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The butterfly diversity and assemblages at five substations located at the different elevations along the Crocker Range Park, ranging from 396m to 1,891m a.s.l were documented in this study. The butterfly samplings were conducted from April to December 2019, involving 10 sampling sessions. The butterflies were sampled by using 20 baited traps and an aerial net at 20 sampling stations. A total of 727 individuals were sampled comprising 187 species. Nymphalidae was the dominant family at the five substations, which accounted for approximately 53% of the total species and 71% of the total individuals recorded, while Ypthima pandocus was the dominant species. The highest number of species was recorded at Keningau substation (965-1,062 m a.s.l) but the highest number of individuals was recorded at Mahua substation (1060-1,249 m a.s.l). Mount Alab substation recorded the least number of butterfly species and individuals. The overall pattern indicated that the butterfly species and abundance were relatively high at an elevation range of about 960-1,250 m a.s.l. Keningau substation was the most diverse area as shown by Shannon-Wiener Index (H’=2.885), followed by Inobong, Mahua and Ulu Kimanis substations. Ten endemic species were sampled in this study with most of these found at an elevation above 965 m a.s.l. The information obtained from this study would contribute to a better understanding of the elevational diversity pattern of tropical biota and also could serve as baseline data for conservation management at Crocker Range Park in facing threats on biodiversity, including global warming.

During the Borneo Geographic Expedition 2019 in Kadamaian area in Kota Belud, a survey on butterfly fauna was conducted for four days from 21st to 24th October, 2019. Three sites selected for the butterfly sampling were Site 1, Site 2 and Site 4. The methods applied were fruit and carrion baited traps, and aerial netting. A total of 56 individuals were sampled and belonged to 25 species from four families (Nymphalidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae and Papilionidae). Nymphalidae was the dominant family with Ragadia makuta recorded as the most abundant species. About 60% of the butterflies sampled in the area are forest species, while 40% of the overall species have narrow geographical distribution restricted to Sundaland. The butterfly fauna in Kadamaian area is comparable to other forest types in Sabah in terms of their diversity and species richness. The findings reflected the potential of Kadamaian area as a nature tourism site, and the area could also serve as a corridor for the conservation of flora and fauna as it is located adjacent to Kinabalu Park.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL) and Sukau Ecotourism Research Centre (SERC) have been recognised as two ecotourism sites in Sabah. However, there were no butterfly tourism products carried out at both sites. As a result, a 5-day survey of butterfly diversity was conducted using fruit-baited traps. Butterfly diversity, richness, and abundance were evaluated using Shannon-Weiner Diversity for both sites. SWOT analysis was also carried out at both sites throughout a 3-week observation. The results showed there were 20 species from 6 subfamilies of Nymphalidae butterflies. A total of 96 individuals of each species were also tabulated, with SRL revealing a higher diversity index compared to SERC due to its large surrounding area. The butterfly specimens were collected for educational purposes as nature tourism products. Lack of research, no butterfly signage, forest fragmentation, and mass tourism activities were identified as weaknesses and threats with their strengths and opportunities as proper guidelines based on SWOT analysis. Hence, it shows that both sites are valuable for nature tourism based on their unique butterfly fauna as butterfly tourism products. This study could also provide baseline data on butterfly diversity and its potential as butterfly tourism products at both sites. Butterfly diversity data and SWOT analysis are compulsory for the creation of butterfly tourism products. Such valuable fauna can be integrated as nature tourism products in conjunction with appropriate decision-making strategies.

This study was the first attempt to investigate the praying mantis diversity and composition on a long term basis in a regenerating forest of Bukit Piton Forest Reserve. The study area was a disturbed forest which had been affected by logging activities and forest fires, and undergone a restoration programme. Twelve sampling sessions were carried out over a period of one year, from August 2016 to July 2017, totalling 144 sampling days and nights. Methods included light traps, baited traps, and manual searching. A total of 187 individuals belonging to 19 species were successfully collected. The species sampled represent approximately 16% of the species that occur in Borneo. Mantidae was the dominant family, accounting for about 53% of total species and 36% of total individuals. The dominant species was Tropidomantis tenera which belongs to the family Iridopterygidae and made up 27% of the total individuals. The diversity indices showed that the praying mantis cenosis in the area was moderately diverse. This study highlighted the importance of a regenerating forest for the preservation of a significant portion of the biodiversity. We hope that the information obtained from this study will contribute towards a better understanding of the diversity of this fascinating group of insects, as well as the importance of a regenerating forest as a habitat worthy of conservation efforts.

We present the first record of the female of Mythomantis serrata, collected from Imbak Canyon Conservation Area, Sabah. This species was described by Schwarz & Helmkampf in 2014 based on male specimens collected from Gunung Mulu, Sarawak and Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo. This species can be distinguished from the other Mythomantis species, M. confusa and M. gracilis, based on the presence of sawtooth-like lobes along the sides of the pronotum, and the concave margins of its supra-anal plate. The female individual of this species possesses similar morphological characters like those seen in males. The description of the female specimen follows Schwarz & Helmkampf (2014).

Many areas of rain forest now exist as habitat fragments, and understanding the impacts of fragmentation is important for determining the viability of populations within forest remnants. We investigated impacts of forest fragmentation on genetic diversity in the butterfly Mycalesis orseis (Satyrinae) in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). We investigated mtDNA diversity in 90 individuals from ten forest sites typical of the sizes of forest remnants that currently exist in the region. Nucleotide diversity declined with increasing isolation of remnants, but there was no effect of remnant size or population size, and haplotype diversity was similar among sites. Thus, approximately 50 y after forest fragmentation, few changes in genetic diversity were apparent and remnants apparently supported genetically viable populations of this butterfly. Many studies have shown that responses of species to habitat fragmentation usually follow a time delay, and so we developed a Monte Carlo simulation model to investigate changes in genetic diversity over time in small remnants. Model output indicated a substantial time delay (> 100 y) between fragmentation and genetic erosion, suggesting that, in the smallest study remnants, an increased risk of extinction from reduced genetic diversity is likely in the longer term.

Summary 1 Widespread and rapid losses of tropical rain forests have made understanding the responses of species to rain forest fragmentation an area of major concern. In this study we examined the impacts of habitat fragmentation on the species richness and faunal composition of butterflies in tropical rain forests in Sabah, Borneo. We analysed patterns of both α- and β-diversity to assess the relative importance of differences in patch size, isolation and vegetation structure on the diversity and similarity of species assemblages. We used additive partitioning to assess the relative contributions of intact forest and forest remnants to overall species richness at a landscape scale and we examined which traits of species best predicted their responses to fragmentation. 2 Species richness and diversity in rain forest remnants was significantly positively related to remnant size and significantly negatively related to isolation, in keeping with theories of island biogeography. Species assemblages at different sites were significantly nested, with those species most adversely affected by forest fragmentation having a narrow range of larval host-plants and, to a lesser extent, being large-bodied. No species endemic to Borneo was recorded in forest remnants smaller than 4000 ha, but even the smallest remnant (120 ha) supported species with geographical distributions confined within Sundaland (West Malaysia and the islands of the Sunda Shelf). 3 Although assemblages were significantly nested, they departed substantially from perfect nestedness, with some species recorded only or predominantly in small, relatively depauperate remnants. As a result there was substantial β-diversity among sites, which was related to variation in both fragment size and vegetation structure. At the landscape scale, diversity within sites was less than that between sites, and the majority of the diversity between sites was related to variation in fragment size. 4 Synthesis and applications. Substantial diversity was added to the assemblage of butterflies in Bornean rain forests by virtue of species differences among fragments, which were related mainly to differences in patch size and vegetation structure. The data reported indicate that, despite having lower species richness, relatively small and isolated remnants of rain forest make a substantial contribution to regional diversity. Small isolated forest remnants are generally accorded low conservation status and given little protection, with the result that they often disappear over time because of continued anthropogenic disturbance. The results of this study indicate that the conservation value of small remnants of forest, in particular their contribution to environmental heterogeneity, should not be overlooked.

Tropical rain forests are well known as centres of insect diversity and much effort has focused on the role of larval host plant specificity in generating and maintaining this diversity, but fewer studies have examined the exploitation of different food resources by adults in this context. Tropical butterflies feed as adults on a wide range of resources and we examined the diversity and ecology of species feeding on rotting fruit and carrion in a tropical lowland rain forest in Sabah, Borneo. We found that species richness and diversity were significantly higher on carrion than on fruit, and that this pattern was repeated at genus and family level. There was little similarity in species assemblages on the two substrates and β-diversity between carrion and fruit comprised 33% of the total diversity of butterflies feeding on decaying matter. β-diversity between canopy gap and shade microhabitats comprised 21% of total species diversity on carrion but only 7% of the total on fruit, indicating greater functional diversity on carrion in terms of light preferences. Captures were strongly male-biased on carrion but not on fruit, and recapture rates were much lower on carrion than on fruit. Species from two subfamilies (Nymphalinae and Charaxinae) exploited both substrates and for Charaxinae, there was evidence from adult flight morphology that species on carrion were capable of faster more-powerful flight. These results support the notion of a distinctive carrion-feeding fauna comprising more mobile species, which may use carrion to meet additional nitrogen requirements resulting from greater musculature. However there was no relationship between flight morphology and substrate choice in the Nymphalinae, and carrion-feeding may not have a unitary explanation.

We used traps baited with fruit to examine how the temporal variation of butterflies within primary forest in Sabah, Borneo differed between species. In addition, we compared patterns of temporal variation in primary and selectively logged forest, and we tested the hypothesis that selective logging has different recorded impacts on species diversity of adults during the wet monsoon period and the drier remaining half of the year. Species of Satyrinae and Morphinae had significantly less-restricted flight periods than did species of Nymphalinae and Charaxinae, which were sampled mainly during the drier season, especially in primary forest. Species diversity of adults was significantly higher during the drier season in primary forest, but did not differ between seasons in logged forest. As a consequence, logging had opposite recorded impacts on diversity during wetter and drier seasons: primary forest had significantly higher diversity than logged forest during the drier season but significantly lower diversity than logged forest during the wetter monsoon season. The results of this study have important implications for the assessment of biodiversity in tropical rain forests, particularly in relation to habitat disturbance: short-term assessments that do not take account of seasonal variation in abundance are likely to produce misleading results, even in regions where the seasonal variation in rainfall is not that great.

1. The impacts of habitat disturbance on biodiversity within tropical forests are an area of current concern but are poorly understood and difficult to predict. This is due in part to a poor understanding of how species respond to natural variation in environmental conditions within primary forest and how these conditions alter following anthropogenic disturbance. Within this context, the main aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the gap and shade preferences of fruit-feeding butterflies in primary forest in northern Borneo can be used to predict species' responses to selective logging and thus explain changes in diversity and geographical distinctness in relation to habitat disturbance. 2. Overall, there was little difference in butterfly diversity between primary forest and forest that had been selectively logged 10-12 years previously. In contrast, there were marked differences in the composition of the butterfly assemblages in the two habitats, which were strongly associated with species' gap preferences and geographical distributions. In Satyrinae and Morphinae, those species with higher shade preferences and narrower geographical distributions were most adversely affected by logging, whereas cosmopolitan species with high light preferences benefited from logging. In Nymphalinae and Charaxinae the opposite was observed: those species with wider geographical distributions were adversely affected and those species with relatively restricted distributions were more common in logged forest. 3. These changes in butterfly assemblages were associated with changes in vegetation structure following selective logging, which resulted in much lower habitat heterogeneity with less dense shade and fewer open gaps in logged forest. Areas of dense shade, which were more common in unlogged forest, supported species of Satyrinae and Morphinae with restricted geographical distributions, whereas open gaps, which were also more common in unlogged forest, attracted widespread species of Nymphalinae and Charaxinae. These butterfly-habitat associations in primary forest explain the opposite responses of the two groups of butterflies to selective logging. 4. Synthesis and applications. This study highlights the need to sample at a sufficiently large spatial scale to account for impacts of disturbance on heterogeneity in forest environments. It also demonstrates how understanding the responses of species to natural variation in environmental conditions within undisturbed forest is crucial to interpreting responses of species to anthropogenic habitat modification. The results further indicate that selectively logged forests can make an important contribution to the conservation of tropical biodiversity, provided that they are managed in a way that maintains environmental heterogeneity.