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Anker,
Authur
Victor
R. Alekseev
Bahir,
Mohomed
Benayahu, Yehuda
Brook, Barry
Chen
Hui-Lian
Corlett,
Richard
Das,
Indraneil
de
Pinna, M.
Fernando,
C.H.
Grootaert, Patrick
Guinot,
Daniele
Jayne,
Bruce
Karns,Daryl
Kottelat,
Maurice
Kunimatsu, Yutaka
Larson,
Helen
Lheknim,
Vachira
Liao,
Lawrence
Liu
Riu-Yu
Panha,
Somsak
Rachmatika,
Ike
Rahayu,
Dwi Listyo
Schubart,
Christoph
Siebert,
Darrell
Song
Daxiong
Voris,
Harold
Wu Sugong
Zettel,
Herbert
Visit: Jan 7 to 26, 2002
Dr. Arthur Anker specialises in the study of
systematics and taxonomy of snapping shrimps from the Family Alpheidae.
He recently obtained his PhD from the Laboratory of Biology of
Marine Invertebrates, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle,
Paris, France, where in the course of his studies, he published
several significant scientific papers. Arthur was invited by Dr.
Darren Yeo of the RMBR to visit the museum from 7 to 26 Jan 2002
to help sort the museum's alpheid collection, and to study the
alpheids of Singapore and the surrounding area.
Laboratory work during Arthur's visit was conducted
at the Zoological Reference Collection of the RMBR, and at the
Systematics and Ecology Laboratory of the Department of Biological
Sciences. He also made field trips to mangroves at Sungei Buloh,
Sungei Mandai and Lim Chu Kang.
Arthur's short but productive visit has resulted
in the preparation of a paper on Singapore alpheids that includes
the description of a new species of Potamalpheops and the first
record from Southeast Asia of another species, Athanas polymorphus.
In addition to depositing type material of some newly described
taxa in the RMBR, Arthur also identified and sorted, down to species
or species-complex level, most of the alpheids already in the
museum collection. More complex groups such as the Alpheus edwardsi
species group will be resolved in due course partially with the
help of material deposited in the RMBR.
As part of Arthur's research on local alpheid
fauna, he also studied recent scientific collections of shrimps
from Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin, tentatively identifying at least 15
species from there. This data is will prove useful for the National
Parks Board of Singapore, which is the custodian government agency
for Chek Jawa, in their plans for management and conservation
of the area.
Over and above the primary objectives of his
visit, Arthur collaborated with Mr. Cai Yixiong, an RMBR-associated
graduate student, to prepare a scientific paper on Philippine
freshwater shrimps that includes the description of several new
species. Arthur also shared the interesting biology and fascinating
diversity of snapping shrimps with a wider audience when he presented
a Department of Biological Sciences seminar on 11 Jan 2002 on
"The Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Snapping Shrimps" at
Lecture Theatre 32.
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Visit: 1-7 Sep 2002
Dr Barry W. Brook, a conservation biologist from
Northern Territory University, Darwin, Australia, visited the
RMBR in Sep 2002 to conduct collaborative research on biotic extinction
rates in Singapore. Click here for more…
Dr Barry W. Brook obtained his PhD from the Key
Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources, Macquarie University,
Sydney, Australia, in 1999. He is currently a researcher at the
Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management, Northern Territory
University, Darwin, Australia, and also holds a concurrent appointment
as Visiting Research Fellow (through to April 2003) at the Center
for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Japan. Barry's field
of expertise is in conservation biology, extinction theory and
population modeling, and he was invited by Assoc. Prof. Navjot
Sodhi (RMBR) to visit from 1-7 Sep 2002 under the RMBR visiting
attachment programme.
The aim of the visit was to describe and quantify
the extent of biodiversity loss for a wide variety of taxa in
Singapore in the face of massive habitat clearance since 1819,
using a compilation of available documented sources. This would
go towards addressing the problem of most reports of extinctions
in the humid tropics being anecdotal or poorly documented, with
a scarcity of robust and broad-based empirical data.
During his visit, Barry was based at the Behavioural
and Conservation Ecology Laboratory. All work involved compilation
and interpretation of primary and secondary literature and consultation
with RMBR staff. Coverage was all habitats in Singapore except
marine. Preliminary results from analyses of the observed (minimum)
and inferred (upper limit) extinction of species from a wide range
of taxa from Singapore in relation to massive habitat loss (95%
over 183 years) indicated that all taxonomic groups suffered substantial
die-offs, with the greatest species losses (34-87%) in butterflies,
freshwater fish, birds and terrestrial mammals. Extinction rates
were generally lower but more uncertain (5-80%) in vascular plants,
phasmids, freshwater decapods, amphibians and reptiles. Extrapolations
imply the current unprecedented rate of habitat destruction in
Southeast Asia could result in the loss of 7-25% of "higher
taxa" from the region over the next century.
Despite his hectic schedule in working towards
his main research objective here, Barry still managed to find
the time to present a Biodiversity Journal Club seminar entitled
"Explaining the Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions: models,
chronologies and assumptions" on Monday 2 September 2002
at Dept. Biol. Sciences, NUS. In addition, he also initiated a
new research collaboration with Assoc. Prof. Peter Ng of the RMBR.
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Department of Ecology & Biodiversity
The University of Hong Kong
Visit: Jan 5 - 17, 2002
Dr. Richard Corlett obtained his PhD at the Australian
National University, Canberra, Australia, and specialises on ecology
of the tropics. Dr. Corlett was invited by Dr. Hugh Tan of the
RMBR to visit us from 5 to 17 Jan 2002 under the RMBR visiting
attachment programme to collaborate on two research projects:
1. Invasibility of exotic plants into vegetation
of a continental island (Singapore)
2. The cultivated plant flora of Singapore.
Laboratory work during this visit was conducted
in the Plant Systematics Laboratory of the Department of Biological
Sciences. Field work was carried out at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve,
Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the Singapore Botanic Gardens,
and other areas of managed vegetation, to survey the presence
or absence of exotic plant species. In addition, the cultivated
plants at the Singapore Botanic Gardens arboreta and other managed
vegetation sites were also surveyed.
One paper is now in preparation as a direct result
of this visit. Also in connection with one of the primary research
topics of this visit, Dr. Corlett co-supervised an Honours project
and a UROPS project on invasibility of vegetation types by exotics
over the last two years. On top of this, he also carried out preliminary
experiments to determine the cold tolerance of Singapore forest
plants. This and more research collaborations are being planned
with Dr. Hugh Tan. Dr. Corlett presented a Department of Biological
Sciences seminar on 9 Jan 2002 on "Seed dispersal in degraded
tropical landscapes" at Lecture Theatre 32.
Dr. Corlett is no stranger to Singapore, having
been a staff member of the then Department of Botany of NUS from
1982 to 1987. Hence, he was glad to have the opportunity to partake
in the good food (e.g. eating roti prata every morning for the
duration of his stay) and warm climate, in contrast to Hong Kong,
where he finds the "food rather too bland and the winters
rather too cold".
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Visit: Jan 2002
Dr. Indraneil Das of the Institute of Biodiversity
and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS),
obtained his PhD at the University of Oxford, UK, and specialises
in the taxonomy and systematics of reptiles and amphibians of
South and Southeast Asia. Indraneil was invited by Kelvin Lim
(curator of herpetology & ichthyology) of the RMBR to visit
us under the RMBR visiting attachment programme.
The objective of this visit was to collaborate
with Kelvin on compiling a catalogue of the reptile collection
at the RMBR, which is to be published in the Raffles Bulletin
of Zoology once completed. Work was carried out primarily in the
Zoological Reference Collection of the RMBR. The reptile collection
was given a thorough examination to make sure that the identification
of every specimen was correct, and the nomenclature updated. Uncatalogued
material was also identified and given registration numbers.
Indraneil's work here resulted in the addition
of several species records to the museum's holdings through re-identification.
They include the green viper, Trimeresurus hageni (previously
misidentified as T. sumatranus), and the butterfly lizard,
Leiolepis reevesii (previously mis-identified as L.
belliana).
Indraneil also presented a seminar on 11th Jan
2002 at the DBS Conference Room for a session of the Biodiversity
Journal Club of the Department of Biological Sciences. The seminar
was entitled " History of Herpetological Explorations of
Borneo ".
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Visit: 1-14 Dec 2002
Dr Patrick Grootaert, an entomologist from Royal
Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, visited the RMBR in Dec
2002 to conduct research on dolichopodid flies in Singapore. Click
here for more…
Dr Patrick Grootaert obtained his PhD from the
State University Ghent. He is Head of the Department of Entomology,
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and specialises in
the systematics and taxonomy of dolichopodid flies. His recent
visit to the RMBR from 1-14 Dec 2002 was partly funded by the
RMBR visiting attachment programme, and his hosts were Mrs Yang
Chang Man and Assoc. Prof. Peter Ng of the RMBR.
The aim of the visit was to study dolichopodid
fly fauna of Singapore by examining preserved museum material
in the RMBR collections as well as by making fresh collections
at various parts of Singapore. Laboratory work was carried out
at the Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) of the RMBR. With
the support of RMBR and the National Parks Board, Singapore, Patrick
conducted field collections in mangrove habitats (Sungei Buloh
Wetland Reserve; Lim Chu Kang; Pulau Ubin) as well as rainforest
habitats (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve; Nee Soon swamp forest).
Preliminary findings from Patrick's studies have
indicated that there may be up to 70 taxa of dolichopodid flies
in Singapore, including a number of undescribed species. One of
the more interesting groups of dolichopodid flies here are always
found associated with the burrows of Ocypodid crabs (Ghost crabs).
In addition to studying dolichopodid species in Singapore, Patrick's
visit also strengthened the RMBR's insect collections through
donations of some important voucher material.
In between his crowded itinerary of field trips
and lab work, Patrick managed to give a talk at the Department
of Biological Sciences Biodiversity Journal Club seminar series
on Thursday 12 Dec 2002. The talk was entitled "Global biodiversity
and rain forests: a challenge for the entomologist".
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Visit: 8-15 Dec 2002
Dr Yutaka Kunimatsu from Kyoto University, Japan,
visited the RMBR in Dec 2002 to conduct research on primitive
hominoids. Click here for more…
Dr Yutaka Kunimatsu from the Primate Research
Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, visited the RMBR from 8-15
Dec 2002. Dr Kunimatsu specialises in primate palaeontology, especially
homonoids. The objective of his visit was to study RMBR's osteological
collection of extant Asian hominoids (Orang Utans and gibbons)
as comparative material for describing fossil specimens from Thailand.
During his visit, Dr Kunimatsu introduced his fascinating work
to us when he presented a seminar entitled "Looking for hominoid
fossils in Africa and Asia" at a session of the Biodiversity
Journal Club of the Department of Biological Sciences on Friday
12 Dec 2002.
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Visit: 6 to 20 Feb, 2002
Dr. Helen Larson obtained her PhD from the University
of Queensland, Australia. She is the Curator of Fishes at the
Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
Darwin, Australia, and specialises on the taxonomy of gobiid fishes.
Helen was invited by Kelvin Lim (curator of herpetology &
ichthyology) of the RMBR to visit us from 6 to 20 Feb 2002 under
the RMBR visiting attachment programme. The objective of the visit
was to collaborate on compiling a guidebook of gobiid fishes of
Singapore. This book will be the first ever to deal entirely with
gobies.
This research project confirmed the great diversity
of gobies in Singapore - over 120 species have been recorded.
In addition, Helen's work has also led to the discovery of at
least one new species of goby from the shelves of the Zoological
Reference Collection of the RMBR, where most of her research was
carried out.
Just before leaving Singapore, on 20 Feb 2002,
Helen presented a Department of Biological Sciences seminar entitled
"An Introduction to Gobies" at the Department Conference
Room. The seminar, which highlighted the surprising diversity
and beauty of gobiid fishes from various habitats, was an eye-opener
for a number of the audience members, who were only familiar with
a few abundant and frequently encountered species from Singapore's
freshwaters or coastal waters.
In addition to studying gobies, Helen also managed
to squeeze in snatches of time to pursue her other great passion
during this visit - bird watching! Happily for her, Helen added
some 66 new bird species to her life's list during her stay here.
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Visit: 22-28 May, 2002
A team of researchers from the Prince of Songkhla
University (PSU), Thailand, visited the RMBR from 22-28 May 2002.
The PSU team, led by Dr. Vachira Lheknim (- studying fishes and
crustaceans), included two other faculty members (Ms. Pimonpan
Leelawathanagoon - crabs & prawns; Mr. Supareok Watanasit
- ants, beetles and aquatic insects), and two graduate students
(Ms. Supiyanit Maipae - cladoceran zooplankton; Ms. Nuttanart
Na-wong - Entomology).
The objective of their visit was to refer to
material housed in the Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) of
the RMBR, as well as to initiate collaborative research with RMBR
staff and students working on various groups of freshwater aquatic
animals from southern Thailand, such as crabs, prawns, fishes,
and insects.
Preliminary results from work done on freshwater
crabs by Dr. Vachira Lheknim, Ms. Pimonpan Leelawathanagoon (both
PSU), Dr. Peter Ng and Dr. Darren Yeo (both RMBR) already indicate
the presence of several undescribed species of freshwater crabs
from southern Thailand. These will be described in due course
in a series of joint publications.
A secondary result of this visit was the initiation
of discussions for increased and possibly formal cooperation between
RMBR and PSU's Biology Department. A joint expedition between
PSU and RMBR to the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range in southern
Thailand in 2003 is also in the works. The expedition will be
followed up by collaborative laboratory work between staff and
students of both institutes at the PSU campus.
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Visit: May 20 to June 2, 2002
(Previous visit: Aug-Sep
2001)
Dr. Lawrence Liao, a phycologist from University
of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines, whose area of expertise is marine
flora, was invited to visit the museum under the RMBR visiting
attachment programme from 20 May to 2 Jun 2002 by Dr. Hugh Tan
of the RMBR.
This is his second research visit to the RMBR.
The main purpose of this visit was to study the common marine
macroalgae of Singapore as part of a collaborative project between
him and Dr. Hugh Tan to produce a popular guidebook in the Science
Centre/BP series on the marine flora of Singapore.
Lawrence was based at the Plant Systematics Laboratory
of the Department of Biological Sciences (DBS). Field work consisted
of collecting and photographing macroalgae in-situ at seashore
habitats, piers or marinas, including Labrador Park, Pulau Ubin
(Kampong Melayu), outside Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, Pasir Panjang
Ferry Terminal, Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, Senoko Fishing
Port, Kampong Wak Hassan and Sembawang Park beach front, Pasir
Ris Park, Changi Beach Park, Raffles Marina, and St. John's Island.
Lawrence also carried out fieldwork at Chinatown, photographing
and purchasing macroalgae products!
Sixty species of macroalgae were collected and
illustrated from the field as a result of this visit. In addition,
Lawrence noted at least 4 species of macroalgae being used in
Singapore by locals. The traditional use of marine algae was also
the topic of a seminar that Lawrence presented at a session of
the Biodiversity Journal Club of the DBS, entitled "Marine
Algal Ethnobotany in Central and Southern Philippines", on
30 May at the DBS Conference Room. In the seminar, he presented
the results of a survey of indigenous or ethnobotanical uses of
marine algae.
In an addition, to working on the macroalgae,
Lawrence also had discussions with Dr. Tan Koh Siang of the Tropical
Marine Science Institute, and Dr. Peter Ng (RMBR) and his graduate
students on possible future collaborative projects.
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Formerly of University of Southern California,
USA
Jan 7 - 18, 2002
Host: A/P Peter Ng & Darren Yeo
(Previous visit: Aug
1999 to Feb 2000)
Dr. Christoph Schubart of the Universität
Regensburg, Regensberg, Germany, obtained his PhD from Universität
Bielefeld, Germany, and specialises in taxonomy and molecular
systematics of grapsid crabs. He was invited to visit the RMBR
from 7 to 18 Jan 2002 under the Visiting Attachment Programme,
and was hosted by Dr. Peter Ng and Dr. Darren Yeo of the RMBR.
The objective of his visit was to collaborate with Dr. Peter Ng
on several projects, including: i) Revision of Selatium,
with description of at least two new genera and three new species;
ii) Revision of Chiromantes, with description of several
new genera; iii) Studies on the genera Pseudosesarma and
Sesarmops.
This short stay saw Christoph working long intensive
hours in the Systematics and Ecology Laboratory of the Department
of Biological Sciences, while managing to squeeze some time out
for short field visits to Sungei Buloh and Lim Chu Kang mangroves,
and Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin.
Christoph's stint here resulted in the completion
of four papers on crab nomenclature and taxonomy (due for submission),
and the preparation of 2 large papers fusing morphological and
molecular techniques in deciphering complex sesarmid generic and
species problems. In addition, Christoph contributed significantly
to the RMBR by depositing numerous specimens from Americas and
Africa, and by sorting and identifying several hundred lots of
crabs.
Further collaborations that were initiated include
projects on ancient lake invertebrate speciation and radiation
in Sulawesi, and systematics of Geosesarma and freshwater
crabs.
Christoph also presented a Department of Biological
Sciences seminar on 16 Jan 2002 at the DBS Conference Room entitled
"Radiation of crabs in landlocked habitats of Southeast Asia,
a comparison of a lacustrine and a terrestrial species group",
which highlighted the use of morphology and DNA in crab phylogeny.
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Kunming Botanical Institute, People’s
Republic of China
March 8-31, 2002
Host: Assoc. Prof. Benito Tan, Deputy Director,
RMBR
Objective(s): To collaborate with A/Prof. Benito
Tan on biogeographical study comparing the biodiversity of tropical
ferns in China and Malesia.
Professor Wu Sugong from the Kunming Institute
of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, was invited by
Assoc. Prof Benito Tan of the RMBR to visit us from 8 to 31 Mar
2002 under the RMBR visiting attachment programme. Prof Wu specialises
in pteridology and plant conservation in China. He was based at
the Cryptogamy Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences,
where he conducted a biogeographical study in collaboration with
Assoc. Prof Tan to compare the biodiversity of tropical ferns
in China and Malesia.
This project mainly involved studying the Chinese
fern collections preserved at the herbaria of Singapore Botanic
Gardens (SING) and the National University of Singapore (SINU-RMBR).
As a result, hundreds of specimens preserved at these herbaria
were re-examined and their identities revised or confirmed.
The numerous type specimens of Chinese fern species
at SING studied by Prof Wu have contributed to a paper reporting
on previous misidentifications and new records of Chinese fern
species, which has been accepted for publication in a commemorative
proceedings volume organized by the Lucknow Botanical Institute
in India. This is in connection with Prof Wu's own project, the
Fern Flora of China.
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Visit: 8 to 26 Jan, 2002
Dr. Herbert Zettel, the Curator of the Hemipteran
collection at the Vienna Natural History Museum, Austria, obtained
his PhD at the University of Vienna, Austria. Dr. Zettel, who
specialises on the taxonomy of the family Bicornidae (Diptera)
as well as on aquatic Heteroptera (Hemiptera), was invited by
Mrs. Yang Chang Man (Chief Curator) of the RMBR to visit us from
8 to 26 Jan 2002 under the RMBR visiting attachment programme.
The aim of the visit was to collaborate on the description of
new species of aquatic bugs from Southeast Asia from the genera
the genera Hydrometra, Rhagovelia and Limnometra.
Sorting and identification of aquatic bugs in
the families Gerridae, Veliidae, Heleopteridae and Hydrometridae
was carried out during this visit in the Zoological Reference
Collection of the RMBR. Fieldwork was carried out at Nee Soon
freshwater swamp and MacRitchie forest areas in the Central Catchment
Area, and at Sungei Buloh mangroves. Dr. Zettel was especially
fascinated by the rich aquatic hemipteran fauna in the swamp forest
of Singapore, and had his first experience of collecting secretive
mesovelid and mebrid bugs from the unique intertidal mangrove
swamp habitats.
At least four papers are now in preparation to
describe the many new species of aquatic bugs (including a new
Hydrometra from MacRitchie forest) discovered among the
RMBR collections by Dr. Zettel. In addition, it was discovered
that some recent published taxonomic revisions were not comprehensive
due to materials in the RMBR not being examined. As a result of
this, Dr. Zettel and Mrs. Yang have initiated an open exchange
programme between our two museums to facilitate greater access
to material from respective collections.
Dr. Zettel also expressed a strong interest to
have a joint project with the RMBR for the study on aquatic bugs
of the Oriental Region, especially the unexplored areas in South
and Southeast Asia. The main aims of such collaboration would
be to document the many undescribed species and genera known to
occur in the region, and to collect more materials for revisions
of the fauna.
Dr. Zettel presented a seminar on 23rd Jan 2002
at the DBS Conference Room for a session of the Biodiversity Journal
Club of the Department of Biological Sciences. The seminar was
entitled "Mozart, the Vienna Museum, and the astonishing
diversity of Southeast Asian Bugs".
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Visit: Jun 5 to 20, 2002
Dr Zohrah hj Sulaiman, from the Department of
Biology, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, visited RMBR from 5-20
June 2002. Her visit was part of a joint research project entitled
"Diversity and Conservation of the Torrent Loaches of the
Genus Gastromyzon (Teleostei: Balitoridae) and Associated
Species in Brunei". Her collaborators on this project were
Dr Peter Ng (Director - RMBR) and Mr Tan Heok Hui (RMBR-associated
graduate student).
Dr Zohrah, who specialises in the study of molecular
and population genetics of marine and freshwater fishes, obtained
her PhD at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom,. The
main objective of her visit was to sequence and analyse mtDNA
(cytochrome b) of Gastromyzon species.
During her visit here, Dr Zohrah carried out
laboratory work at the Molecular Genetics Laboratory of the Department
of Biological Sciences. There she did DNA extraction, PCR amplification
using cytochrome b and mtDNA sequencing of Gastromyzon
species from Brunei and the neighbouring countries. The results
of this molecular work is currently being analysed, and prepared
for publication.
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