ABSTRACT: Marine turtles have been traditionally considered model organisms to study sex-biased behaviour and dispersal. Although female philopatry has been identified in the loggerhead turtle, with adult females returning to specific locations to nest, studies on the philopatry and breeding migrations of males remain limited. In this study we analysed 152 hatchlings using 15 microsatellite markers. Each individual came from a different nest from samples taken at 8 nesting grounds in the Mediterranean. Our results revealed the existence of 5 genetically differentiated units, mostly due to restricted gene flow for both sexes. This supports existing satellite tracking studies that suggest that mating occurs close to nesting grounds in this region. The 5 management units identified within the Mediterranean included nesting grounds from (1) Libya and Cyprus, (2) Israel, (3) Lebanon, (4) Turkey and (5) Greece. The genetic similarity between distant nesting areas (i.e. Libya and Cyprus) suggests the presence of a more complex pattern of breeding behaviour. Three possible hypotheses, that remain to be tested in future studies, could explain this result: (1) mating might take place in common foraging grounds; (2) mating could occur en route while migrating to/from the breeding grounds; or (3) recent colonisation events could connect the 2 nesting grounds. Overall, our work suggests that widespread male-mediated gene flow between loggerhead nesting grounds is likely to have been previously overstated although opportunistic breeding patterns might connect some widely separated areas.
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(1-2022)

Mangrove spiders are poorly studied in Malaysia. Available data have been primarily limited to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. In the present work, we report the first record of a spider species for Peninsular Malaysia, the Orb-weaver spider Eriovixia poonaensis (Tikader & Bal, 1981), from Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu state, on the east coast of the peninsula.
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(8-2021)

Avian diversity study focusing on islands in Malaysia is generally scarce compared to the unsurprisingly wealth of information on mainland birds. Similarly, Pulau Bidong is one of these islands with scarce ornithological information. It is located to the northwest of Kuala Terengganu, East Coast Peninsular Malaysia. A series of field surveys were conducted on the island between August 2014 and August 2016, using both point counts and mist netting methods to assess the bird species diversity at coastal area and within the forest canopy of the island. Unpublished data from 2006 were also added as it covers the Bidong trail area. Our results indicate that the total count is 26 species, belonging to 18 families and 23 genera. This species list is not exhaustive because the survey did not cover the main migration season from October to February, when it coincides with the monsoon season and rough weather. Further surveys will be needed to cover the nearby small islands in the archipelago.
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(6-2018)