Creation of an Amphibian and Reptile Atlas for the Indonesian Islands of Java and Bali Reveals Gaps in Sampling Effort
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Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 1009-1025 (2021) (published online on 29 July 2021) Creation of an amphibian and reptile atlas for the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali reveals gaps in sampling effort Mirza D. Kusrini1,*, Amir Hamidy2, Lilik B. Prasetyo1, Rizky Nugraha1, Diana Andriani1, Nuzulul Fadhila1, Eko Hartanto1, and Andri Afrianto1 Abstract. Java and Bali are important as the most populated islands and as economic centres in Indonesia, and Java is the seat of the national government. Although a series of reports exists to document the species richness of amphibians and reptiles on those islands, there has so far been no unified compilation of their spatial distributions. The aim of this study was to quantify sampling effort and species richness for the herpetofauna of Java and Bali from specimen collections as well as published and unpublished literature sources, and to develop a map of spatial distributions as of 31 December 2017 – the first herpetofaunal atlas for any part of Indonesia. We found that the western part of Java has been better sampled than all other areas. Amphibian and reptile species richness on both islands is correlated with sampling effort, and sampling has occurred primarily in conservation areas. New species are still being described, not only from conservation areas but also from human- dominated landscapes. There is a need to increase the sampling effort on both islands, including outside of conservation areas. Development of a citizen science program focused on amphibians and reptiles would aid in increasing our understanding of species distributions in these islands and throughout Indonesia. Keywords. Biodiversity, distribution map, herpetofauna, museum specimens, species richness, Southeast Asia Introduction in 1894 (Goss, 2004) to serve as temporary depository for specimens destined for Dutch museums (Iskandar It is well known that the collection of museum and Mumpuni, 2002), the Museum Zoologicum specimens is important for biodiversity assessment, Bogoriense (MZB) in Bogor, Indonesia, likely houses since the collection of a voucher specimen creates a the most complete collection of Indonesian amphibians permanent record of a location with a specific date and reptiles. Beginning in 2015, the development of attached to each specimen (Ponder et al., 2001). an Indonesian atlas of amphibians and reptiles is now Georeferencing of specimens has been a perennial underway and, so far, we have completed the work for task in many museums around the world, and these such an atlas for Java and Bali. data have been used for various purposes, including As the drivers of Indonesia’s economy, society, for analyses of species occurrence for many amphibian politics, and culture, Java (area ca. 128,300 km2) and and reptile groups (e.g., Herczeg et al., 2004; Horn et Bali (area ca. 5780 km2) have been transformed by al., 2007), predictions of their spatial distributions human occupation for hundreds of years (Whitten et al., (Ray et al., 2002; Penman et al., 2007), or to document 1996). The islands are both positioned on an extension biodiversity and hotspots in specific regions (Chen and of the continental shelf known as the Sunda Shelf and Bi, 2007; Sillero et al., 2014; Vasconcelos et al., 2014). were joined until the end of the last ice age, when they Developed as the Landbouw Zoologisch Laboratorium became separated by the Bali Strait, which is only about 2.4 km wide at its narrowest point (Clements et al., 2009). Bali represents the southeasternmost part of Sundaland (Johnson, 1964), separated from 1 Faculty of Forestry & Environment, IPB University, Darmaga, Lombok Island by the biogeographic divide known as 46, Cibinong 16911, Indonesia Cibinong 16911, Indonesia. 2 Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Wallace’s Line (Hall, 2012). Although both islands are Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Widyasatwaloka already more developed than other islands of Indonesia, Building, Jalan Raya Jakarta Bogor Km. 46, Cibinong 16911, economic growth has not slowed in recent years (Hill Indonesia et al., 2008). As a result, both Java and Bali have lost * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] most of their natural forest (Smiet, 1990; Whitten et al., © 2021 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 1996), yet the remaining natural areas, mostly under 1010 Mirza D. Kusrini et al. the protection of government as conservation areas or amphibians and reptiles on Java and Bali is needed as protected areas, are still important as the last strongholds reference to aid decision-making related to landscape of important endemic wildlife, including the Javan changes and species management. This knowledge Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) in Ujung Kulon (Java) will support many applications in the future, including and the Balinese Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) on spatial planning, environmental impact assessments, Bali Barat. and implementation of conservation measures. The study of amphibians and reptiles on Java and The objective of our study was to quantify and Bali dates to Dutch colonial times. Amphibians and identify patterns in species richness for amphibians reptiles of Java and Bali were listed and detailed and reptiles on Java and Bali, and to determine the in the earliest complete publications on Indonesian relationship between sampling effort and any observed herpetofauna written by Van Kampen (1923) and De patterns. To do this, we compiled information from Rooij (1915, 1917), respectively, and the work of De museum specimens, journal articles, and the grey Rooij was subsequently complemented and updated by literature to assess the distribution of amphibians and a checklist of snakes (De Haas, 1950). After Indonesian reptiles on Java and Bali, and to estimate variation independence in 1945, reports on the herpetofauna in sampling effort. This study is part of a project of Java and Bali were scarce until the 1990s. It was to develop an atlas of amphibians and reptiles of not until 1998 that a book on amphibians of Java and Indonesia that can be used for future conservation and Bali was published (Iskandar, 1998). Subsequently, species management initiatives. several guidebooks about amphibians and reptiles were published for select locations on Java, in English as well Material and Methods as Indonesian (Kurniati, 2003; Yanuarefa et al., 2012; Kusrini, 2013; Rusli, 2016). A more comprehensive Study area. Java and Bali are two important islands in treatise on the herpetofauna of Bali and several other the western part of Indonesia and are administratively Lesser Sunda Islands was published by Mertens (1930) divided into seven provinces (Fig. 1). The current after his travels to the region, and field guides to the administrative area of Java includes six provinces herpetofauna of Bali were published by McKay (2006) (Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and Somaweera (2017). and East Java), 86 districts and 28 municipalities, Most of the older publications on the herpetofauna whereas Bali has only one province (Bali) with eight of Java and Bali are based on specimens deposited districts and one municipality. in museum or university collections. There certainly Presence location data. Data for amphibians and is a wealth of information available from museum reptiles were compiled using data mostly from Museum specimens, in scientific journals, and in the grey Zoologicum Bogoriense (MZB) in Bogor (80.4% of literature that can be used to assess species numbers amphibian records and 85.6% of reptile records), with and distributions across the islands. Yet, no atlas of additional data from the scientific literature, amphibian the herpetofauna on these islands, nor for any island or reptile online databases, and unpublished theses, in Indonesia, has been published. The International reports and articles (e.g., the Indonesian herpetological Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has society newsletter, Warta Herpetofauna). Only 5% produced species distribution maps in their Red List of our compiled data are georeferenced (latitude and assessments, using a minimum convex polygon to longitude), whereas about 75% consist only of vague connect known localities and refining the distribution information (i.e., at the level of village or sub-district, according to specific criteria (i.e., suitable habitats; known as kecamatan). IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2017). For specimens collected in conservation areas (i.e., The resulting maps do not address if a given species national parks, nature reserves, wildlife reserves, is distributed uniformly within a polygon, occurs botanical gardens), we centred a reference point in everywhere in the polygon, or has a fragmented and the area and used it as the locality. Older museum skewed distribution, and they do not indicate areas that specimens are often labelled with generalized localities have not been surveyed. With Java and Bali currently (e.g., “Surabaya”, “Bogor”) or with only the name experiencing rapid infrastructure development that of the island (i.e., “Java” or “Bali”). We removed produces degradation of natural environments, such imprecise locality data from the analysis and detailed knowledge of the spatial distribution of distribution map. Gaps in Java and Bali Amphibian and Reptile Atlas 1011 Figure 1. Map of Java and Bali, Indonesia, showing the seven provinces in the region. We compiled the general distribution of the species Distribution maps. Maps were developed using and the most recent taxonomy