Salmah Yaakop

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia | ukm · Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology

Understanding the prey preference of Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) in Malaysia is important to guide conservation planning initiatives. The utilisation of DNA metabarcoding provides valuable insights, particularly in the field of carnivora diet research. This technique has been proven to be effective for identifying various species withi...

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are important predatory insects found in many croplands, but their patterns of diversity and assemblage in diverse crop management practices remain understudied, especially in southeastern Asia. Their existence denotes a crucial need to update the diversity and assemblage pattern in diverse crop management prac...

Dietary assessment plays a crucial role in comprehending the ecological dynamics and nutritional needs of herbivores and omnivores. The metabarcoding technique has emerged as a potent tool for exploring the dietary composition of these animals. However, various metabarcoding techniques have been developed, each with its own advantages and limitatio...

Gut microbiome studies have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential in unveiling the role of microbial communities in animals’ health and ecological processes. However, the lack of standardized protocols in sample handling and processing across studies introduces variability, impeding the comparability of findings. This...

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed genomics, presenting significant potential for advancing wildlife conservation. NGS technology offers opportunities and challenges for addressing scientific questions in wildlife management. Unfortunately, there is a lack of comprehensive records on NGS implementation in Southeast Asia, particularly...

Understanding the prey preference of Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) in Malaysia is important to guide conservation planning initiatives. The utilisation of DNA metabar-coding provides valuable insights, particularly in the field of carnivora diet research. This technique has been proven to be effective for identifying various species with...

Solanum lasiocarpum (Solanaceae), commonly known as Terung Asam, is an indigenous crop in Sarawak, Borneo. The S. lasiocarpum is a renowned crop and is significant to the local and smallholder farmers for their household income. Study of insects associated with this crop is currently limited and lacking, despite their importance for Sarawak’s agron...

ABSTRAK Lebah dan penyengat merupakan agen pendebungaan efektif yang mendebunga spesies pokok berbunga hutan tropika. Walau bagaimanapun, tiada maklumat berkaitan spesies pendebunga ini dari Rizab Hidupan Liar Tengku Hassanal (RHLTH), Pahang, Malaysia. Kajian ke atas serangga pendebunga di RHLTH sebagai model hutan terpilih telah dijalankan untuk m...

ABSTRAK Penularan ulat ratus atau Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, ke atas tanaman jagung seluruh dunia menjadikan spesies ini sebagai satu ancaman utama kepada tanaman dagangan yang penting. Malaysia tidak terkecuali diserang oleh FAW dan data berkaitan musuh semulajadi FAW di negara ini, termasuk di Sarawak masih terhad. Oleh itu, kaji...

The yellow-assassin bug, Cosmolestes picticeps (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) is a generalist predator that has potential use as biological control agent in oil palm agroecosystem. They are known to feed on insect pests like bagworm. To facilitate understanding on the suitability of C. picticeps as an alternative means to manage oil palm pests, and little...

Elaeidobius kamerunicus is the most efficient pollinator of oil palm. Wolbachia is an endosymbiotic bacteria associated with E. kamerunicus that has a potential to affect the fecundity and fitness of the E. kamerunicus. Despite their importance, no studies have been conducted to investigate its prevalence in E. kamerunicus. The objectives of this s...

Ixodes granulatus Supino, 1897 (Acari: Ixodida) is one of Malaysia's most common hard ticks and is a potential vector for tick-borne diseases (TBDs). Despite its great public health importance, research on I. granulatus microbial communities remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the bacterial communities of on-host...

The Asian weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina is a natural enemy (predator) used as a biological control agent in Australia and several Southeast Asian nations against the most destructive and economically important oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis. For biological control of the invasive bagworm species Metisa plana in oil palm plantations, the...

To determine the social structure composition of the Asian weaver ant colony

The oil palm-pollinating weevil (Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust) was introduced from Cameroon, West Africa, to Malaysia in 1981, and subsequently, to other oil palm-growing countries as well. This study aims to develop a set of robust E. kamerunicus-specific nuclear DNA markers to directly assess the genetic diversity of the weevil populations. A to...

Study on the effect of gamma irradiation treatment on oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) is important in the field of sterile insect technique, SIT (50-100 Gy) and quarantine (100-400Gy). The purpose of the protocol is to ensure an implementation of good irradiation practice that would result in consistent and reliable...

The abundance of parasitoids in the oil palm plantation is greatly influenced by the host and food availability. However, studies on the main diet or food sources of the adult parasitoid wasp, Dolichogenidea metesae of the oil palm pest, Metisa plana is still lacking. This study investigated the diet of adult D. metesae sampledfrom Good Agricultur...

A new genus of the tribe Alysiini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae) is described with specimens from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and six new species are described: Anamalysia idiastimorpha sp. nov. (type species), A. knekosoma sp. nov. , A. mellipes sp. nov. , A. transversator sp. nov. , A. vandervechti sp. nov....

The long-tailed macaque ( Macaca fascicularis ) has a wide range in both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Although the primates are especially vulnerable to habitat alterations, this primate lives in disturbed habitats due to human-induced land-use. Thus, this study presents a faecal metabarcoding approach to clarify the plant diet of long-tailed ma...

Hemipterans are the diverse, abundant, and important pests in the paddy ecosystem due to their piercing and sucking mouthparts that feed on the crop causing significant losses in rice yields. Despite their important roles in the paddy ecosystem, the information on DNA barcode, diversity, and species richness has been occasionally discussed. This st...

Flies (Diptera) play a significant role in the ecosystem as pollinators and decomposers, and they are also important vermin and disease vectors. Studies on the dipteran species are still lacking in Malaysia; therefore, the dipteran species’ biology, morphology, distribution, and abundance are necessary. The objectives of this study were to identify...

An eco-friendly technique for rapid multiplication of the stingless bee colonies, species Heterotrigona itama from Malaysia, to achieve the most effective in vitro queen production is highly needed. In this study, there were significant differences in the volumes of the queen larval food collected from different wild combs (114 µL,127 µL, and 138 µ...

The bagworm species, Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae), is a major oil palm pest. The existence of M. plana parasitoids is reliant on the presence of the host (M. plana) and food supplies. However, no detailed information on their food web has been studied as a model system for community ecology, specifically in the oil palm ecosystem. Therefor...

The tick genus Amblyomma Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) has received little attention in Malaysia; therefore, its associated hosts and distribution records are poorly known. In this study, we collected six Amblyomma sp. individuals (two larvae and four adults) that infested a common treeshrew, Tupaia glis (Diard, 1820) (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) caught...

Microbiome studies of the parasitoid wasp, Dolichogenidea metesae (Nixon) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) are important because D. metesae has potential as a biological control agent to suppress the pest, Metisa plana Walker (Lepidoptera, Psychidae). Three field populations of parasitic wasps with different Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to c...

Flying fox ( Pteropus hypomelanus ) belongs to the frugivorous bats, which play a crucial role in maintaining proper functioning of an ecosystem and conservation of the environment. Bats are well-known carriers of pathogenic viruses, such as BatCov RaTG13 from the coronavirus family that share 90.55% with SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen causing recent glo...

Questing is a situation when a tick is seeking to get closer or ambush its potential host. However, information on questing tick species in Malaysia is still lacking, thus the association with tick-borne diseases (TBD) is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the tick species from five most frequently visited recreatio...

The sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, is a secondary pest that damages rice products and other stored grains. Analysis based on the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences data, the number of haplotypes (Hap) (n), haplotype diversity (Hd), haplotype network, genetic distance, and phylogeny between O. surinamensis populations...

Proposal by DG DWNP to publish 30 books between 2021 to 2026

Molecular clock analysis on the oil palm weevil has separated the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and Asiatic palm weevil, Rhynchophorus vulneratus as two sympatric species. Calibration was performed using the fossil of R. cruentatus which had evolved approximately 1 mya using sequences data of combined COI and Cytb. Divergence time indi...

Larvae of rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis attack rice crop at all three phases (from tillering until maturity stages). Their population throughout season was influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. Study on population fluctuation is important to understand the population dynamic and its factors in natural field condition. Thus, a study...

Simple Summary: Heterotrigona itama is the most abundant stingless bee species commonly found in many ecosystems and is actively domesticated in the meliponiculture industry. In this research, the honey quality is the main criterion to be evaluated and is correlated with the plant species that the bees consume as their main diet. The objective of t...

Wolbachia is a gram-negative bacterium from the family Anaplasmataceae and can be found in almost 70% of arthropods. This bacterium can alter the reproductive system of its hosts through four known effects such as Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI), male-killing, feminization and Parthenogenesis Inducing (PI). Besides, this bacterium has also been pr...

Leaf folder and stem borer are pest moths (Lepidoptera) of paddy crop and caused serious damage and significant rice yield loss. The richness, abundance, and diversity of the pest moths were calculated in one paddy planting season and sampled from a model conventional paddy field, located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Sabak Bernam, Sela...

Understanding dietary diversity is a fundamental task in the study of stump-tailed macaque, Macaca arctoides in its natural habitat. However, direct feeding observation and morphological identification using fecal samples are not effective and nearly impossible to obtain in natural habitats because this species is sensitive to human presence. As ec...

Study on the effect of gamma irradiation treatment on oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) is important in the field of sterile insect technique, SIT (50-100 Gy) and quarantine (100-400Gy). The purpose of the protocol is to ensure an implementation of good irradiation practice that would result in consistent and reliable...

Nor-Atikah et al.: Evaluation on colour changes, survival rate and life span of the confused sap beetle (Carpophilus mutilatus) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) in relation to different concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2)-6443-APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 18(5):6443-6455. Abstract. This study conducted in a rearing room (RR) (300-410 ppm)...

An effective conservation and management plan of Asian elephants in Peninsular Malaysia relies on understanding the population biology and ecology of the species. Since molecular genetic tools have been developed and widely used for elephant conservation, the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) aimed to obtain estimates of po...

Pengenalan Malaysia adalah salah sebuah negara yang mempunyai kepelbagaian diversiti yang tinggi. Salah satu indikator bagi menunjukkan kepelbagaian ataupun kekayaan biodiversiti adalah kewujudan 35 spesies lebah kelulut di Semenanjung Malaysia yang mana 17 spesies daripadanya berada di dalam hutan simpan dara di Malaysia. Empat daripada 35 spesies...

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are sensitive towards habitat composition, change, and loss. This study was carried out to investigate the diversity of dung beetles in three forest ecosystems and the habitat association. Six sampling sites represented secondary forest (Bangi Reserve Forest [BRF] and Sungkai Reserve Forest, Sungkai), recreat...

Highlights • Dung beetles from three ecosystems has been collected, which are from secondary forest, recreational forest, and wetland forest. • Secondary forest (Sungkai) contains highest individuals and species collection throughout the study with 1,486 individuals and 25 species. • Sungkai also holds the highest Shannon-Wiener (H') diversity inde...

Evaluation on Asian elephant dung decay rate affecting the yield of DNA was carried out in National Elephant Conservation Center (NECC) Kuala Gandah, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. The attempt is intended to optimise the current field DNA sampling method. Two distinguished environmental sites of dung piles were sampled; direct sunlight exposures and...

Karuppannan KV, Aifat NR, Mohamed KA, Ahmad-Tahir NFD, Nordin FM, Yaakop S, Maldonado JE, Md-Zain BM. 2019. Genetic variations among selected wild Asian elephant populations in Peninsular Malaysia based on mitochondrial D-loop region DNA sequences. Biodiversitas 20: 2494-2502. Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is an important large mammal in Peninsu...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of gamma irradiation on survivability (adult emergence, sex ratio, adult longevity), fecundity (eggs hatchability, number of eggs produced), and morphological differences in the size of the ovary and testes of unirradiated and irradiated adults of Oriental fruit fly [Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)]....

Leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is one of the largest groups in Coleoptera. However, studies focusing on this group are considered low, especially in Malaysia. Apart of being pest for several crops and stored products, their ecological preferences are unknown. This study was conducted to observe the abiotic factors that may influence the di...

Leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is one of the largest groups in Coleoptera. However, studies focusing on this group are considered low, especially in Malaysia. Apart of being pest for several crops and stored products, their ecological preferences are unknown. This study was conducted to observe the abiotic factors that may influence the di...

A study to determine the estimated species richness was conducted at Fraser's Hill by using leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) as targeted species. Sampling was done from December 2016 to April 2017 at three different altitudes; higher, middle, and lower ground. Samples were collected by sweeping net which starts at 9.00 a.m. and ends at 2.00...

Palm oil contributed approximately 73% of the total agriculture land in Malaysia. Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) is an important defoliator which recognized as a significant pest of oil palm plantation not only in this country, but in Southeast Asia. This study was done to determine the diversity and abundance of hymenopteran parasitoids ass...

The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most important quarantine pests in the world. Low dose of gamma radiation was proven as possible phytosanitary treatment to disinfest this pest to permit exports to other countries. Treatments was conducted in Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Dengkil, Selangor using...

Secondary pest Oryzaephilus surinamensis and Tribolium castaneum were recorded as pest species in three warehouses in Klang, Selangor namely Jasa, Tenggara and Target Lane. This insect pest damage the rice product by eating on the broken rice and cause a deterioration towards rice quality such as nutrient content and moisture and physical disruptio...

Sex determination among wild Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) populations in Taman Negara National Parks (TNPP), Peninsular Malaysia were very crucial by using ecological techniques such as biodiversity inventories or dung count survey. With advance molecular sexing technique, the sex ratio among wild E. maximus in study area can be determined. As...

Sap beetles are commonly found in many agricultural systems worldwide. In Malaysia, sap beetles are less documented despite their abundance in oil palm plantations. The similarities in the morphology of the sap beetle makes the identification process difficult from the same genus. This study aims to determine of composition of the sap beetle specie...

This study was conducted to assess intracellular bacteria Wolbachia in the ovaries of female Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus from three populations in Malaysia by means of PCR using wsp-specific primer. The morphology and histology of ovary of RPW were also studied and examined by stereo microscope LEICA EZ4 HD that was equipped wi...

Genus Apantelesis a cosmopolitan and largest genus in Microgastrinae that can be set as chief example of the subfamily to be studied for. However, highly similar morphological characters intraspecifically lead to difficulty in identifying this genus. In this study, 25 individuals of Apanteles were identified morphologically and molecularly by using...

Studies on the effect of irradiation on egg hatchability, pupation and adult emergence of the immature stages of the Oriental Fruit Fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) was conducted in Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Dengkil, Selangor, Malaysia using a Co-60 source. Eggs, 1st instars to 3rd instars larvae and pupae stages were treated separately with dosag...

Dung beetles are important bioindicator species in an ecosystem. The relationship between the CO 2 concentration and percentage of soil organic matter (SOM) with the diversity and abundance of Onthophagus species was investigated as a model genus in a model sampling area in an oil palm plantation in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. In tota...

Tabanids are true flies, with medical and veterinary importance. In the current report, a new species; Tabanus zuhairi sp. nov. is described. Main taxonomic characters including antennae, frons, and palpi are illustrated. The new species is recognized based on the cross-band of the wing and shiny subcallus.

This article contains data of the sequence variation in the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region of the Malayan gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki), locally known as the seladang, from two captive centers. Thirty fecal samples of Malayan gaur were collected from Jenderak Selatan Wildlife Conservation Center (Pahang)and the Sungkai Wildlife Reserve (Perak)for DNA...

In Malaysia, stingless bee Heterotrigona itama is one of the bee species that is actively reared and mostly utilized in meliponiculture practice. In this preliminary study, we described the phylogenetic relationship scenario among selected localities of H. itama in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Genomic DNA from 16 samples of five localities in Pe...

Parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) play a significant role in reducing the pest population of the bagworm species Metisa plana. This study presents the abundance and DNA barcoding information of eight parasitoid wasps species, Dolichogenidea metesae (47%), Brachymeria carinata (19%), Buysmania oxymora (12%), Goryphus bunoh (7%), Pediobius anomalus (5%)...

ermites are found in various habitats, particularly diverse communities occurring in tropical forest and peatlands. Termites are bene cial insects, which function as soil engineers, improving the soil quality. However, in peatlands converted to commercial oil palm plantations, they are considered as pests. There is lack of studies on termite commun...

A study on amphibian community at Gunung Raya, Pulau Langkawi was conducted in order to identify amphibian species richness and species distribution pattern along an elevation gradient. Species richness and distribution pattern of amphibians along an elevational gradient could explain factors that determine ecological processes in a particular high...

Md-Zain BM, Abdul-Aziz A, Aifat NR, Mohd-Yusof NS, Norsyamimi R, Rovie-Ryan JJ, Karuppannan KV, Zulkifli NA, Yaakop S. 2018. Sequence variation of captive Malayan Gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki) based on mitochondrial D-loop region DNA sequences. Biodiversitas 19: 1601-1606. Malayan gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki) can only be found in Peninsular Malaysia and...

Prostaglandins and other eicosanoids are known as regulating agents for cellular immune responses to pathogen threats in an insect’s hemolymph. A novel synthetic peptide, WolFar, was customized from a conserved region of the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP), isolated from an economically important endoparasitoid species, Fopius arisanus. WolFar cons...

Insect's pest infestation on rice product cause a serious damage either in quantitative or qualitative aspect. This paper assesses the abundance and diversity of insects pest of stored products in rice warehouses, through a study in three rice warehouse (Jasa, Tenggara, Target Lane) in Klang Selangor, Malaysia. Investigations recorded four main ins...

Ectoparasites of small mammals and medium mammals are divided into two main classes which are Insecta and Arachnida. The members of the class Arachnida including order Ixodida (ticks) and Mesostigmata (mites) meanwhile class Insecta comprising Phthiraptera (lice) and Siphonaptera (fleas). This study was conducted to determine tick's and mite's prev...

The white-spotted guitarfish (Rhynchobatus australiae) is in high demand at local Malaysian fish markets because its fins are a valuable food source. To date, few molecular studies have characterized their genetic identity. We have conducted a molecular study to infer the phylogenetic relationships of white-spotted guitarfish, which portray a simil...

A molecular study was carried out to investigate the potential of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene as a molecular marker for the genetic identification of shark fin samples that have gone through various preservation processes. A total number of 17 shark fin samples were collected from local markets in Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysian Born...

Mousedeer is one of the primitive mammals that can be found mainly in Southeast-Asia region. There are two species of mousedeer in Malaysia which are Tragulus kanchil and Tragulus napu. Both species can be distinguish by size, coat coloration, and throat pattern but clear diagnosis still cannot be found. The objective of the study is to show the ge...

This paper aim to measure the diversity and abundance of sap beetles in oil palm plantation in Malaysia on different heights, 1.5m and 2.5m above ground. A total 0f 20 baited traps were set up in Felda Lui Muda, Negeri Sembilan and located along three transects. The sap beetles collected weekly for a month and identified until species level and the...

Mitochondrial DNA of Bornean Orang Utan populations suggests that there are three different subspecies (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus; Sarawak & Northwest Kalimantan, P. p. wurmbii; Southern West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, P. p. morio; East Kalimantan and Sabah). The subspecies of Orang Utans in captivity are difficult to determine through morpho...

The phylogenetic relationships of Microgastrinae remains unclear though some studies have been conducted to resolve it. The function of Microgastrinae as endoparasitoids of Lepidopteran larvae makes this subfamily an ideal and potential species to be applied as biological control agent of infesting crops. In this study, a total of 13 microgastrine...

Tenebrio molitor known as darkling beetle is burrowing insects and can be found all over the world. Tenebrio molitor samples were put in Open Roof Ventilation System, Free Air CO2 Enrichment and Rearing Room system. The development of Tenebrio molitor adult parents (P) and first generation (F1) that more exposed to high level of CO2 were studied. A...

Endosymbiont Wolbachia has always been a hot topic of discussion among entomologists and microbiologists as it can manipulate the reproductive system of their arthropod hosts. In this study, a total of 10 sequences which consist of concatenate data from three genetic markers of Wolbachia (groEL, gltA, and wsp) were obtained from opiine wasps from f...

A diversity study of the subfamilies of Braconidae was conducted at Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia. Sampling took place at three different altitudes using Malaise traps: lower altitude (<500m), intermediate altitude (501-1000m) and higher altitude (>1000m). A total of 572 individuals of braconids were collected from the three altitudes and compris...

Tenebrio molitor has never been used as a model species for studying global warming effects. The objectives of this study were to measure the larval development and genetics of T. molitor under a free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) system, open roof ventilation greenhouse system (ORVS) and a rearing room system (RR). The correlation coefficient analysis...

The bagworm, Metisa plana Walker (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) is one of the most dominant pest species on oil palm plantations in Malaysia which can cause high yield loses up to 43% over two years after a serious infestation. Parasitoids play an important role as natural enemies to reduce bagworm’s population. The interaction of this pest and parasitoi...

Most of the research on leaf beetles more focusing on their roles as a pest or biological control. On the ecological part is much understudied. So the objective of this study is to determine the accumulation and diversity of leaf beetles at different altitude on Fraser’s Hill, Pahang. Sampling was done in Dec 2016 – Feb 2017 at lower (<500 m a.s.l)...

A large numerals of the orangutans' genetic status in captivity is unknown to its exact, thus complicates the translocation process to their true natural habitat. A study was carried out to identify 37 captive orangutans in Peninsular Malaysia at the species and subspecies level using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) displacement loop (D-loop) region DNA...

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been utilized in molecular studies to amplify DNA fragments even from small amounts of genetic material. A good PCR product is based on good amplification of DNA segments in condition optimisation. We conducted a molecular study to optimize the annealing temperature and concentration of primers to find the optima...

The Proto Malays are the second largest Orang Asli tribe in Peninsular Malaysia. There are six subtribes of Proto Malays, namely the Jakun, Kanaq, Kuala/Laut, Seletar, Temuan and Semelai. Very little is known about the phylogenetic relationships among the Proto Malay subtribes. This study aims to reveal the phylogenetic relationships of the Proto M...