First checklist of the herpetofauna (Amphibia, Reptilia) of the Kapas and Gemia Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, South China Sea

By

Syafiq, Muhamad Fatihah
Badli-Sham, Baizul Hafsyam
Aqmal-Naser, Mohamad
Fahmi-Ahmad, Muhammad
Quah, Evan Seng Huat
Grismer, Larry L.
Ahmad, Amirrudin B.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-3-12

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

21

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

268--281

Subjects

Amphibians , Conservation , Insular , Reptiles , Terengganu , tropical island

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/21.2.268

 

Abstract

Off the coast of Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia, lie the Kapas and Gemia Islands. The biota, and particularly the herpetofauna, of these small, famous islands is poorly known. Opportunistic surveys were conducted on these islands during the dry and pre‑monsoon periods using visual encounter surveys (VES) as the method to record the herpetofauna. The surveys recorded five species of amphibians from four genera and three families, and 16 species of reptiles from 15 genera and 10 families. This report represents the first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Kapas and Gemia Islands, Terengganu, and it shows the unrealized biodiversity of small offshore islands in the archipelagos of the South China Sea. More extensive surveys should be conducted in the future to get a more complete understanding of the herpetofauna inhabiting these small islands, which face anthropogenic disturbances.