KOTA KINABALU: Two new species of bush cricket (katydids) have been described among other discoveries in an integrated study conducted in Sabah over the last six years, contributing to the state's rainforest biodiversity study.
Tapiena dimidia from the Maliau Basin and Tapiena munae from interior Long Pasia were recorded from the collaborative research project involving the Sabah Forestry Department, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore) (LKCNHM) and Natural History Museum of Paris, France (MNHN).
Other discoveries, such as new locality records and descriptions of bush cricket song from the family Phaneropterinae were documented in the newly-published paper in the journal Zootaxa 5604 (4): 505-528 on Monday (March 17).
Chief conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan said research collaboration in biodiversity conservation was important, especially on the diverse groups of tropical insects.
“It is through networking with scientific experts that we can explore more of the interesting information from the rainforests,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (March 19).
He said such information contributed to a better understanding of Sabah's forest creatures.
The discovery also enhanced the department's conservation efforts in selected forest reserves, Kugan added.
He also thanked the Sabah Biodiversity Centre, Yayasan Sabah and others who participated in the field work.
The paper's lead author, Dr Tan Ming Kai of LKCNHM, and Dr Tony Robillard of MNHN, have been working on this group of insects with various scientists and researchers since 2019.
The recent collaborative project received funding from the National Geographic Society.
The specimens discovered will be deposited at the insect collection of the Forest Research Centre in Sepilok, under the Sabah Forestry Department.
