Edward S. Ross field notes

of observing life in the canopy.

These specimens were collected exclusively in the forest understory; - sweeping the herbage near the stream was especially productive for small Diptera, etc. Weather - sunny, with occasional clouds. 80-90° F

STOP 256 - MALAYA: 12 MI. N.W. K. LUMPUR, 120 meters, VI-13-62 150 spec.

Some of Malaya's most interesting geological formations are the limestone outcrops, centered near Ipoh but scattered elsewhere, west of the western mountain range especially. Those steep, forested crags and cliffs contain myriads of caves both large and small, one of the most noted of which is

Batu Cave near Kuala Lumpur, whose fauna has been surveyed by Dr. Elliott McClure. A few miles from Batu Cave, in Templer Park Forest Reserve, is a cave named Gua Anak Takun, entered by means of a small opening, hidden in jungle and fig roots, at the base of a large limestone bluff. The cave has remained little disturbed by man. Apparently some troops used the cave for a short time during World War II but was either partially sealed up are otherwise made inaccessable during following years of political unrest in Malaya. At any rate, naturalist interest in the cave has only recently begun. Dr. Fred Dunn, of the Hooper Foundation (Inst. for Medical Research, K. Lumpur), is currently studying the fauna of the cave.

STOP 257 - MALAYA: 6 MI . S.W. BENTONG, 140 meters, VI-16-62 150 specimens.

Short stop in rolling hills planted with rubber. These specimens were collected along a small creek dissecting a slope in an old rubber plantation. One small patch of tangled jungle remained along the creek (a band of undergrowth only 50 yards wide). Condition of the ground and rotting logs - quite moist. Weather sunny, warm, humid.

STOP 258 - MALAYA: FRASER'S HILL, 4200 ft., VI-17-62 2000 specimens.

Fraser's Hill, a high point on a long range of hills, is a pleasant hill station. The visiting and resident populations of the town are small and neat stone buildings have been widely

spaced with a minimum of destruction of the natural environment. Even around the golf course a thick stand of tree ferns remains. Tree ferns are in fact one of the commonest of forest plants in this zone. The trees are of course evergreen and generally small-leaved. The canopy averages perhaps 50 ft. above the forest floor. The jungle is generally quite dense and nearly impenetrable, but several fine contour trails around the hill below the town offer excellent collecting exposures. The trail and road banks are thickly covered with moss ferns, club moss, and small flowering herbs. Sweeping these areas yielded a quantity of small Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera. While the trails offer good understory possibilities the roads and open grass parks in the town, situated on the rolling hill

top, offer access to other sets of insects - some of the butterflies and bees, especially which normally would frequent the canopy were the forest entirely undisturbed.

The one day spent at Fraser's Hill turned out to be cloudy throughout and the temperature averaged 70° F. Black light collecting was interesting; evening temperature dropped to 60° F, the sky remained partially or thinly overcast, and a nearly full moon cast a half-light through the clouds.

STOP 259 - CAMERON HIGHLANDS, MALAYA: JOR CAMP, 600 meters, VI-18-62 50 specimens

Jor is one of the supply camps (actually a small farm) for an extensive hydroelectric project being constructed in the canyon below the town

of Cameron Highlands. 600 meters is somewhat below the major tree fern level; the evergreen rain forest here consists of quite large trees and a tangle of large bamboo, palm, and seedling understory. These specimens were collected during a quick stay along the road, in a thick growth of grass especially. Forest moist from recent rains.

STOP 260 - CAMERON HIGHLANDS, MALAYA: G. BATU BRINCHANG, 6500 ft., VI-19-62 700 specimens.

6,664 ft. Gunong Batu Brinchang, only 522 ft. lower the Malaya's highest mountain (Gunong Tahan, 7,186), exhibits a life zone present on a very small number Malayan mountains. The major tree fern belt thins out at about 6,000 ft. on Brinchang Peak, though many

individuals grow in protected spots nearly on the summit. (Throughout their range Malayan tree ferns occur scattered thinly or thickly among the forest trees). Coexisting with the tree ferns at and above their upper fringe is a short forest, rarely higher than 50 and usually averaging 30 ft. above the ground, consisting of small-leaved evergreen trees, among them many species of oaks and chestnuts. Around the summit itself the trees are scarcely 15 ft. in height. But the most interesting aspect of the forest above about 6,000 ft. is the extensive growth of moss on ground and tree and the festoons of orchids, ferns, and other epiphytes clothing the trees so thoroughly that sight of bare bark is indeed a rarity. As the trees grow up and the understory develops and dead wood accumulates on the forest floor the moss and ferns cover everything so

that eventually a considerable layer of spongy peat develops (in fact, sphagnum moss is an important component of the ground moss formation). In places of heavy moss growth and pilings of forest litter a layer of peat perhaps as much as 5 to 10 ft. thick may develop and is so unstable that a single jump will set the whole area, trees and all, vibrating and trembling. Peat formation seems to be heaviest on ridge tops where the ground is more of less level. An excellent trail follows one such ridge from the 6500 ft. level several miles to another summit, to the west. Perhaps the finest moss forest on the peak can be intimately viewed along the trail. In some places the moss and orchid growth is so extensive in the tree tops that a solid roof is formed, and examination of a fallen tree showed that peat formation had been

taking place in the upper branches for a considerable period of time; in fact, a black soil had developed as well.

The second major ridge, nowhere very steep along its crest, has been usurped for the small road which leads to telecom towers on Brinchang's summit. This ridge and the summit itself probably also had excellent cloud forest growth which has been destroyed. Nevertheless the road and towers represent the only scars on an otherwise untouched peak, and one is immediately impressed with the tremendous expanse of virgin forest to the west (nearly to the base of the hills on the Ipoh side) and to the north along the mountains. Considerable deforestation has taken place around the town of Cameron Highlands, for tea and Chinese farming, but on the whole the Cameron area represents an immense

tract of wild country. On Brinchang the road is actually advantageous for collecting since butterflies and other high flyers, normally above the canopy, more down along the road-side growth.

Clubmosses, lichens, ferns, and mosses grow extensively everywhere, in sun and shade. In the forest understory, growing among the mosses, one finds many orchids, wild begonias, pitcher plants (with their specialized fauna), and myriads of other wild flowers. Undergrowth of small palm-like plants and delicate bamboo reaches the summit, but palms are thicker in creek bottoms around the 5500 and 6000 ft. levels.

One day and 2 nights were spent on Brinchang. Camp was situated at 6500 ft on a wide shoulder by the road, behind a hill bank. The road ahead dipped slightly along a saddle on the ridge crest, bordered by

a terrifically precipitous but forested cliff on the west, the windy side, and by a protected canyon filled with tree ferns and broad-leaved undergrowth on the east. From the saddle the road ascends to the summit, less than a 5 minute walk from camp. Though air movement never exceeded a breeze, the hill proved to be good protection for black light collecting.

The weather pattern during one day was probably typical, the morning began sunny and warm, scattered clouds mostly below the peak; by afternoon the sky had clouded over, and by evening mist began to blow periodically across the summit. Rain fell from about 5 P.M. until an hour past dark, then stopped. Insects immediately came to the black light. Collecting lasted perhaps 1½ hours but ceased suddenly when rain fell again.

The previous night no rain fell, though the sky was cloudy, and collecting was not as good. The Brinchang moth fauna is quite beautiful. Nearly all species exhibit protective coloration, adaptation to moss, bark, lichens, and dead leaves. The variety of protective colors patterns was very interesting.

Diurnal temperature did not exceed 70° F; nocturnal low, 55° F, about 60° during black light periods.

Bumble bees began flying at the break of dawn and ceased after dark.

Underlying rocks - apparently granite.

STOP 261 - CAMERON HIGHLANDS, MALAYA: 4 MI. N.E. JOR CAMP, 800 METERS, VI-20-62 1000 specimens.

4 miles up the grade from Jor Camp there is a fine collecting dell on the bend of the road. The creek canyon here has a relatively flat bottom

surrounded by steep sides and a high, vertical rock face [bending?] in the end, over which the creek falls into a pool at its base. The floor on the dell is thickly littered with fallen logs, bark, and leaves, and a deep layer of black soil is present. The forest canopy averages perhaps a hundred feet high here. Large palms, some tree ferns, and small trees form a mid-story, in parts beneath which, in filtered light, small herbs, bushes and ferns thrive. Sweeping thins understory yielded good flies, etc. The forest floor was of course very damp from frequent rainfall.

Warm, sunny monrings - 80° F.

7 MI. DOWN ROAD from RINGLET

STOP 262 - MALAYA: IPOH, 70 meters, VI-20-62 100 specimens.

Ipoh is a flatland town

not far from the base of the hills (Cameron Highlands area) and closer still to limestone bluffs. The best forest in close proximity to town seems to be that on these bluffs, for much of the lowland forest has been cleared for rubber-growing and tinmining. These specimens were collected largely at the black light in a yard along Gepeng Road, near the edge of town. The yard was planted in lawn, shrubs, and flowers beneath some large trees, with a vacant weedlot next door. Weather, warm (85-90) diurnal temp, 80° F evening, partially cloudy.

STOP 263 - MALAYA: 3 MI. S.E. IPOH, 50 meters, VI-21-62 600 specimens.

Ipoh is the center of limestone formations, common along the western side of the west

mountain range. These steepsided crags rise directly out of the coastal plain near the foot of the hills. Forest covers every possible slope, though many faces are sheer and vertical with no rootholds. Nearly every hillock is riddled with caves and from many of the overhangs and cave entrances elaborate stalactite formations have developed.

Located abour half a mile off the main Gopeng-Ipoh road there is a remarkable limestone hillock shaped roughly like an enormous barnacle. Within a circular wall, densely covered with jungle, is a large hollow whose floor approximates the level of the plain outside the limestone wall. This circular enclosure, perhaps a hundred yards in diameter, was years ago planted with rubber trees, and, though the place is largely overgrown,

the trees are regularly tapped by an old Chinese fellow. The hollow can be reached easily only by means of a narrow cave through a hundred feet of limestone. Clambering over the precipitous walls would be extremely arduous. The enclave is a perfect little collecting unit and would make a splendid confined area for a thorough insect survey. There are sunny spots as well as places in deep shade, and caves and cave entrances are also present. The flora in the limestone cliffs and ridges surrounding the enclosure has never been disturbed.

These specimens were collected primarily in the enclosure itself, though some were taken at the fringe of the rubber plantation outside.

Temperature - 85°-90° F, humidity high. Sunny morning.

STOP 264 - Malaya: 2 MI. E. GOPENG, 100 meters, VI-21-62 700 specimens

A little dirt road last from the town of Gopeng serves a small water supply filter bed in a creek valley, just at the front of a group of hills. Below the filter bed clearing the land has been disturbed by aboriginal farmers - deforestation on the slopes, resulting in secondary grass growth, and some rice planting ont he flat just at the base of the hills. But above the filter beds, where the canyon steepens and narrows, the steep slopes are clothed in almost untouched jungle whose top story averages about 75-100 ft. above the floor. Collecting was best along the edge of the clearing, and the creek acted as a good butterfly flightway, as did the road farther down.

The afternoon of collecting began sunny, became partially

cloudy, and heavy rain fell late in the afternoon until shortly before dusk. Temperature stayed up around 80 nevertheless, cooling slightly in the evening. A light rain continued for an hour and a half after dark but light collecting was good throughout this period.

STOP 265 - MALAYA: PENANG HILL, 100 meters, VI-26-62 500 specimens.

This stop was located at the 100 meter leverl on the main hill of Penang Island, at the end of the road into the water catchment area. This extensive tract of native vegetation, the watershed for Penang, is probably one of the best collecting areas on the island, though at the time of our visit collecting was rather slow. The forest looks undisturbed, but in the past some selective cutting must have been

carried on. The sky remained partially cloud all the time, sunny periods alternating with cloudy or rainy periods. Several small showers blew up by afternoon, and heavier rain fell at night. Temperature ranged close to 80° F, slightly more or less.

STOP 266 - MALAYA: KEDAH PEAK, 3300-3978 FT., VI-28-62 800 specimens.

Kedah Peak (Gunong Jerai), though not very high in elevation, is biologically unique because of its close proximity to the sea and its isolation from other mountains. Situated between Penang on the south and Alor Star on the north, directly overlooking the sea on the west, the wettest side of Malaya, Kedah Peak receives a high annual rainfall, exemplified by rich moss, orchid, and other epiphyte growth.