted chaos to the proper metaphysical realm of God with the subordination of existents in ranks through their corpus of so-called modern knowledge that have been rendered dominantly yet arguably as mainstream intellectualism. The nature of unified and hierarchical knowledge is mistreated and broken into fragmentation because the supreme, first principle of Tawhid as the soul of Islamic thought is suspended in knowledge production of modern science. As an antidote to this issue fast forward after the Islamization of knowledge was introduced, the idea of integration of knowledge was also brought into the picture to resolve the same brand crisis. However, the initiative of integration of knowledge as one of those has been grappling to pres...

One of the themes discussed in Makkiah verses is invitation to Tawhid and the apporach in which Allah SWT confronts the musyrikin is the use of rasional evidences, analogy, and kawniyyat verses as methods to face the musyrik. This article aims to introduce a design of 21st century method of dakwah through kawniyyat verse discussion as a da’wah approach among Gifted And Talented Muslim Scholars. Library research method was used in designing NAQul Insan ™; an academic scholarly talk on the modern science-oriented exegesis of kawniyyat verses (tafsir ‘ilmi) using a casual public speaking presentation techniques with multimedia features. The streaming audiovisual display accompanies speakers at the background which details the meaning for the stand upper. The study found NAQul Insan™ is a medium of dakwah that is in line with the era of knowledge developmental and technological sophistication which demanded an empirical evidences. The ayat kawniyyat thematic discussion are relevant as c...

The purpose of this study is to observe students’ reflection towards the integration of Tawhidic Science at the program “Kem Pandang Alam”, at Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Reserve and several other locations nearby Tanjung Tuan, Teluk Kemang and Si Rusa, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan Malaysia. The respondents of this study were 32 students from tahfiz schools and tahfiz science schools (15 boys and 17 girls). These students were exclusively selected candidates from their respective schools. Data were analysed based on constant comparative analysis. The finding reveals that there were seven themes including greatness of God’s knowledge; nature as the source of knowledge, education and lesson; improvement of faith; self-development, the formation of identity, the increase of awareness, and the closer of social relations. The implication of this study is to expose these students the importance of the integration of Tawhidic Science where science and religion are inseparable from everyday life.

Worldview is a mental concept on how we understand and view the world. It shapes our views on the concept of human and its nature. The concept of man in Islam has never been changed despite being embraced by millions of people from different races and countries. This is because Muslim has the same worldview which give a clear concept of man. Thus Muslim has a consensus regarding this issue and remains constant throughout the times. This is in contrast to the Western that has through several changes in their views on man according to the evolution of western worldview. Generally, their view of man evolved from the ancient Greek creation&#39;s myth to Christian views, and ultimately to the naturalistic worldview. This article discusses the relationship between the evolution of the worldview and the view and perspective to the concept of man. Abstrak: Tasawur mempengaruhi pandangan manusia terhadap persoalan hakikat dan kejadian manusia. Pandangan Islam terhadap persoalan ini tidak per...

Diversity of spider groups have received less research attention and there are limited published references for spiders from Peninsular Malaysia. The current survey was conducted to locate and identify foliage-dwelling spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) at five different sites in Peninsular Malaysia. Spider specimens were collected using manual search and sweep-netting between September 2012 and November 2012. A total of 92 morpho-species from 65 genera that belong to 15 families have been successfully recorded and identified. The greatest proportion of specimens captured (40%) were Foliage-runners (Clubionidae, Miturgidae, Oxyopidae, Pisauridae, Salticidae, Scytodidae, Thomisidae), followed by orb-weavers (Araniedae, Nephilidae, Tetragnathidae, Uloboridae) (36.5%), space-weavers (Pholcidae, Psechridae Theridiidae) (21.5%) and ground-dwellers (Sparassidae) (2.0%). Cluster analysis has revealed that the same habitat types share a more similar diversity composition compared to different hab...

The recognition of intraspecific variation could enhance knowledge and understanding on the population divergence that might be resulted from different geographical areas. To study the possible effect derived from different locations, a morphometric study of the red stripe weevils, Rhynchophorus vulneratus from different localities in Malaysia was conducted using field and voucher specimens. A total of twenty-three morphological characters were examined from 108 individuals of R. vulneratus representing population of Kota Samarahan, Mukah and central of Peninsular Malaysia. The data were subjected to univariate one-way single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysed in factor analysis using SPSS version 22.0 software. Univariate ANOVA showed that all tested variables were significantly different (p&lt;0.05) except for mesocoxal distance (MSD), meanwhile from the factor analysis, the first three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 were successfully extracted, resulting in a high variation of 82.687%. For factor 1, 39.213% of total variation was recorded, factor 2 accounted for 34.096% and factor 3 contributing to 9.377%, respectively. The mixed plotting among the twenty-three morphological characters suggests a strong correlation among the parameters examined and further statistical analysis should be conducted to include environmental factors such as habitat types, food availability and predation effect.The recognition of intraspecific variation could enhance knowledge and understanding on the population divergence that might be resulted from different geographical areas. To study the possible effect derived from different locations, a morphometric study of the red stripe weevils, Rhynchophorus vulneratus from different localities in Malaysia was conducted using field and voucher specimens. A total of twenty-three morphological characters were examined from 108 individuals of R. vulneratus representing population of Kota Samarahan, Mukah and central of Peninsular Malaysia. The data were subjected to univariate one-way single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysed in factor analysis using SPSS version 22.0 software. Univariate ANOVA showed that all tested variables were significantly different (p&lt;0.05) except for mesocoxal distance (MSD), meanwhile from the factor analysis, the first three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 were successfully extracted, resulting in a high variation of 82....

The evolutionary transition between winglessness and a full-winged morphology requires selective advantage for intermediate forms. Conversely, repeated secondary wing reductions among the pterygotes indicates relaxation of such selection. However, evolutionary trajectories of such transitions are not well characterized. The stick insects (Phasmatodea) exhibit diverse wing sizes at both interspecific and intersexual levels, and thus provide a system for examining how selection on flight capability, along with other selective forces, drives the evolution of flight-related morphology. Here, we examine variation in relevant morphology for stick insects using data from 1100+ individuals representing 765 species. Although wing size varies along a continuous spectrum, taxa with either long or miniaturized wings are the most common, whereas those with intermediate-sized wings are relatively rare. In a morphological space defined by wing and body size, the aerodynamically relevant parameter ...

College students’ attrition in engineering programs is a major problem in developed and developing countries. Outreach activities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are a powerful resource to ignite K-12 students’ interest to pursue scientific and engineering careers. Here, a program on mechatronics for Malaysian high-schoolers developed at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering and implemented at the National University of Malaysia is presented. The program follows a dual model where instructors and students work together on a project-based learning curriculum inspired by real-world problems. A group of Malaysian graduate students and high-school teachers was trained to serve as instructors by the New York University team. After training, the New York University team aided the instructors to administer the curriculum to 100 high-schoolers and organize a one-day exhibit for families at the National University of Malaysia. Pre- and post-assessment surv...

Nasir DM, Wong CX, Bakri A, Rahim F, Yusoff NR. 2016. Short Communication: Spiders of Sabah: Fifty new records including the description of a new Leucauge species. Biodiversitas 17: 799-807. This paper is the second part of a continuing series, with the main objective of compiling and recording the spider species that can be found in Sabah, Malaysia. Based on the specimens collected during this field trip, a total of 50 new records of spider species from 11 families and 37 genera have been found. This includes one newly discovered spider species, the Leucauge sabahan sp. nov which is described based on a female specimen. It is hoped that this inventory can be used to assist in the knowledge about the spider species for this stage. In summary, an increment of 18% from the total number of spider species has contributed to a total of 272 recognized spider species recorded in Sabah, Malaysia.Keywords: Araneae, checklist, diversity, distribution, Borneo

We censused 18 field blocks approximately 190 ha with total of 28,604 palms in a grid of 2×4 palms from July 2011 to March 2013. The field blocks comprise of rows of palm trees, harvesting paths, field drains and stacking rows with maximum of 30 palms per row, planted about 9 m apart, alternately in maximum of 80 rows. SADIE analysis generating index of aggregation, Ia, local clustering value, Vi and local gap value, Vj is adopted to estimate spatial pattern. The patterns were then presented in contour map using Surfer 12 software. The patterns produced associated with factors i.e. habitat disturbance, habitat fragmentation and resources affecting nesting and foraging activities. Result shows that field blocks with great habitat disturbance recorded highest dead palms and termites hits. Blocks located far from the main access road recorded less than 2% palms with termite hits. This research may provide ecological data on termite spatial pattern in oil palm ecosystem.

Study on hemipteran at Endau Rompin Plantation (LER), Pahang was conducted at oil palm plantation planted at different type of soils. The aim of the study was to determine hemipteran diversity in oil palm ecosystem. Sampling was done from April 2012 to September 2012 by using Malaise and impact traps. Cicadellidae was the most abundance and dominance family with 105 individuals and 6 species (=morphospecies) recorded. The rarefaction curve becomes flatter to the right indicating a reasonable number of individual samples have been taken. Peat area show high Shannon index and Margalef index values compared to clay area.There were significant differences in hemipteran community between three type of soils (χ2=98.751,df=58,p&lt;0.05). As such, hemipteran abundance in oil palm plantation is affected by the type of soil.

Magnetic material such as magnetite are known as particles that respond to external magnetic field with their ferromagnetic properties as they are believed contribute to in responding to the geomagnetic field. These particles are used by terrestrial animals such as termites for navigation and orientation. Since our earth react as giant magnetic bar, the magnitude of this magnetic field present by intensity and direction (inclination and direction). The magnetic properties and presence of magnetite in termites Macrotermes gilvus, common mound-building termite were tested. M. gilvus termites was tested with a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer VSM to determine the magnetic properties of specimen. The crushed body sample was characterized with X-Ray Diffraction XRD to show the existent of magnetic material (magnetite) in the specimens. Results from VSM indicate that M. gilvus has diamagnetism properties. The characterization by XRD shows the existent of magnetic material in our specimen in low concentration.

The activities and abundance of termites are highly affected by the environment. The objective of this study is to determine the activity of termites according to the different time of sampling event namely morning and evening session. The belt transects (100 metre length x 4 metre width) was set up in a line across the oil palm plantation. The sampling time was divided to the morning session (8:00 am to12:00 pm) and the evening session (2.00 pm to 6.00 pm). The presence of termites at each sampling time was recorded. A total of 12 belt transects with six replications for each sampling time at four different localities (MyFKT, MyLSK, IdFRGB, and IdCPSK) were placed. The results showed that the morning session recorded more species (31 species) in comparison to the evening session (15 species), and there are significant differences between the two sessions (χ2=45,119, df=30, p&lt;0.05). Based on the autocorrelation, there are also significant differences on the termite’s activities b...