Thirty-one seabird species are found in Malaysia; a few still breed on rocky outcrops and small islands in the southern Seribuat Archipelago. A century-long egg harvest by local fishermen in the area is believed to have caused extirpation of several breeding populations. To update the status of seabirds in the southern section of the Seribuat Archipelago, a two-day survey was conducted in August 2017. Twenty-two islands were selected and surveyed using boat observation and colony visits. In total, over 6 200 birds were counted, representing five tern species: Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus, Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana, Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii, Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, and the Lesser Crested Tern T. bengalensis. The first two species are confirmed breeders, whereas the remaining species are either passage migrants or unconfirmed breeders. The survey led to the rediscovery of a small population of Roseate Terns at Pulau Yu (one of the species' two historic breeding sites in Malaysia). The islands surveyed are not legally protected (except for the Pulau Tinggi group). The protection of selected sites is highly recommended to conserve these remaining seabird populations.
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(4-2019)

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)

Because of a lack of systematic surveys since the 1950s, information on seabird diversity and the status of seabird colonies along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is mostly outdated. The Seribuat Archipelago is composed of many islands, which are located off Pahang state in the north and Johor state in the south. The northern section of the archipelago was surveyed during July-September 2017 to document active seabird colony sites and to assess species richness and the potential threats facing these colonies. Seven islands were found to host significant numbers of terns (Black-naped Terns Sterna sumatrana, Bridled Terns Onychoprion anaethetus, Greater Crested Terns Thalasseus bergii, Lesser Frigatebirds Fregata ariel, and other bird species. We provide details of each site and its suitability for seabirds. Pulau Labas and Pulau Tokong Bahara have the highest species richness (five species each) followed by Pulau Tokong Burung and Pulau Gut (four species each). Tokong Burung (made up of three islands) hosts the largest colony of Bridled Terns in the region, with more than 10 000 pairs estimated, making it one of the largest colonies of the species in Southeast Asia. Egg harvesting by local fishermen, human disturbance, marine litter, and oil pollution are the main threats to seabirds in the Seribuat Archipelago. We make recommendations regarding measures needed for further protection of the area.
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(4-2020)