HERPETOFAUNA DIVERSITY AT GUNUNG RAYA, PULAU LANGKAWI, KEDAH, PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

摘要

An inventory of herpetofauna was conducted on Gunung Raya, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia from February 2014 to January 2015 to evaluate species diversity in order to: 1) determine the diversity of herpetofauna, 2) determine conservation status of rare or new species, and 3) provide preliminary data that may be used for future conservation of the reptilian and amphibian community. Two methods of passive sampling techniques were used, namely drift-fenced pitfall traps (DPT) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe traps (PPT). Observed species richness is 33 species of herpetofauna, consisting of 10 species of amphibians and 23 species of reptiles. The diversity indices indicated moderate diversity for amphibians (H'=1.7) and reptiles (H'=2.4), supported by low dominance index for amphibians (D=0.24) and reptiles (D=0.13). Similarity indices suggested species compositions were dissimilar among habitats.