Field collection in Sumatra (819 December 2003): Heok Hee Ng
Overview
A field collection funded by the ACSI (NSF DEB-0315963) was conducted from 819 December 2003 in west-central Sumatra. A total of 41 species of catfish in 9 families were obtained, of which 5 species (4 bagrid and 1 sisorid) were found to be previously undescribed.
Activities
The original proposal envisaged sampling along the southwestern region of Sumatra (in the province of Bengkulu), as well as in Pulau Nias or one of the islands of the Mentawai archipelago. However, heavier-than-expected rains caused flooding and closure of the road leading from Jambi (the starting point) to Bengkulu. In the case of the islands, the large waves caused by adverse weather forced the cancellation of this part of the collection trip.
An alternative plan to sample the western highlands of central Sumatra was carried out instead, the main sampling area lying within the triangle delineated by Sungaidareh-Maninjau-Alahan Panjang in the province of Sumatera Barat (Fig. 1). Since the freshwater ichthyofauna of this area was as poorly-known as that of the Bengkulu region (and information from aquarium-fish collectors indicated that the freshwater ichthyofauna of these two regions were essentially identical), it was felt that this offered a less dangerous, viable alternative.
At the same time, smaller collections were made in the middle Batang Hari drainage in the Jambi-Muaratebo region (Fig. 1), as well as in the Lalan-Banjuasin drainage to the south (in the province of Sumatera Selatan; Fig. 1).
The collections made largely consisted of market purchases; some stream collections were made, but the opportunity to do so was limited by the paucity of finding pristine habitats due to large-scale habitat loss as a result of agriculture.
Fig. 1. Map of Sumatra showing the approximate areas sampled (gray ellipses).
Results
The resulting collection of freshwater fishes made in this expedition is one of the largest made to date of the upper Batang Hari drainage and of the western Sumatran highlands. A total of 41 catfish species in 9 families were obtained on this trip (see Table 1), of which 2 species of Leiocassis (Bagridae), 2 of Pseudomystus (Bagridae) and 1 of Glyptothorax (Sisoridae) were found to be previously undescribed. Tissue samples of nearly all of the catfish species obtained were also taken (see Table 2). In addition several interesting non-siluriform fishes were also obtained on this expedition, including the rare cyprinid Schismatorhynchos heterorhynchus, and potentially undescribed species of Rasbora and Osteochilus (Cyprinidae).
The specimens obtained on this trip will be split three ways among the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense (Cibinong, Indonesia), the Zoological Reference Collection, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (Singapore), and the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA). Holotypes of the new species will be deposited in the MZB.
The following manuscripts utilizing the material obtained from this expedition are already in preparation:
Expenses
The trip consumed $2761.18 of the $2820 budgeted. A detailed expense account of the trip is given in Table 3.
Table 1. List of siluriform species obtained
ARIIDAE
Arius melanochir
BAGRIDAE
Bagrichthys macracanthus
Bagrichthys macropterus
Bagroides melapterus
Hemibagrus cf. nemurus
Hemibagrus velox
Hemibagrus wyckii
Hyalobagrus flavus
Leiocassis n. sp. 1
Leiocassis n. sp. 2
Mystus castaneus
Mystus singaringan
Pseudomystus ellenriederi
Pseudomystus n. sp. 1
Pseudomystus n. sp. 2
CHACIDAE
Chaca bankanensis
CLARIIDAE
Clarias meladerma
Clarias nieuhofii
Encheloclarias velatus
PANGASIIDAE
Helicophagus typus
Helicophagus waandersii
Pangasius micronema
Pangasius nasutus
PLOTOSIDAE
Plotosus canius
SCHILBEIDAE
Laides hexanema
Pseudeutropius brachypopterus
SILURIDAE
Belodontichthys dinema
Ceratoglanis scleronema
Hemisilurus heterorhynchus
Hemisilurus moolenburghi
Kryptopterus bicirrhis
Kryptopterus cryptopterus
Kryptopterus limpok
Kryptopterus macrocephalus
Micronema apogon
Ompok eugeneiatus
Ompok rhadinurus
Wallago leerii
SISORIDAE
Bagarius lica
Glyptothorax platypogonides
Glyptothorax n. sp.
Table 2. List of siluriform taxa for which tissue samples were collected
Arius melanochir
BAGRIDAE
Bagrichthys macracanthus
Bagrichthys macropterus
Bagroides melapterus
Hyalobagrus flavus
Leiocassis n. sp. 1
Leiocassis n. sp. 2
Mystus castaneus
Mystus singaringan
Pseudomystus n. sp. 1
Pseudomystus n. sp. 2
CLARIIDAE
Encheloclarias velatus
PANGASIIDAE
Helicophagus typus
Helicophagus waandersii
Pangasius nasutus
PLOTOSIDAE
Plotosus canius
SCHILBEIDAE
Laides hexanema
Pseudeutropius brachypopterus
SILURIDAE
Belodontichthys dinema
Ceratoglanis scleronema
Hemisilurus heterorhynchus
Hemisilurus moolenburghi
Kryptopterus bicirrhis
Kryptopterus cryptopterus
Kryptopterus limpok
Micronema apogon
Ompok eugeneiatus
Ompok rhadinurus
Wallago leerii
SISORIDAE
Bagarius lica
Glyptothorax platypogonides
Glyptothorax n. sp.
Table 3. Expense account for expedition
|
Indonesian Rupiah**
|
Singapore dollars***
|
US dollars
|
ACCOMODATIONS
|
|
|
|
Hotel
|
1362000
|
|
163.60
|
|
|
|
|
TRAVEL EXPENSES
|
|
|
|
Return airfare for 1 pax (Detroit-Singapore)
|
|
|
1,368.04
|
Return airfare for 2 pax (Singapore-Jambi)@S$323.50 each
|
|
647.00
|
382.84
|
Airport tax for 2 pax (Jambi airport)
|
50000
|
|
6.00
|
Gas
|
444000
|
|
53.33
|
Vehicle rental
|
1500000
|
|
180.18
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPLIES
|
|
|
|
Wellington boots (2 pairs)
|
96000
|
|
11.53
|
Cloth for packing of specimens (12 yards@S$2/yard)
|
|
24.00
|
14.20
|
Plastic boxes for field preservation
|
163875
|
|
19.68
|
Formalin
|
60000
|
|
7.21
|
Postal boxes for shipping of specimens to the US
|
|
16.35
|
9.67
|
|
|
|
|
SPECIMEN PURCHASE
|
|
|
|
Market purchase
|
1298000
|
|
155.92
|
|
|
|
|
MISCELLANEOUS
|
|
|
|
Meals
|
1642500
|
|
197.30
|
Guide fees
|
118000
|
|
14.17
|
Postage for mailing of specimens to the US*
|
|
300.00
|
177.51
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
|
|
2,761.18
|
|
|
|
|
*Estimated amount for which receipts are not yet available
(specimens still in Singapore awaiting permit for shipment)
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|||
**Calculated at the rate of 8325 IDR=1 USD
|
|
|
|
***Calculated at the rate of 1.70 SGD=1 USD
|
|
|
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Addendum: Additional Results
The opportunity was also made use of during this expedition to study the catfishes deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Singapore.
New species in the following genera were identified:
Batasio (Bagridae)
Chandramara (Bagridae)
Nanobagrus (Bagridae)
Clarias (Clariidae)
Hemisilurus (Siluridae)
The descriptions of these new species are currently under consideration.
Data for other species were also obtained, which may serve usefulness in the future description of other catfish species.