Cambodian Journal of Natural History New species for the Kingdom Slow loris habitat use Reconstructing historical climates from pollen Status of coral reefs December 2011 Vol 2011 No. 2 Cambodian Journal of Natural History Editors Email: [email protected] • Dr Jenny C. Daltry, Senior Conservation Biologist, Fauna & Flora International. • Dr Neil M. Furey, Head of Academic Development, Fauna & Flora International: Cambodia Programme. • Hang Chanthon, Former Vice-Rector, Royal University of Phnom Penh. • Dr Carl Traeholt, Chief Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation, Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Royal University of Phnom Penh. International Editorial Board • Dr Stephen J. Browne, Fauna & Flora International, • Dr Sovanmoly Hul, Muséum National d’Histoire Singapore. Naturelle, Paris, France. • Dr Martin Fisher, Editor of Oryx – The International • Dr Andy L. Maxwell, World Wide Fund for Nature, Journal of Conservation, Cambridge, U.K. Cambodia. • Dr L. Lee Grismer, La Sierra University, California, • Dr Jörg Menzel, University of Bonn, Germany. USA. • Dr Brad Pett itt , Murdoch University, Australia. • Dr Knud E. Heller, Nykøbing Falster Zoo, Denmark. • Dr Campbell O. Webb, Harvard University Herbaria, USA. Other peer reviewers for this volume • Nicola Barnard, Fauna & Flora International, • Dr Sergei V. Kruskop, Moscow State University, Cambridge, U.K. Russia. • Prof. Paul Bishop, University of Glasgow, U.K. • Dr Anita Malhotra, Bangor University, U.K. • Nabajit Das, Primate Research Centre, Guwahati, India. • Simon Mickleburgh, The Ruff ord Foundation, London, • Jonathan Eames, BirdLife International, Hanoi, U.K. Vietnam. • Dr Tohru Naruse, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, • Dr Charles M. Francis, National Wildlife Research Japan. Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ott awa, Canada. • Carly Starr, University of Queensland, Brisbane, • Fredéric Goes, Cambodia Bird News, France. Australia. • Dr Georg Heiss, Humboldt University, Berlin, • Oum Sony, Fauna & Flora International, Phnom Penh, Germany. Cambodia. • Paula Jenkins, The Natural History Museum, London, • Prof. Richard I. Vane-Wright, University of Kent, U.K. Canterbury, U.K. • Dr Lawrence G. Kirton, Forest Research Institute • Joe L. Walston, Wildlife Conservation Society, New Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia. York, USA. The Cambodian Journal of Natural History is a free journal published by the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Royal University of Phnom Penh. The Centre for Biodiversity Conservation is a non-profi t making unit dedicated to training Cambodian biologists and to the study and conservation of Cambodian biodiversity. Cover photo: A round-eared tube-nosed bat Murina cyclotis photographed in Vietnam (© Randall D. Babb). The recent discovery of this species in Cambodia, plus another six bats, is described by Ith Saveng et al. in this issue. Editorial 77 Editorial - Finders, keepers Jenny C. Daltry Fauna & Flora International, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2JD, U.K. Email jenny.daltry@fauna-fl ora.org In the fi rst issue of the Cambodian Journal of Natural country’s fi rst records of two bird subspecies (pp. 79-80), History, I remarked on the astonishing growth in the Neang Thy and his colleagues reveal another lizard and number of species recorded in Cambodia (Daltry, 2008). a snake (pp. 86-92), Ith Saveng et al. report on seven new Between 1998 and 2008, the number of published, known bats (pp. 93-103), while Alexander Monastyrskyii’s team mammals leapt from 100 to 146, birds from 410 to 552, raise the national list of butt erfl ies from 30 to at least reptiles from 82 to 165, amphibians from 28 to 63, and 255 species (pp. 122-130)! Meanwhile, the papers led by fi sh from around 215 to 474 species. Kathe Jensen (pp. 81-85) and Jan-Willem van Bochove (pp. 114-121) focus on Cambodia’s poorly-known marine The rate of discoveries shows few signs of slowing environment and reveal a variety of corals, crustaceans down. On the contrary, the national vertebrate check- and associated species. It is worth pointing out that seven list has already risen to at least 162 mammals, 577 birds of the 19 authors are Cambodians, which refl ects the (F. Goes, pers. comm.), 176 reptiles, 66 amphibians and rising national capacity to identify and describe species 571 fi shes. It is especially heartening to see increasing accurately. att ention being paid to what are oft en unfairly called the ‘lower taxa’, including ferns (Hwang et al., 2011), pitcher There are undoubtedly many more taxa awaiting dis- plants (Mey, 2010), rotifers (Meas & Sanoamuang, 2010), covery, including species that are commercially useful, dragonfl ies and damselfl ies (Roland et al., 2010; Kosterin, nationally endemic or globally threatened. Despite 2011). At least 25 animals and plants discovered between impressive recent advances, this country still lags far 2009 and mid-2011 were not only new records for Cam- behind many of its neighbours in the completeness of its bodia, but new to science. These ranged from a mosquito national species checklists. Even the diminutive, heavily (Schaefer & Renner, 2011) to a new gibbon (Van et al., urbanised Singapore has documented more than 300 2010). butt erfl ies (Khew, 2011), for example, and Cambodia’s revised checklist of 217 pteridophytes (ferns) remains Knowing what species are present, and where they woefully short of the 620 species in Thailand and 714 occur, is fundamental to modern biodiversity manage- in Vietnam (Hwang et al., 2011). Moreover, due to their ment, including economic use and conservation (Bates, greater investment into biological research, neighbour- 2010). At the Royal University of Phnom Penh, the Centre ing countries continue to describe species new to science for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) is developing an at an even swift er rate than Cambodia (Thompson, 2011). important role in this regard by training and supporting Cambodian scientists (Rath, 2009), managing a working Further baseline inventories are therefore warranted zoological reference collection (which currently holds and should continue across all taxonomic groups in Cam- more than 4,000 small animal specimens), assisting the bodia. At the same time, however, there is a real danger university herbarium (with approximately 12,000 plant that many of these new-found species could rapidly specimens), hosting and facilitating fi eldwork by visiting disappear due to habitat loss, over-exploitation, climate international scientists, and fostering cooperation and change, alien invasive species and other man-made prob- information exchange between government agencies, lems. It seems as though the more we fi nd, the more we scholars and environmental NGOs. stand to lose. As the CBC’s fl agship publication, the Cambodian Finders, keepers is an English saying based on an Journal of Natural History explicitly aims to helps scien- old Roman law, which means whoever fi nds some- tists to document and share discoveries. This particular thing is entitled to be its custodian. As more species are issue might be subtitled a “New Records Special” because revealed, the scientifi c community gains an even greater most of the peer-reviewed papers are devoted to species responsibility to ensure Cambodia’s rich biodiversity is newly found in Cambodia. Thomas Gray presents the wisely managed and conserved. The Kingdom therefore Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2011 (2) 77-78 © Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Phnom Penh 78 Editorial urgently needs even more environmental scientists to Khew, S.K. (2011) Singapore Butt erfl y Checklist. Htt p://www.but- go beyond baseline inventories and checklists towards terfl ycircle.org/sgchecklist.htm [accessed 2 December 2011]. developing a bett er understanding of the status and eco- Kosterin, O.E. (2011) Odonata of the Cambodian coastal regions logical needs of species and habitats, analysing threats revisited: beginning of dry season in 2010. IDF-Report (News- and their underlying causes, educating decision-makers lett er of the International Dragonfl y Fund), 40, 1-108. and stakeholders, and informing, devising and testing Meas S. & Sanoamuang L. (2010) New records of rotifer fauna more eff ective management actions. At the very least, it in the Cambodian Mekong Basin. Cambodian Journal of Natural is important to ensure that legislation designed to protect History, 2010, 48‒62. species - such as the national Endangered Freshwater Mey, F.S. (2010) Introduction to the pitcher plants (Nepenthes) of Species, established under Fisheries Law - keeps pace Cambodia. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2010, 106-117. with current knowledge of resident species and their Rath S. (2009) Editorial - Lessons learnt in establishing a Masters status. Programme in Biodiversity Conservation at the Royal Univer- Discovering new species is very exciting and impor- sity of Phnom Penh. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2009, tant, but it is only the start. It will take even more hard 3‒4. work to ensure that the species we fi nd today will still be Roland, H.-J., Roland, U. & Pollard, E. (2010) Incidental records here tomorrow. of dragonfl ies and damselfl ies (Order Odonata) in Cambodia. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2010, 97‒102. Schaefer, H. & Renner, S.S. (2011) Phylogenetic relationships in References the order Cucurbitales and a new classifi cation of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Taxon, 60, 122-138. Bates, P.J.J. (2010) Editorial - Taxonomy and conservation go hand-in-hand. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2010, Tan, S.K. & Woo, H.P.M. (2010) A Preliminary Checklist of the Mol- 83-85. luscs of Singapore. Raffl es Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Daltry, J.C. (2008) Editorial - Cambodia’s biodiversity revealed. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2008, 3‒5. Thompson, C. (2011) Wild Mekong: New Species in 2010 From the Forests, Wetlands and Waters of the Greater Mekong, Asia’s Land Hwang, I.C., Moon, M.-O., Kim, C.H., Keth N., Chhang P. & Sun, of Rivers. WWF Greater Mekong, Hanoi, Vietnam. B.-Y. (2011) A checklist of the ferns of Cambodia. Paper pre- sented to the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Korean Society of Plant Van N.T., Mootnick, A.R., Vu N.T., Nadler, T.