Schlegel’s Banded Langur, P. neglectus is an understudied primate species in Johor. However, no data were recorded on the species feeding ecology from previous study. This study aims to assess the food selection of P. neglectus in Kampung Johor Lama, Kota Tinggi, Johor. Observations were made using scan sampling techniques and identification of plants was made using dichotomous key to record and identify the plants eaten by P. neglectus in Kampung Johor Lama, Kota Tinggi, Johor. 27 species of plants were recorded from 17 families during 2 months of observation starting from July 2018 to August 2018. Plant species found in the area comprises of a mixture of mangroves plants, orchard plants, pioneer forest plants and others. A notable plants species selected by P. neglectus includes pome trees, Nephelium lappaceum, commodity plants, Elaeis guineensis and Hevea brasiliensis, mangrove plants, Rhizophora mucronate, pioneer tree species, Macaranga gigantea and others. Plants selected by P. neglectus in this study suggested a viable adaptation to human settlement in Kampung Johor Lama.

Environmental DNA or eDNA utilizes traceable genetic materials in the environment for monitoring the presence of organisms in a given area and it is now gaining popularity as an alternative for traditional monitoring methods. Thus, the selection of genetic markers is crucial for identification of species in wildlife monitoring. This paper aims to review several DNA markers which are appropriate and reliable for detection of organisms from the environmental samples. We performed systematic literature search from SCOPUS database to review all molecular markers of eDNA. This study focuses on the importance of markers selection which can be utilized by next-generation sequencing (NGS) for biodiversity monitoring. Cytochrome C oxidase Subunit I (COI) are noted as the most widely used marker in metabarcoding research for detection of targeted species.

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as the genetic tool to monitor biodiversity has been increasing across the world, including Malaysia. Over a decade, the technique has become widely used in wildlife conservation with the technologies called next-generation sequencing (NGS). Unfortunately, as one of the top megadiverse countries, Malaysia is still behind in this field since eDNA methods outperform traditional surveys. Hence, in this study, we analyzed the paper related to eDNA studies in Malaysia, which focused on wildlife monitoring. We conducted a systematic bibliographic search and quantitative review of studies published before June 2021 from Google Scholar and Scopus database. Forty published eDNA studies were found, and each paper was classified based on five themes (species identification, diet assessment, health monitoring, resolve taxonomic, whole-genome sequencing) according to the study analysis. This study aims to identify gaps in eDNA in Malaysia, which can later be useful for future conservation actions and development by applying technology in wildlife monitoring.

Banded langur (Presbytis femoralis) is an endangered leaf-eating colobine, found in Johor and Pahang in Malaysia. However, with less than 500 individuals reported to be surviving in Johor, their behaviour and ecology remain unknown among primatologists. This study provides the first systematic data on the daily activity budget of the species in Malaysia. Scan sampling technique was used to observe and record P. femoralis behaviour with 10 min interval starting from February 2018 to November 2018. The results are based on 186 h and 20 min of direct observation in the wild. The animals spent most of the time for resting (43 ± 13%) followed by moving (26 ± 9%), feeding (26 ± 7%), social activities (4 ± 3%), and others (1 ± 0%). Seasonality significantly influences the activity budget of the animals resulting in increased resting and moving in the non-fruiting season. Feeding activities decreased in the non-fruiting season compared with the fruiting season, whereas social activities remained the same. We concluded that the daily activity budget of P. femoralis in this study portrays comparable behavior to other langurs in Malaysia that would help in conservation and management of the species in terms of understanding temporal and spatial requirements of P. femoralis in a highly fragmented habitat.

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