Journal of Threatened Taxa
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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication New records of the Flat-headed Cat Prionailurus planiceps (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in western Sarawak, Malaysia Jayasilan Mohd-Azlan & Syaza Jailan Thaqifah SMALL WILD CATS 17 February 2020 | Vol. 12 | No. 2 | Pages: 15238–15243 DOI: 10.11609/jott.5105.12.2.15238-15243 SPECIAL ISSUE For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. 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Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 17 February 2020 | 12(2): 15238–15243 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.5105.12.2.15238-15243 #5105 | Received 22 May 2019 | Final received 21 January 2020 | Finally accepted 30 January 2020 C o m m New records of the Flat-headed Cat Prionailurus planiceps u n i (Vigors & Horsfeld, 1827) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) c a in western Sarawak, Malaysia t i o Jayasilan Mohd-Azlan 1 & Syaza Jailan Thaqifah 2 n 1 Insttute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservaton, Universit Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. 2 Animal Resource Science and Management Program,, Faculty of Resource Science & Technology, Universit Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected] Abstract: The Endangered Flat-headed Cat is threatened due to loss of lowland and wetland habitats. Its elusive nature and low density occurrence make feld sampling difcult. Compilaton of records from both camera trapping and direct observaton can provide important updates to its current distributon in Sarawak. In western Sarawak, the Flat-headed Cat was recorded in Maludam Natonal Park, in Ulu Sebuyau Natonal Park and at Sarawak River, which are the frst confrmed records. The Flat-headed Cat appears to inhabit swamp forest in pristne protected areas as well as near human setlements. The conservaton of peat swamp forests is crucial for its long-term persistence. Keywords: Borneo, camera trap, conservaton, natonal park, peat swamp forest. Abstrak: Kucing Hutan hidup terancam berikutan hilangnya kawasan dataran rendah dan habitat tanah paya. Menyendiri dan sukar difahami serta kepadatan penghunian yang rendah mengakibatkan persampelan lapangan sukar. Pengumpulan rekod-rekod dari perangkap kamera dan pemerhatan secara langsung dapat memberikan maklumat yang pentng mengenai penyebaran semasa di dalam Sarawak. Dalam Sarawak barat, Kucing Hutan telah direkodkan di dalam Taman Negara Maludam, di dalam Taman Negara Ulu Sebuyau dan di Sungai Sarawak, yang merupakan rekod buat pertama kalinya. Kucing Hutan dilihat mendiami hutan paya di dalam kawasan terlindung sepenuhnya serta berdekatan dengan penempatan manusia. Pemuliharaan hutan paya gambut amat pentng bagi kesejahteraan dan kesinambungannya untuk jangka masa yang panjang. Editor: Angie Appel, Wild Cat Network, Bad Marienberg, Germany. Date of publicaton: 17 February 2020 (online & print) Citaton: Mohd-Azlan, J. & S.J. Thaqifah (2020). New records of the Flat-headed Cat Prionailurus planiceps (Vigors & Horsfeld, 1827) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in western Sarawak, Malaysia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(2): 15238–15243. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.5105.12.2.15238-15243 Copyright: © Mohd-Azlan & Thaqifah 2020. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Ministry of Higher Educaton (MOHE) Malaysia, Sarawak Forestry Corporaton, Big Cat Rescue and Dr. Jim Sanderson. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Author details: Mohd-Azlan Jayasilan has been conductng research and advocacy actvites in the feld of biodiversity conservaton in Sarawak for over a decade. Current work complements the study on the distributon and ecology of carnivores in Sarawak. Thaqifah Syaza Jailan undertook master’s degree specifcally in researching carnivores within totally protected areas in Sarawak, Malaysia. Author contributon: MAJ and TSJ conceived and designed the study. MAJ and TSJ collected the data, analysed and wrote the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the fnal manuscript. Acknowledgements: We would like to express grattude to Animal Resource Science and Management, Insttute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservaton, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universit Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak Forestry Corporaton and Sarawak Forest Department for supportng our research in Sarawak. Special thanks are due to Anthony Pine for sharing his valuable fndings on the Flat-headed Cat. Camera trapping was supported by the Ministry of Higher Educaton (MOHE) under Grants [NRGS-1087/2013(01)] and [FRGS/1/2013/STWN10/UNIMAS/02/2], Big Cat Rescue, and Dr. Jim Sanderson. We are indebted to the local communites in Sebuyau especially to Mr. Henry for their assistance during feld work. Lastly, we would like to thank three anonymous reviewers and Angie Appel for their valuable comments, which greatly improved our manuscript. 15238 J TT Flat-headed Cat in western Sarawak Mohd-Azlan & Thaqifah INTRODUCTION traditonal fshing methods, including the use of baited crab pods targetng Mud Crab Scylla serrata. Adjacent The Flat-headed Cat Prionailurus planiceps is one of to the Batang Lupar River, USNP’s many streams host the smallest felids in the world and the least studied of a large populaton of Saltwater Crocodile Crocodylus the fve cat species in Borneo (Wadey et al. 2014; Wiltng porosus. USNP is currently not open to the public as it et al. 2016). In Malaysia, it was recorded in the lowlands has no infrastructure and is far from human setlements. of peninsular Malaysia, and of Sabah and Sarawak on The Maludam peat swamp forest encompasses one Borneo (Wadey et al. 2014, 2017). It can be considered of the largest peat domes in northern Borneo. Due to as a habitat specialist as it has been recorded mostly in the occurrence of species of conservaton importance lowlands associated with aquatc habitat such as peat such as Proboscis Monkey Nasalis larvatus, Sarawak swamp forest and riverine forest (Wiltng et al. 2015; Surili Presbyts chrysomelas and hornbills Anthracoceros Phillipps & Phillipps 2016). Sarawak accounts for over albirostris, A. malayanus and Buceros rhinoceros, this 64% of the total peat swamp area in Malaysia, but is area was declared a natonal park by the Sarawak State faced with the highest level of threat (Hon & Mohd-Azlan Government in 2000. The 431.47km2 park is divided 2016). Major threats to the Flat-headed Cat include by a 28-km stretch of the Maludam River that cuts degradaton and destructon of wetlands and lowland across the park in the southeast-northwest directon. forests (Wiltng et al. 2015). Huntng Flat-headed Cats The waters of the Maludam River in the slow-moving, for the pet or fur trade has not been recorded in Sarawak. upstream stretches are clear and black in appearance Limited distributon along with persistent loss due to tannin, whereas the fow downstream is of habitat have pushed this species into the IUCN infuenced by tde. The dominant plant species along Endangered category and Appendix I of the Conventon the riverbanks comprise Pandanus andersonni, several on Internatonal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Syzygium species, Hanguana malayana, and the fan Fauna and Flora (Wiltng et al. 2015). The paucity palm Licuala petolulata (Nyant et al. 2016). Sarawak of scientfc informaton on its natural history and River comprises a vast network of river branches occurrence in the wild encouraged predictve modelling with complex connectons that are ofen more than and predictve studies in Borneo (Wiltng et al. 2010, 100km apart. The delta is at the South China Sea and 2016). Nevertheless, a record in a mangrove forest at experiences saltwater intrusion. The Sarawak River’s close proximity to a setlement in Sarawak suggests upstream tributary comprises peat swamp and small this species may be able to co-exist with humans in patches of riverine forest. Most areas along the river sustainably managed areas (Tisen & Azad 2013). are cultvated,