Management of wild fisheries resources requires accurate knowledge on which species are being routinely exploited, but it can be hard to identify fishes to species level, especially in speciose fish groups where colour patterns vary with age. Snappers of the genus Lutjanus represent one such group, where fishes can be hard to identify and as a result fisheries statistics fail to capture species-level taxonomic information. This study employs traditional morphological and DNA barcoding approaches to identify adult and juvenile Lutjanus species harvested in Malaysian waters. Our results reveal a suite of species that differs markedly from those that have previously been considered important in the Malaysian wild-capture fishery and show that official fisheries statistics do not relate to exploitation at the species level. Furthermore, DNA barcoding uncovered two divergent groups of bigeye snapper (‘Lutjanus lutjanus’) distributed on either side of the Malay Peninsula, displaying a biogeographical pattern similar to distributions observed for many co-occurring reef-distributed fish groups. One of these bigeye snapper groups almost certainly represents an unrecognized species in need of taxonomic description. The study demonstrates the utility of DNA barcoding in uncovering overlooked diversity and for assessing species catch composition in a complicated but economically important taxonomic group.

Entamoeba infection is still widespread in Malaysia’s rural area particularly among Orang Asli communities which usually associated with poverty and lack of sanitation. Due to scarce information on these Entamoeba infections in Slim River, Perak we conducted this study to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors towards this infection. A total of 55 stool samples from voluntary participants with and without symptoms of amoebiasis were collected and examined using PCR technique. PCR analysis showed 16.4% stool samples were detected positive for Entamoeba spp., discriminated as 7.3% that were positive for E. histolytica and 9.1% for E. dispar. No E. moshkovskii was detected at all. Factors such as indiscriminate defecation, improper sewage disposal and not washing hand after playing with soil or gardening showed significant association with E. histolytica infection; while gastrointestinal symptom such as vomiting was associated with E. dispar infection. In conclusion, the study reveals there is still an occurrence of Entamoeba spp. among Orang Asli communities in Slim River, Perak. This implies that good personal and hygiene practices should be enhanced through awareness strategy to control Entamoeba infections in Orang Asli communities in Malaysia.

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Freshwater species are the most threatened group to be assessed to date by the IUCN. Freshwater fish has enormous importance as animal protein supplies for human, and it is estimated that 6% of the world annual animal protein supplies come from freshwater fishes. Barcoding projects have been initiated all over the world and the field is constantly growing. In Malaysia however, the field has not been deeply investigated and not many barcoding projects have been undertaken especially for freshwater fishes. The aim of our study is to support the progress of DNA barcode project, especially for inland reservoirs like Tasik Raban, Perak. A Standard methodology using Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) marker was developed to ensure native fishes are barcoded taxonomically and molecularly and ready to be accessed through online databases. Such public references can help increase awareness on local fish diversity management. Information on taxonomy and molecular characterization can be used to plan further conservation programmed especially for depleted, unrecognized, and cryptic native species.

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INTRODUCTION: In Malaysia, there are little up-to-date data on the prevalence of Ent amoeba spp. and most of the previous studies were carried out using the conventional insensitive method of stool microscopic examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2018 to Mac 2019 in the three villages of Orang Asli communities at Slim River, Perak using the molecular assay. Risk factors associated with Ent amoeba spp. infection was assessed by analysing questionnaire responses obtained from the study participants. RESULTS: From the 55 stool samples collected, molecular prevalence revealed 7.3% and 9.1% E. histolytica and E. dispar infection respectively. Infection was due to indiscriminate defecation and not washing hands after playing with soil or gardening, as well as associated with gastrointestinal symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study showed that there is still an ongoing transmission of Ent amoeba spp. among the studied population, thus warrants the implementation of specific prevention and control strategies of this infection in Malaysia.

Agarwood is described as fragrance, smelling wood that is usually derived from the trunk of genus Aquilaria The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate four chemical-based inoculants to induce karas tree to form agarwood resin. Four chemical inoculants were applied into 6 years old karas tree (Aquilaria malaccensis) plantations in Slim River, Perak, Malaysia using dripping techniques. The inoculant used were labelled as A, B, C and D. Commercial inoculant was also used for comparison purposes and labelled as K while a healthy tree, act as control was labelled as N. After four months of inoculation, these samples were cut down and discoloured tissue samples were collected. Solvent extraction method using dichloromethane (DCM) was carried out to obtain the resin crude extract from plant tissues of the samples. All chemical formulation used were succesfully stimulated sample trees to produce resin. Inoculant B produced the highest crude extract recovery (5.49%) compared to inoculant C (4.78%) followed by A (4.32%), D (2.98%), K (1.07%) and N (0.13%). From this study, inoculant B showed the highest yield of resin. Hence, result from current study has the potential to contribute in enhancing new types of inoculant production for the agarwood industries in Malaysia.

Puntoplites bulu is a freshwater Cyprinidae and widely distributed in Southeast Asia. It has attracted considerable interest due to high demand and price. However, an apparent decline in its distribution and abundance is observed and this is due to several factors, such as habitat degradation, pollution, and overfishing. Intraspecific variation of P.bulu from three major rivers in Peninsular Malaysia were determined based on genetic divergence by using mtDNA Cyt b. Two distinct genetic lineages were apparent viz Central West and East Peninsular Malaysia with natural barriers (the Titiwangsa Range) acted as natural dividers between these two lineages. Alternatively, the close genetic relation and haplotype sharing that were observed between Perak and Kelantan populations could be due to human translocations. Further, haplotype sharing between Kelantan and Pahang populations revealed the migration ability of P. bulu through ancient connectivity. These findings provide an important base study for initiating a selective breeding program