Newsletter

Batagur affinis (Cantor, 1847)

The Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis) is a member of the Geoemydidae family, one of the most diverse groups of freshwater turtles, with over 70 recognised species worldwide (Clemente et al., 2021). Batagur affinis i...

Ms. Nur Asma Fatin Umirah Binti Mahmud • 27 March 2026 • 905 views

Amphiprion ocellaris (Cuvier, 1830)

Ms. Zaireen Hanani Binti Hilmi • 27 February 2026 • 2522 views

Gluta elegans (Wall.) Kurz

Gluta elegans is a tropical tree from the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), distributed across Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Myanmar.

Mrs. Sarah Nabila Binti Rosli & Mr. Muhamad Farihan Aqil Bin Aznan • 30 January 2026 • 3420 views

Otus lettia (Hodgson, 1836)

Mrs. Anisya Fatini & Ms. Nur Aina Amira Binti Mahyudin • 12 December 2025 • 7643 views

Hydnocarpus castaneus Hook. f. & Thomson

Mrs. Syazwani Bt. Azeman • 28 November 2025 • 10089 views

Petaurista petaurista (Pallas, 1766)

This is the Red Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista petaurista, family Sciuridae), a remarkable rodent that can glide up to 100 m between trees (Francis, 2010).

Mrs. Aziemah Binti Kinan & Mr. Mohamad Nur Arifuddin • 31 October 2025 • 13164 views

Merops philippinus (Blue-tailed Bee Eater)

Merops philippinus, commonly known as the Blue-tailed Bee Eater, is a colourful bird from the order Coraciiformes and the family Meropidae.

Noraliawani Atan & Ms. Nur Aina Amira Binti Mahyudin • 26 September 2025 • 14836 views

Sagittaria trifolia L.

Sagittaria trifolia is a herbaceous, perennial aquatic plant belonging to the family Alismataceae, also known as water-plantains.

Mr. Tan Kok Kiat • 29 August 2025 • 16379 views

Shorea lumutensis Symington

Shorea lumutensis is one of the species in the Balau group and is locally known as “Balau Putih” in Peninsular Malaysia.Shorea lumutensis is one of the species in the Balau group and is locally known as “Balau Putih” ...

Mrs. Suhaida Mustafa • 30 July 2025 • 18382 views

Melaleuca cajuputi Powell

Melaleuca cajuputi belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is locally known as “Gelam” or “Kayu Putih” in the Malay community.

Mrs. Siti Yasmin Binti Yaakub, Mr. Muhamad Afizzul Bin Misman & Mrs. Sarah Nabila Binti Rosli • 30 June 2025 • 18402 views

Koompassia malaccensis Maingay

Koompassia malaccensis, commonly known as "Kempas,” comes from the Leguminosae family which is also known as the Fabaceae. It is a huge tropical timber species common in Sumatera, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Kalimantan...

Mr. Abdullah Razin Bin Rofli • 30 May 2025 • 19479 views

Calophyllum inophyllum

Calophyllum inophyllum is a medium-sized tree that can reach up to 25 metres in height, featuring broad-spreading crowns and irregular branches (Latiff et al., 1999). It is well adapted to coastal environments by having large, leath...

Mrs. Sarah Nabila Binti Rosli & Ms. Mayzaitun Nurshuhaida Binti Mahd Khasani • 30 April 2025 • 20962 views

Annona muricata

Soursop, scientifically known as Annona muricata, comes from the Dutch term "zuurzak" which means sour sack, reflecting the slightly acidic taste of the fruit when ripe. The fruit is also known as "guayabano" in the Phili...

Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Mohammed Hafeezul Iqbal Bin Mohammed Iqbal • 31 March 2025 • 21834 views

Dipterocarpus rigidus Ridl.

Dipterocarpus rigidus, locally known as “Keruing cogan” in Peninsular Malaysia and “Keruing utap” in Sarawak, is a tree species from the Dipterocarpaceae family. The name rigidus means stiff, referring to the leaf bla...

Mrs. Syahida Emiza Suhaimi & Ms. Nur Farra Alisya Binti Ahmed Shamrizan • 28 February 2025 • 24076 views

Cosmos caudatus Kunth

Cosmos caudatus is the scientific name for what Malaysians call “Ulam raja” (literally translated as Salad King), a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Cosmos is a Greek word for order or ornament, while caudat...

Ms. Siti Nursafinah Binti Zambri & Mrs. Sarah Nabila Binti Rosli • 31 January 2025 • 25290 views

Eurema hecabe (Linnaeus, 1758)

Eurema hecabe, also known as Common Grass Yellow or Kuning-rumput in Bahasa Melayu (Omar et al., 2023), is a diurnal butterfly species belonging to the family Pieridae. The adult stage of Eurema hecabe has a wingspan of 35&...

Ms. Nur Atiqah Binti Saupi & Mr. Tan Kok Kiat • 30 December 2024 • 29160 views

Fejervarya cancrivora (Gravenhorst, 1829)

Fejervarya cancrivora, commonly known as the Crab-eating frog, belongs to the family Dicroglossidae (Nadia et al., 2020). It is also known as the Asian brackish frog, Mangrove frog and “Katak paya bakau” in Mala...

Mrs. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas & Ms. Nurfitri Ezatie Binti Yusoff • 29 November 2024 • 31040 views

Begonia thaipingensis (The Taiping Begonia)

Begonia thaipingensis is a species native to Peninsular Malaysia. Since it was initially found in Taiping, Perak, it bears the name of its location. The southernmost region of Perak is home to its population. It grows in the deep sh...

Mrs. Suhaida Mustafa • 15 November 2024 • 31687 views

Begonia aequilateralis Irmsch.

Begonia aequilateralis is a herbaceous, monoecious and rhizomatous species belonging to the family Begoniaceae. It is endemic to Selangor, where it only grows in riverine areas and is attached to rocks in lowland forests. This species is lis...

Mr. Tan Kok Kiat • 31 October 2024 • 31412 views

Diospyros discolor Willd. (Ebenaceae)

A common ornamental plant or shade tree in homes or gardens, Diospyros discolor is known as velvet apple or “pokok mentega” in Malay. It is aseasonal and produces many fruits and flowers, especially from June to July (Aman, 2016)...

Mrs. Syazwani Binti Azeman • 15 October 2024 • 32329 views

Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius, 1798)

Tholymis tillarga has a medium-sized body that measures about 43 mm for male and 39 mm for female. The male of Tholymis tillarga can be recognized by the red colour on its body including thorax and abdomen with the presence of white...

Mrs. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas • 30 September 2024 • 34078 views

Sonneratia alba J. Smith (Lythraceae)

Known as “Perepat” in the Malay community, S. alba grows in mangrove habitats across Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Borneo. It grows along shorelines, including in mangrove forests, rocky ...

Mrs. Sarah Nabila Binti Rosli • 13 September 2024 • 33329 views

Coccinellid beetles as Predators of Plant Pests

One promising biological control agent is ladybird beetles or coccinellids. These beetles are a subfamily of the family Coccinellidae and can be found on every continent in the world, except Antarctica. This family comprises 6,000 species worldwide, ...

Mr. Mohd Yusri Bin Zainudin & Nurhannah Abdul Halim • 30 August 2024 • 32798 views

Helosis ruficeps (Ridl.) Eberwein

Helosis ruficeps is a parasitic plant from the family Balanophoraceae, known for its root parasitism. The genus name, Helosis, originates from the Greek word for a nail, denoting the peltate bracts of the plant. The specific epithet...

Ms. Siti Nur Fatinah Binti Khairi • 15 August 2024 • 32734 views

Terminalia catappa (Combretaceae)

Terminalia catappa, also known as Ketapang, is commonly found wild in coastal areas. The Latin name Terminalia refers to the leaves clustered at the ends of twigs. Meanwhile, the epithet name catappa comes from the original...

Mrs. Norzielawati Salleh • 31 July 2024 • 33299 views