Dzulhelmi Nasir

• BSc (Animal Resource Science & Management); MSc (Zoology); PhD (Ecology & Biodiversity)
• Lead Researcher at FGV R&D Sdn Bhd

Insectivorous birds contribute to the provision of ecosystem services to humans in both human-dominated and natural ecosystems around the world. Natural predation of invertebrate populations is a prime example of one of the key ecosystem services provided by farmland birds in agricultural landscapes. Yet, it is unknown how many invertebrates are co...

Orthoptera carries important role in maintaining the ecosystem thus are diversely distributed and have over 29,100 described species worldwide. No such description has ever been reported in Bukit Ulu Piah, Tambun, Perak, ergo this study is conducted to identify the diversity of Orthoptera and to provide the first Orthoptera species checklist of the...

Diversity of birds that can be found in oil palm ecosystem, implies an oil palm industry that is moving towards biodiversity-friendly agriculture in Malaysia.

Theraphosidae, usually referred to as "Tarantula," is an infraorder of the Mygalomorh arachnid family of spiders. It is a large spider with downward-pointing fangs and a hairy body. As of now, few studies were done on Theraphosidaes in Peninsular Malaysia, but those were mainly concentrated on physical taxonomy with brief explanations of the spider...

Insects of Malaysia: A Field Guide is a book that was written by authors of various educational backgrounds, who were passionate about understanding insects, and wanted to convey the message to the public. The information used was obtained from scientific journals, books, public sources from groups that have an interest in insects, researchers, and...

Serangga Malaysia: Panduan Lapangan adalah buku yang telah diilhamkan oleh penulis-penulis yang berlatar belakang pendidikan yang berbeza, mempunyai minat untuk memahami tentang serangga, dan ingin menyampaikan maklumat kepada masyarakat umum. Maklumat yang digunakan di dalam buku ini diperolehi daripada pelbagai jurnal saintifik, buku, sumber umum...

Nymphal and larval Amblyomma cordiferum ticks, a relatively rare species, were collected from the Malaysian house rat (Rattus rattus diardii) in Peninsular Malaysia. Redescription and molecular analysis of nymphs and larvae, based on the 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and COI genes, revealed divergence from A. cordiferum in Taiwan, suggesting that the Taiwane...

Distinguishing bagworm instar stages using deep neural algorithm

The order Diptera, comprising flies, mosquitoes, midges, and gnats, plays a significant role in the agricultural ecosystem as pests and pollinators. With agricultural activities posing a threat to insect populations globally, there is a need for studies on the potential of managed agroecosystems as habitats for this order. This study provides preli...

Herpetofauna represents a significant portion of global biodiversity. Understanding their distribution, ecology, and behavior is essential for conservation efforts. Many reptile and amphibian species are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and disease. A study was conducted to explore the herpetofauna in Tun Raz...

The Oryctes rhinoceros beetle is a significant pest of young oil palms in Southeast Asia, causing damage and plant death. Current control methods involve insecticides but face challenges like labor intensity and health risks. Drones, commonly used in agriculture for precision tasks, could offer a solution for pest control, although their use for O....

The biodiveristy of Ulu Gombak is presented in dual language and layman style.

Sebatian kimia organik meruap (SKOM) merupakan hidrokarbon yang terbentuk melalui tindakbalas hasil interaksi antara tumbuhan dengan persekitarannya. SKOM memainkan peranan penting dalam aktiviti pendebungaan, tumbesaran pokok serta perlindungan terhadap tumbuhan daripada perubahan keadaan persekitaran. Salah satu SKOM yang dihasilkan bunga sawit a...

Long-term use of agrochemicals in the oil palm plantation sector, particularly chemical pesticides for pest control, can have a negative impact on the environment. The use of biological control has long been advocated as an alternative to pesticides, but empirical evidence in the context of oil palm plantations is very limited. This study aims to a...

Elaeidobius kamerunicus is essentially the sole insect pollinator that efficiently pollinates oil palm, a major commodity crop accounting for 31.4% of the world’s oils and fats production. Despite its importance, in-depth molecular studies of this pollinator are severely lacking. The scarcity of molecular information to complement the current biolo...

Mount Ledang National Park is one of the famous hiking spots in Johor, Malaysia which is the 1,276-meter peak of Mount Ledang. Between 21st-25th August 2023, a visual encounter survey method was conducted from 0900-1700 and 2000-2300 hours to document the Arachnid species that occur at 900-1200 meters above sea level. In total, 27 species from 14 f...

Mount Ledang National Park is one of the famous hiking spots in Johor, Malaysia which is the1,276-meter peak of Mount Ledang. Between 21st-25th August 2023, a visual encounter surveymethod was conducted from 0900-1700 and 2000-2300 hours to document the Arachnidspecies that occur at 900-1200 meters above sea level. In total, 27 species from 14 fami...

Stridulation by stridulatory organs has been linked to tarantulas’ (Araneae: Theraphosidae) defence or sexualcommunication, and the morphology of such organ has been extensively used in tarantula systematics. This study wasconducted to characterise and compare differences in the acoustic pattern of stridulating sound among seven tarantulaspecies fo...

Regardless of palm age, rodents have been the main concern for oil palm planters. The present study examined the abundance of rodents in immature (1-3-year-old) and mature (18-20-year-old) oil palm plantations (FGVAS Sahabat 17) in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Over a period of 30 months, 150 cage traps were set in a 300-palm area for four consecutive nights...

Sticky traps are used to monitor various types of insects as one of the effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies. Integrated Pest Management provides an easy method for estimating the population density of pests that require low-cost, less skilled work and helps develop an environmentally friendly control strategy. However, differ...

In many parts of Asia, macaques are recognised as the most significant crop raiders that cause great economic loss to farmers. Two macaque species, Macaca fascicularis and M. nemestrina have been identified to raid and damage the oil palm-salak (Salacca zalacca) integration area, and this has caused significant loss to salak fruit yield. Therefore,...

Outbreaks of the bagworm Metisa plana often occur in Malaysian oil palm plantations. Given the complexities of the M. plana lifecycle, the high cost of lower-toxicity chemical pesticides, and the labour shortage, the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, was used, as it is more practical at a commercial scale. In Jul...

The dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are a diverse and globally distributed insectgroupand playa very important role in the forestecosystem. In Malaysia, about 170 species of dung beetle have been reported so far. These coprophagous beetles feed mainly on the decomposing matter, mostly vertebrate dung. They perform several ecological functio...

Elaeidobius kamerunicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) merupakan pendebunga utama kelapa sawit di Malaysia. Keberkesanan pendebunga ini adalah penting untuk memastikan penghasilan set buah yang optimum. Jadi, adalah penting untuk mengenalpasti faktor yang mempengaruhi keberkesanan pendebungaan oleh kumbang E. kamerunicus. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk me...

Pests can be tackled naturally using the existing biodiversity

Aerial spraying using drone to control bagworm outbreaks in oil palm plantation

The effectiveness of rodenticide storage period still able to kill rats

Translocation and monitoring of barn owls population from 2014-2020

Biodiversity and conservation in oil palm plantation would support sustainability development certification

Outbreaks of the bagworm Metisa plana often occur in Malaysian oil palm plantations. Given the complexities of the M. plana lifecycle, the high cost of lower-toxicity chemical pesticides, and the labour shortage, the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, was used, as it is more practical at a commercial scale. In Jul...

The pollinating weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus, was introduced to Malaysia in 1981 to foster the production of oil palm fruit bunches. The weevil plays a significant role in the pollination of oil palm. This study aims to determine the life cycle, development period, body size and longevity of oil palm pollinating weevils in four different types o...

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...

Water is essential for the growth and productivity of oil palm and hence adequate rainfall contributes to the oil palm water requirement. Sufficient rainfall becomes crucial in attaining good growth and yield. Over the past 23 years, the yield response from irrigated palms in Serting Hilir, Malaysia was reported to be 12 t ha-1 year-1 or 56% higher...

Oil palm pollinating weevil is the most important species that needs to be taken care.

The study was carried out to investigate the potential of commercial rat bait, chlorophacinone (0.005% a.i.), to control urban rat pests in an urban setting. These studies were divided into two segments: laboratory and field evaluation. For laboratory evaluation, the no-choice feeding test of chlorophacinone bait for brown rats, Rattus norvegicus,...

Although diverse groups of spiders are present in tropical countries, very little attention has been given on various types of differences that exist within these groups, particularly for the groups of tropical spiders in Malaysia. The morphological and genitalia characteristics are traditionally used to identify species variants. However, in this...

This book reveals the biodiversity at Bako National Park.

Terminalia catappa leaf, also known as Ketapang leaf, is well known for its medicinal properties and long history of use in aquaculture. Studies on the effects of leaf extracts on fish productivity are scarce. This study performed a time-series observation of ground young and mature T. catapppa leaves on tropical phytoplankton productivity. The you...

Malaysia is one of the largest palm oil-producing countries in the world. Located in the Southeast Asia region, this country is also known as one of the mega biodiversity-rich countries which contains numerous species. In this study, arthropods were sampled using sticky traps at three sites within an oil palm dominated landscape. We examined how ve...

The parental care strategy and diet requirements of the yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier chicks were studied. The assessment was conducted based on the (1) number of feeding bouts (bouts/hour), (2) average time intervals between each feeding (minutes/bouts) (3) feeding strategies (perch-go-in or direct-go-in) and (4) types of food items car...

Simple Summary Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was introduced into Malaysia from Cameroon in 1981 to increase oil palm pollination. Fruit set development and fruit production significantly increased after the introduction, until a reported decline that began in the late 1980s. Several factors may have contributed to such a...

Oil palm, also known as Elaeis guineensis Jacq (Arecales: Arecaceae), depends greatly on the pollinating weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for fruit production. Despite this, information on the pollen-carrying capacity of E. kamerunicus is still lacking. This study assessed the pollen-carrying capacity (PCC) and pollen viab...

Oil palm, also known as Elaeis guineensis Jacq (Arecales: Arecaceae), depends greatly on the pollinating weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for fruit production. Despite this, information on the pollen-carrying capacity of E. kamerunicus is still lacking. This study assessed the pollen-carrying capacity (PCC) and pollen viab...

This checklist serves as a basic information based on compilation from published literatures, internet database and from specimens’ collection stored at Center of Insect Systematics Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. To date, this study compiled smaller arachnids (28 species) and Pseudoscorpiones (41 species) that had been recorded in Malaysia. Althou...

Sonneratia caseolaris commonly known as mangrove apple or Berembang in the Malay language, is a species of plant in the family Lythraceae. Area of S. caseolaris along Selangor River in Kampung Kuantan has become a natural habitat for a variety of arthropods. This study aimed to identify the species variations in arthropod communities at different s...

Burung-burung penghijrah mempunyai menempuhi cabaran bermigrasi

Purpose Bartonellosis is a vector-borne disease with worldwide prevalence. Several Bartonella associated with companion animals such as Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana are the species with zoonotic implications and have become a global concern. Other bartonellae associated with wild animals, however, remain underappreciated particularly...

Teknologi fotografi mampu menarik minat mengenali spesies reptilia

Bartonelloses are emerging infectious diseases that are common in humans and animals worldwide. Several Bartonella species associated with companion animals such as Bartonella henselae and Bartonella rochalimae are species with zoonotic implications and have become a global concern. Other Bartonella species associated with wild animals, however, re...

This chapter reveals that oil palm ecosystem are able to support biodiversity conservation goals.

Hutan tropika kaya dengan spesies fauna

The predatory reduviid bug, Sycanus dichotomus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), is a biological control agent against the oil palm pest bagworm (Metisa plana). This study investigates the predation efficiency and feeding preferences of laboratory-reared and wild S.dichotomus towards M. plana larvae under laboratory conditions. The results showed that wild...

Sehingga kini, hanya sedikit infomasi mengenai spesies burung tambun, sang serok dan pikau yang kita ketahui hingga kini.

Current occurrence of Nitzschia Hassall from marine and freshwater environment in Malaysia is compiled from current and previously published materials. Phytoplankton was collected using a 20 µm plankton net from waterfronts of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Some Nitzschia cells were successfully isolated and established into clonal cultures. For m...

Kenali rama-rama perosak yang terdapat di ekosistem sawit.

Burung nokturnal yang jarang diketahui umum.

Bats, occupying a variety of habitats, play important roles in the tropical forest. Through this study, comparisons on bat species richness and evenness in primary forest, secondary forest, and urban forest were made. Sampling was conducted between 18:30 PM and 06:30 AM using 10 mist-nets and four harp traps for three consecutive nights at the prim...

Kepelbagaian amfibia yang terdapat di negara merupakan aset semulajadi yang boleh menjadi daya tarikan kepada sektor perlancongan.

The Insects of Malaysia poster is made to nurture the society to appreciate these small creatures. Poster Serangga-serangga Malaysia dibuat bertujuan untuk mendidik masyarakat untuk menghargai makhluk kecil ini.

Infomasi mengenai mengkarung untuk dikongsi bersama.

Memberi infomasi umum mengenai kepentingan spesies musang yang terdapat di negara Malaysia.

At least 56 species of flora and 91 species of fauna that has been recorded within the vicinity of MPOB Lahad Datu Research Station complex. The inventory of flora and fauna species is an effort towards sustainable management practice to enhance long term conducive ecosystem for MPOB Lahad Datu Research Station, Sabah. Terdapat 56 spesies flora da...

Science News Magazine covers the facts on the Sunda Colugo: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/colugo-flying-lemur-mammal-southeast-asia

The pollinating weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus was introduced to Malaysia as an oil palm pollinator agent in 1981. After the introduction, the weevil has distributed widely in the oil palm plantation around Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the morphometric differences in Elaeidobius kamerunicus population within Malaysia, as well as from i...

Terdapat pelbagai spesies kucing hutan di Malaysia. Mari kita mengenali spesies kucing hutan ini.

Terdapat banyak burung ciak urasia yang bertebaran di kawasan bandar. Apakah manfaat yang kita boleh perolehi daripada kehadiran mereka?

Serangga memainkan peranan yang sangat penting di dalam ekosistem pertanian dan merangkumi pelbagai kumpulan berfungsi. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan arah pergerakan komuniti serangga yang merentasi ekosistem sawit pada sempadan guna tanah berbeza. Kajian ini dijalankan di Ladang Endau-Rompin (LER), Pahang. Enam stesen persampelan dit...

Kisah semut di Surah An-Naml memberi pengajaran dan hikmah yang boleh diambil dan dijadikan iktibar bagi setiap manusia.

Anai-anai memainkan peranan yang sangat besar di dalam ekosistem alam ini.

Malaysia has become one of the most important countries that produce and supply the world's palm oil. The oil palm industry has emphasised the need for the preservation of small forest patches within oil palm plantations to sustain various species of fauna; this is a new conservation strategy for developing biodiversity-friendly oil palm plantation...

Terdapat beberapa kaedah yang boleh dirungkai dalam mengawal rodensia perosak di dalam ladang sawit.

Effect of sublethal dose of three insecticides which commonly used against oil palm bagworms, namely cypermethrin, deltamethrin and trichlorfon, were tested against one of the important predator of oil palm bagworms, Sycanus dichotomus. These insecticides were tested on female of S. dichotomous following direct dip method. The results showed that t...

This poster gives a brief introduction on the Malaysian tarantula species. Poster ini memberi pengenalan mengenai spesies tarantula Malaysia

In human‐modified landscapes, important ecological functions such as predation are negatively affected by anthropogenic activities, including the use of pesticides and habitat degradation. Predation of insect pests is an indicator of healthy ecosystem functioning, which provides important ecosystem services, especially for agricultural systems. In...

Diversity of spider groups have received less research attention and there are limited published references for spiders from Peninsular Malaysia. The current survey was conducted to locate and identify foliage-dwelling spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) at five different sites in Peninsular Malaysia. Spider specimens were collected using manual search an...

The oil palm pollinating weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was first introduced into Malaysia from Cameroon in 1981 as the main oil palm pollinator. Adult weevils were collected from six localities in Malaysia, one locality in Indonesia, and one locality in Liberia. Morphometric analysis was performed to detect possib...

Kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengetahui corak taburan ruang-masa semut (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) dan memahami ekologi ruang semut di ekosistem sawit di Endau Rompin, Pahang. Persampelan dijalankan selama empat bulan berturut- turut di tiga jenis tanah iaitu tanah liat (A1 & A2), tanah gambut dalam (B1 & B2) dan tanah gambut cetek (C1 & C2). Kaedah pe...

Coleoptera is the most diverse group of insect with important roles in ecosystem and tremendous economic importance especially in oil palm industry. A study of the diversity and abundance of soil beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) on different type of soil in the Endau-Rompin Plantation, Pahang was conducted started in 2009 until 2012. The study aims...

Taxonomy-based morphometric study is a technique often used to separate species. This study aimed to determine discrimination among species of harvestmen based on morphometric analysis. Harvestmen samples collected from Lata Jarum, Pahang deposited at the Centre of Insect Systematic, National University of Malaysia (CISUKM) were used. A total of 21...

Kingfishers can act as bioindicator for water quality.

A study was conducted on the population and behaviour of long-tailed macaque, Macaca fascicularis and southern pig-tailed macaque, M. nemestrina in Paya Bakau Park, Perak, Malaysia. Direct field observations were taken for 20 non-consecutive days between October and December 2016. One-hour observation session was carried out on daily activity budge...

The stuff of nightmares to some, Malaysia's tarantulas are treasures not yet fully recovered.

Informasi mengenai agen utama pendebungaan sawit

Di Malaysia, terdapat lebih 514 spesies daripada 6250 spesies kepinding pembunuh yang telah berjaya dikenalpasti.

Kajian terhadap struktur komuniti tanah di kawasan ladang monokultur masih kurang dan tidak meluas sedangkan komuniti ini memberi sumbangan besar terhadap kestabilan sesuatu ekosistem. Tujuan kajian adalah untuk menentukan perbezaan komposisi makroartropoda yang berasosiasi dengan biojisim sawit mereput di atas tiga jenis tanah yang berbeza berdasa...

The diversity and composition of beetles from oil palm plantation in Ladang Lekir, Perak, Malaysia were collected each month using Malaise trap, yellow pan and window traps from three different sites on the basis of their oil palm aged i.e. five (Plot 1), seven (Plot 2) and 12 (Plot 3) years old from November 2015 to October 2016. From 3862 individ...

Termites are perceived as decomposers and as pests in an ecosystem. A study on the species composition of termites in different soil types (i.e. clay, sand and peat) in oil palm plantations was conducted between 6 April 2015 and 10 December 2015 in nine selected localities in Johor (Malaysia) and Riau (Indonesia). Sampling of termites was conducted...

Thirty adult female individuals of each of the four orb-web spider species namely Araneus sp. (Araneidae), Gasteracantha kuhli Koch, 1837 (Araneidae), Gasteracantha hasselti Koch, 1837 (Araneidae) and Opadometa grata (Simon, 1877) (Tetragnathidae) were randomly sampled between 1000 and 1400 h from May to July 2017 in an oil palm plantation in Perak...

Sycanus dichotomous (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) merupakan antara pemangsa semulajadi bagi kebanyakan jenis serangga perosak tanaman. Kajian makmal yang dijalankan ini bertujuan menilai kesesuaian pemeliharaan S. dichotomous secara berkelompok melalui pemerhatian ke atas aspek kitar hidup dan tahap kesuburan pemangsa. Kajian dijalankan di makmal rumah h...

Misunderstood as pests, these night flyers are more important than we give them credit for.

The diversity and composition of beetles from oil palm plantation in Ladang Lekir, Perak, Malaysia were collected each month using Malaise trap, yellow pan and window traps from three different sites on the basis of their oil palm aged i.e. five (Plot 1), seven (Plot 2) and 12 (Plot 3) years old from November 2015 to October 2016. From 3862 individ...

Pengaplikasian sistem pengurusan perosak bersepadu (PBB) dalam ekosistem pertanian berpotensi untuk menyumbang sesuatu kepada ekonomi negara. Kesan aplikasi sistem PPB yang paling ketara adalah dalam kawalan serangga perosak tanaman. Dalam hal ini, penggunaan racun sintetik serangga untuk mengawal serangga berkurangan.

Mongabay reports on the first record of ultrasound communication in the mysterious colugo. Full story at: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/05/first-record-of-ultrasound-communication-in-the-mysterious-sunda-colugo/

Kumbang pendebunga kelapa sawit Elaeidobius kamerunicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

This article provides information with regards to the natural predators of the oil palm pollinating weevil in oil palm ecosystem.

Approximately 34 tetragnathid species have been recorded in Malaysia. These orb-web spiders start building their first webs in early juvenile stages. The relationships between the morphology and the web characteristics of four tetragnathid species (Leucauge argentina, L. celebesiana, Mesida gemmea and Tylorida ventralis) were presented in this pape...