KOTA KINABALU: Two new species of bush crickets (katydids) are among the latest discoveries in an integrated study conducted in parts of Sabah over the last six years, contributing further to Sabah’s rainforest biodiversity study.
These new cricket species – Tapiena dimidia from Maliau Basin, and Tapiena munae from the interior Long Pasia – were recorded from the collaborative research project conducted by the Sabah Forestry Department, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) and Natural History Museum of Paris, France (MNHN).
Other new discoveries, such as new locality records and descriptions of calling songs of bush crickets from the family Phaneropterinae were documented in the newly published paper in Zootaxa 5604 (4): 505-528 on March 17.
Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan emphasises the importance of research collaboration in biodiversity conservation, more so in the diverse groups of tropical insects.
“It is through networking with the scientific experts that we are able to explore more of the interesting information from the rainforests,” Kugan said in a statement.
He said such data will contribute towards a better understanding of the inhabitants and their ecology in Sabah’s forests.
The discovery of new species will enhance conservation efforts of the department within the selected forest reserves in the state, Kugan added.
He thanked the Sabah Biodiversity Centre, Yayasan Sabah and others who have assisted during the fieldwork, as indicated in the acknowledgements of the paper.
According to the paper, lead author Dr Tan Ming Kai (LKCNHM), together with Dr Tony Robillard (MNHN), have been working on this group of insects with various scientists and researchers for six years since 2019.
They are Dr Arthur Chung (Sabah Forestry Department) and the Forest Research Centre Entomology Team (Razy J., Dg. Fazrinah, John LY, Herwin M. and Azizan A.), with support from the Sabah Biodiversity Council among others.
The recent collaborative project received funding from the National Geographic Society.
