The Miltochrista obliquilinea (Swinhoe, 1901) species-group is revised. Four new species are described: M. konta Volynkin, Černý N. Singh, sp. n. (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam), M. adelfika Volynkin, N. Singh, Černý, Kirti Datta, sp. n. (India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam), M. stenovalva Volynkin, N. Singh, Černý, Kirti Datta, sp. n. (India and Thailand) and M. lavides Volynkin, Černý N. Singh, sp. n. (Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam). The lectotype for Lyclene obliquilinea Swinhoe, 1901 is designated. Adults, male and female genitalia are illustrated.
Two replacement names of the genus group in Micronoctuini (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Hypenodinae), Tentaxus nom. nov. pro Tentax Fibiger 2011 (unavailable name) and Flaxus nom. nov. pro Flax Fibiger 2011 (unavailable name) are proposed; 43 new conbinations (comb. nov.) are stated. A new species T. zhangweiweii Han & Kononenko, sp. nov. is described from Borneo (Sabah, East Malaysia).
Perbandingan sebatian aroma perisa serupa gula kabung yang diperolehi melalui tindak balas Maillard dan gula kabung tradisional ditentukan menggunakan analisis kromatografi gas. Sampel disimpan selama lapan minggu pada suhu bilik. Secara keseluruhan, aroma perisa serupa gula kabung menunjukkan kepekatan sebatian impak cirian yang lebih tinggi berbanding gula kabung tradisional sepanjang lapan minggu tempoh penyimpanan. Perubahan yang signifikan (p<0.05) terhadap kepekatan sebatian aroma diperolehi pada minggu kelima penyimpanan pada kedua-dua sampel. Sebatian 2-Etil-3,5-dimetil pirazina (EDMP), 2,3-dietil-5-metil pirazina (DEMP), 5-metil-6,7-dihidro-5H-siklopentapirazina (SPP) dan furaneol merupakan sebatian impak cirian utama yang bertanggungjawab terhadap perubahan kualiti aroma dan penerimaan perisa serupa gula kabung.
Two new species and one subspecies of the genus Cechetra Zolotuhin Ryabov, 2012 are described from South-East Asia. Cechetra bryki sp.n. is described from Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), southwestern China and northern Vietnam. This species is most closely related in habitus, male genitalia morphology and COI mtDNA to the sympatric species, C. lineosa (Walker, 1856) and C. scotti (Rothschild, 1920) in habitus, male genitalia morphology and COI mtDNA. Cechetra inconspicua sp.n. is described from Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. In habitus, it is closest to C. lineosa and C.subangustata (Rothschild, 1920), but its COI mtDNA (COI-5P "barcode region") is very different from all other species in the genus. Cechetra subangustata continentalis ssp.n. is described from continental Indochina and Taiwan. It differs from the nominotypical subspecies in habitus. Cechetra scotti comb. nov. is transferred to Cechetra from Cechenena Rothschild Jordan, 1903.
The genus Tolpia Walker 1863 is reviewed. Five new species: Tolpia ysbaei sp. n., T. qiongensis sp. n., T. subhainanensis sp. n., T. kohkonga sp. n. and T. michaeli sp. n. are described from South China, Cambodia and Malaysia. New collecting data for other species treated in the article are presented. Among them three species, Tolpia bhutani Fibiger, 2007, T. unguis Fibiger, 2007 and T. sikkimi Fibiger, 2007, are reported from China for the first time and T. multiprocessa Fibiger, 2008 is first reported from Cambodia. Keys for identifying species in the odor, unguis, peniculus, conscitulana and crispus species-groups are presented. The checklist of the genus Tolpia comprises 35 species including newly described species and four incertae sedis.
Sumatra is the second largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, but it is one of the most poorly explored areas for species diversity of the family Lecithoceridae, with less than 10 known species. In the present paper, six new species of Thubana Walker, 1864 (T. sumatrana sp. nov., T. spiniosa sp. nov., T. lata sp. nov., T. prapatensis sp. nov., T. siantarensis sp. nov., and T. selenisa sp. nov.) and three new species of Torodora Meyrick (T. diehliella sp. nov., T. exilivalvata sp. nov., and T. squariella sp. nov.) are described from Sumatra. In addition, Thubana ochracea Park & Abang, 2005, which was described from Sarawak, Malaysia, is reported for the first time from Sumatra. Illustrations of adults and genitalia of all new species are given. A list of the known species of the subfamily Torodorinae from Indonesia is provided.
Pseudomonas sp. strain SS22 telah dipencilkan daripada kolam oksidasi kilang minyak kelapa sawit di Malaysia. Dalam kajian ini, keupayaaan bakteria ini mentransformasikan asid oleik kepada produk baru telah dikaji. Produk biotransformasi dianalisis dengan kromatografi lapisan nipis (KLN), kromatografi gas (KG), spektroskopi inframerah gandingan fourier (SIGF) dan kromatografi gas-spektrometri jisim (KG-s.1). Analisis KLN menunjukkan bahawa hanya satu produk baru terbentuk selepas 7 hari eraman pada suhu 37°C, goncangan pada 150 ppm. Semakin lama eraman menyebabkan pengurangan titik produk pada 14 harL Analisis KG menunjukkan bahawa 5 puncak produk baru pada masa penahanan 13.1(*A), 15.0 (*C), 15.3 (*D), 16.8 (*E) dan 18.4 (*F) minit telah terbentuk selepas 7 hari eraman. Spektrum inframerah (Im) bagi produk yang terbentuk daripada asid oleik selepas 7 hari, menunjukkan kewujudan regangan OH/NH pada 3417 cm-'. Serapan pada 2673 cm-', kemungkinan regangan CH bersama-sama dengan kumpulan karbonil. Serapan pada 1712 cm-' adalah konstan dengan regangan c=o daripada keton atau asid karboksilik. Regangan CH pada 2932, 2854, 1462 dan 1379 cm-1 merupakan kumpulan alkil, menandakan produk hidrokarbon juga wujud dalam produk campuran. Kehadiran CH/C-C pada serapan 969 dan 725 cm-', menandakan kewujudan alkena trans (C=C). Analisis KG-SJ mengesahkan bahawa produk tersebut merupakan campuran asid 9(E)- heksadekenoik, asid kaprilik, asid miristik dan hidrokarbon. Walaupun produk yang terbentuk bercampur, asid 9(E)-heksadekenoik boleh digunakan sebagai komponen membran lipidnya. Penghasilan produk tersebut boleh dipertingkatkan dengan mengoptimumkan keadaan pertumbuhan.
Kajian Morbiditi Kesihatan Kebangsaan 2006 menunjukkan amalan Pemeriksaan Sendiri Payudara (PSP) masih rendah di kalangan wanita Malaysia walaupun berbagai program kesedaran telah dilakukan. Kajian ini dilakukan dari bulan Mei hingga Disember 2008, untuk mengkaji perubahan tahap pengetahuan, amalan dan sikap jururawat di Hospital Kuala Krai, Kelantan terhadap amalan PSP setelah program intervensi pendidikan kesihatan diadakan. Objektif kajian ialah untuk meningkatkan amalan PSP di kalangan jururawat di hospital tersebut. Kajian dilakukan secara intervensi pra dan pasca uji tanpa perbandingan. Responden terdiri daripada 43 orang yang dipilih melalui persampelan rawak mudah. Alat kajian yang digunakan ialah borang soal selidik melalui sesi temu ramah bersemuka dengan responden. Program intervensi pendidikan kesihatan termasuk ceramah, demontrasi PSP, kaunseling dan pameran diadakan untuk mengajar jururawat tentang masa yang sesuai, kekerapan dan teknik melakukan PSP dengan betul. Hasil menunjukkan terdapat perubahan yang signifikan bagi tahap pengetahuan (p < 0.001)sebelum dan selepas intervensi. Namun, analisis amalan pula menunjukkan tidak terdapat perubahan yang signifikan terhadap amalan PSP yang betul (p = 0.083). Analisis sikap menunjukkan kesemua 43 orang atau 100% responden telah berubah dari negatif menjadi positif terhadap persepsi-persepsi kerentanan, halangan dan faedah melakukan PSP. Tidak terdapat hubungan di antara sosio-demografik responden dengan tingkah laku PSP (p = 0.63). Walaupun dalam aspek amalan, perubahan sebelum dan selepas intervensi masih rendah dan tidak signifikan, perlaksanaan intervensi pendidikan kesihatan ini telah dapat mencetuskan sedikit perubahan di kalangan jururawat dari Hospital Kuala Kerai walaupun tidak secara menyeluruh.
Beberapa siri pengiraan ab-initio telah dijalankan bagi meneliti perubahan bentuk struktur dan ciri elektronik noktah kuantum silikon berdasarkan kesan pempasifan bahan bukan organik, hidroksil (OH) dan bahan organik, metil (CH3). Hasil pengoptimuman geometri menunjukkan bahawa noktah kuantum yang dipasifkan secara tepu dengan bahan organik dan bukan organik perlu menjalani proses penstrukturan semula keadaan permukaan bagi membolehkan pempasifan permukaan tepu dijalankan tanpa meninggalkan sebarang ikatan terjuntai. Kajian juga mendapati bahawa panjang ikatan meningkat pada ikatan silikon-hidroksil pada permukaan noktah kuantum. Manakala, herotan diperhatikan semasa proses pengenduran dinamik di bahagian teras noktah kuantum. Bagi pempasif metil pula, peningkatan ikatan silikon-metil pada permukaan meningkat lebih ketara, sementara pembentukan geometri tetrahedral pada bahagian teras dikekalkan. Hal ini menyumbang kepada kesan pengurungan elektron yang lebih jelas. Ringkasnya, kedua-dua jenis pempasif memberikan kesan perubahan penting pada ciri elektronik dalam tiga perspektif. Pertama, terdapat pengurangan nilai jurang tenaga apabila bahan pempasif yang digunakan mempunyai darjah kebebasan pergerakan yang sangat dinamik menyebabkan pengherotan pada bahagian teras. Kedua, walaupun kehadiran kedua-dua pempasif mempengaruhi nilai jurang tenaga, namun ia tetap menunjukkan sifat elektronik tenaga jurang-langsung. Ketiga, kewujudan jurang tenaga kecil juga diperhatikan agak ketara dalam jalur tenaga bagi noktah kuantum bersaiz kecil, dengan kesan kehadirannya boleh menyebabkan pengurangan hasil kuantum semasa proses eksiton berlaku.
Asian herminiine moths of the Herminia decipiens complex are revised and five allopatric species are recognized, i.e. Herminia decipiens (Hampson, 1898) in Nilgiri Hills, Khasi Hills, South China, Indochina, Malay Peninsula, H. terminalis (Wileman, 1915) in Taiwan, H. yuksam sp. nov. in East Nepal, Sikkim, H. borneo sp. nov. in Borneo and H. amamioshima sp. nov. in Amami-oshima Is., Shimo-Koshikijima Is. and South Kyushu (Kagoshima). Key to all species is given.
The immature stages of necrophagous insects such as Diptera and Coleoptera play a vital ecological role in carrion decomposition. These invertebrates reduce the necromass significantly through consumption and recycle nutrients into organic forms which are readily being used by autotrophs or served as an abiotic storage in the soil ecosystem. Fly and beetle larvae are frequently encountered decomposers on ephemeral resource patches; however, lepidopterans associated with carrion decomposition is seldom reported. Here, we report colonization of Monopis sp. (Tineidae) and an unknown species of Psychidae on a rat carcass, and a Lithosiini caterpillar (Arctiidae) on a rabbit carcass in Peninsular Malaysia for the first time. The feeding behaviour and their potential forensic implications are discussed.
The genus Enispa Walker, 1866, type species: Enispa eosarialis Walker, 1866 [Borneo, Sarawak] (= Micraeschus Butler, 1878, type species: Hyria elataria Walker, 1861 [Sri Lanka]), contains several species, about 20 of which described and many still undescribed, some also probably misplaced. The genus occurs in Indo-Australian tropics and subtropics. Presently there are 5 species known from Borneo, with mention of several undescribed Enispa-like species (Holloway, 2009). From Thailand there are 8 species illustrated in Kononenko & Pinratana's (2013) book, 5 of which unidentified and some others, based on specimens originated from present author, which most probably are not Enispa. Nielsen & al. (1996) mentioned 7 species in Australia.
Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) bagworm is a leaf-eater caterpillar ubiquitously found as a damaging pest in oil palm plantations, specifically in Malaysia. Various strategies have been implemented, including the usage of chemical insecticides. However, the main challenges include the development of insecticide resistance and its detrimental effects on the environment and non-target organisms. Therefore, a biorational insecticide is introduced by targeting the juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthetic pathway, which is mainly present in the insect and vital for the insect's growth, diapause, metamorphosis, and adult reproduction. This study aimed to investigate the potential inhibitor for the rate-limiting enzyme involved in the JH pathway known as farnesol dehydrogenase. A 255 amino acids sequence encoded for the putative M. plana farnesol dehydrogenase (MpFolDH) open reading frame had been identified and isolated. The three-dimensional structure of MpFolDH was predicted to have seven β- sheets with α-helices at both sides, showing typical characteristics for classical short-chain dehydrogenase and associated with oxidoreductase activity. Then, the ensemble-based virtual screening was conducted based on the ZINC20 database, in which 43 768 compounds that fulfilled pesticide-likeness criteria were screened by site-specific molecular docking. After a short molecular dynamics simulation (5 ns) was conducted towards 102 compounds, only the top 10 compounds based on their most favourable binding energy were selected for a more extended simulation (100 ns). Based on the protein-ligand stability, protein compactness, residues rigidity, binding interaction, binding energy throughout the 100 ns simulation, and physicochemical analysis, ZINC000408743205 was selected as a potential inhibitor for this enzyme. Amino acids decomposition analysis indicates Ile18, Ala95, Val198 and Val202 were the critical contributor residues for MpFolDH-inhibitors(s) complex.
This article presents characteristics of the habitats of Melitaea gina Higgins, 1941 and describes the behavior of adults under natural conditions, their host plant, egg chorion, caterpillars, and pupa morphology. The morphology of the early stages and the taxonomy of M. gina are discussed.
Resource partitioning among tropical bats in agricultural areas of Peninsular Malaysia remains unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate resource partitioning among bats by examining their fecal samples. The main bat species sampled included: Rhinolophus coelophyllus, Rhinolophus malayanus, Rhinolophus pusillus, Rhinolophus refulgens, Taphozous melanopogon and Hipposideros larvatus. Two harp traps were set at different elevations on a hilltop (Gunung Keriang) and two high nets were used in neighboring rice fields at three sites, for three consecutive nights per sampling from April 2021 to February 2022. A total of 301 bats and 1,505 pellets were analyzed using a conventional approach which examined the fecal sample under the microscope. All of the bat species within the study had insects from the order Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera in their diet. Larger bats exhibited a greater variety of prey consumption. Male individuals were observed to be generalists while female individuals were specialists, particularly during pregnancy and lactating reproductive stages. Bat species and insect order had a significant impact on the percentage fragment frequency of the insects consumed. Rhinolophus coelophyllus specialized in feeding on Coleoptera and Diptera, H. larvatus fed on Coleoptera, R. malayanus fed on Hemiptera, R. pusillus and T. melanopogon fed on Lepidoptera. Future molecular analysis can be carried out to further identify the insect pests consumed by these bats up to species level. These findings enhance our understanding of bats' ecological roles in agricultural landscapes and contribute to conservation and pest management strategies.
Seasonal changes in Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) community was studied at rivers in Gunung Jerai Forest Reserve, Kedah, Malaysia. The rivers were visited monthly from September 2007 to August 2008 to sample aquatic insects using D-pond nets. More EPT were found in the wet season (10664 individuals) compared with the dry season (6599 individuals). In all rivers, ephemeropteran populations was highest during the wet season (z=-2.465, p=0.014). Meanwhile, the plecopteran population was low and almost constant throughout seasons in all rivers (z=-2.280, p=0.023). Trichopterans exhibited the highest peak of abundance in the dry season (z=-6.096, p=0.00). Concomitantly, higher diversity was recorded in the dry season (29 taxa) compared with 25 taxa recorded in wet season from all rivers. Tupah River had the most diverse EPT assemblage during the dry season. In wet season, the abundance of ephemeropterans genera such as Baetis, Platybaetis, Campsoneuria and Thalerosphyrus increased tremendously especially in Teroi River.
Pemodelan persamaan struktur (SEM) merupakan analisis statistik multivariat yang mengkaji hubungan antara konstruk mengikut teori atau kajian terdahulu melalui model hipotesis yang dibina. Kebiasaannya, kaedah penganggaran yang digunakan dalam analisis pemodelan ini adalah penganggaran kebolehjadian maksimum (ML). Kaedah penganggaran tersebut memerlukan taburan data yang bersifat kenormalan multivariat di samping memenuhi bilangan sampel yang tertentu. Oleh itu, penganggaran kuasa dua terkecil separa (PLS) amat berperanan dalam mengatasi dua kekangan berkenaan dan isu multikolineariti. Oleh itu, makalah ini bertujuan untuk melakukan analisis perbandingan keputusan pemodelan terhadap anggaran parameter dalam Model Kecemerlangan Prestasi Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (IPT) bersandarkan nilai teras bagi mendapatkan model akhir yang mematuhi kedua-dua teknik penganggaran ML dan PLS berkenaan. Model akhir merupakan model kecemerlangan yang disemak semula berdasarkan tahap kesignifikanan secara statistik dan penting secara praktikal bagi semua pekali lintasan dalam model. Kesimpulannya, kedua-dua teknik penganggaran yang digunakan saling melengkapi antara satu sama lain dan memberikan nilai tambah kepada model hipotesis yang diuji.
Kajian untuk memelihara Sycanus dichotomus Stal. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), serangga pemangsa ulat bungkus tanaman sawit, Metisa plana Walker (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) dengan menggunakan larva dua spesies serangga, Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) dan Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) telah dilakukan di makmal. Kemandirian hidup (%), bilangan telur yang menetas dan tempoh (hari) perkembangan pemangsa (lima peringkat nimfa) telah direkodkan. Min tempoh perkembangan pemangsa peringkat nimfa pertama hingga kelima pemangsa apabila diberi makan larva C. cephalonica masing-masingnya adalah 15.16, 12.09, 11.63, 14.25 dan 18.53 hari, manakala 15.21, 12.34, 12.64, 14.84 dan 21.89 hari apabila diberi makan T. molitor. Min masa perkembangan dari peringkat telur hingga dewasa S. dichotomus apabila diberi makan larva T. molitor adalah lebih lama (156.5 hari) dan berbeza secara bererti (t = 6.51; dk = 87; p < 0.05) berbanding apabila diberi makan dengan larva C. cephalonica (122.8 hari). Peratus kemandirian hidup S. dichotomus daripada peringkat nimfa pertama hingga dewasa adalah lebih tinggi (81%) apabila diberi larva T. molitor berbanding larva C. cephalonica (76%) sebagai makanan. Julat bilangan telur yang menetas apabila diberi makan larva T. molitor adalah antara 46.6 hingga 77.6 ekor. Keputusan menunjukkan S. dichotomus boleh dipelihara dengan menggunakan larva T. molitor sebagai makanan. Keputusan kajian ini juga diharapkan menjadi titik tolak permulaan penyelidikan seterusnya di dalam bidang hubungan mangsa-pemangsa bagi program kawalan biologi di ladang sawit.
Temporal changes of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) communities were investigated at the study area of Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest, Johor, Malaysia. Taxa diversity were also studied to determine the seasonality impact on certain benthic communities. Sampling of aquatic insects were carried out from November 2012 to July 2013 using rectangular dip net. As a result, more EPT were found during the dry season (1533 individuals) compared to wet season (321 individuals). Concomitantly, higher diversity was also recorded in the dry season. Among these three investigated orders, Trichoptera represented the most diverse community with three families recorded, followed by Plecoptera (2 families) and Ephemeroptera (1 family). Caddisfly family Hydropsychidae were found to be abundant in the study area. Therefore, seasonality impact on EPT assemblage at Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest is extremely evident.