S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 48. (Budapest, 1987)
FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK XLVIII 1987 p. 251-254 A report on collecting trips in Malaysia in 1987 By G. HANGAY and A. VOJNITS (Received March 4, 1987) Abstract: A report on collecting trips in Malaysia in 1987. - The Hungarian Natural History Museum with the support of the Australian Museum staged collecting trips in Malaysia. The trips reached numerous biotope-types in the tropical montane and lowland rain forest formations. The collected material was partly retained by the Australian Museum and partly by the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Supported by the Australian Museum, Sydney, the Hungarian Natural History Museum made, subsequent to the second joint collectings in Australia, zoological collections in the Malay Peninsula. In the course of two weeks of collecting, we have visited the Cameron Highlands, Fraser's Hill, Taman Negara and Getting Highlands, and worked in several biotopes in the tropical montane rain forest formations (Cameron Highlands, Fraser's Hill and Getting Highlands) and in the zone of the tropical lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen rain forest formations (principally Taman Negara). The bulk of the material was obtained by nocturnal lighting. The collecting lamps were placed in every case at the immediate edge of the virgin forest. The majority of insects attracted by the lamps were Lepidoptera; a great number of animals appeared there nearly every night. The tropical squalls, even if violent, did not disturb the flight but rather the collecting activity itself. The light power used - excepting that of a mixed light tube - was 160, 250 and 400 watts, respectively. The results of 160 and 400 watt lamps, operated simultaneously and in nearly Identical sites, showed that the bulb of great light power had not attracted a proportionately larger amount of insects, indeed, usually less. It seems that increasing light power beyond a certain limit inhibits flight attraction. Searching for insects in the nearer and further environment of the lamps in the early morning hours gave extremely good results. Very many Coleoptera and Lepidoptera were found, as also numerous Rhynchota and Orthopteroidea, also species which we have not seen during the night. They rested partly in the grass, partly among the leaves of bushes and trees. One of the most interesting facets of our collecting trip in Malaysia was the encounter of the local Insect collecting and trade. Insects are being collected for trading purposes in some parts in Malaysia, but the area best known from this point of view are the Cameron Highlands. There the inhabitants (Orang Asli) of several indigenous villages practise insect - principally beetle - collecting in most of their time. It is a rather uncommon spectacle to watch the villagers, men and women, grandmothers and grandchildren, scatter with enormous nets and bags into the forest. Laden with their capture, one after the other of the insect collectors arrive at the stipulated point of meeting where the recipient - the insect trader - waits for them during his "business hours". Haggling then begins about the individual insect being "cheap" or "very cheap", or eventually "expensive", indeed "very expensive". .. Ther indigenous insect collectors know amazingly well the habitats and habits of these animals.
