top of page
Writer's pictureMarx Yim

New Publication: A Comprehensive Synthesis of Dung Beetle Records (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) from Sabah, Malaysia


With the aim of enhancing the understanding of dung beetle taxonomy and their distributions in Southeast Asia, we are excited to announce the publication of our new data paper (Link) on the Biodiversity Data Journal (BDJ) by Pensoft. This paper presents the most comprehensive compilation of all known available data for dung beetles in Sabah, Borneo Malaysia.


Our publication features two open-access Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) datasets:

  1. Sampling-Event and Occurrence Dataset: This dataset includes 2,627 unique sampling events from

    1912 to 2022, encompassing over 21,348 dung beetle occurrence records. (Link)

  2. Taxonomic Checklist: This checklist contains 192 records, presenting 156 taxonomically accepted species names along with 36 synonyms. (Link)


(Left) Dataset synthesis workflow comprising of multiple steps. (Right) Data structure of each dataset (core and extensions) and they key variables.

This data paper provides a detailed overview and description of these datasets, including methodologies and standards used, along with their geographic and taxonomic coverage and other relevant metadata. We also address data availability and usability, to offer transparency and guidance for researchers interested in utilising these datasets. Also included are preliminary analysis of the data. We also go on to describe how these datasets fit into a larger ongoing GBIF-BIFA Project to mobilise data on ecologically important insects in Malaysia and Singapore.


Pie charts showing the number of (A) species, (B) occurrence records and (C) recorded individuals per genus in the datasets.

The publication of this data paper was partially funded by GBIF and originates from a larger ongoing GBIF-BIFA Project, "Mobilising Data on Ecologically Important Insects in Malaysia & Singapore". We would like to thank the GBIF Secretariat for their generous and kind support, as well as to the reviewers and editors from BDJ-Pensoft for their thorough evaluation of our paper. We are also deeply grateful to our collaborators who have graciously shared their data and for opening their collections to us, thus making this work possible. Thank you!


Read the full paper here: https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/126697/


A pair of dung beetles (Paragymnopleurus sp.) rolling a dung ball. (Credit: Marx Yim)

Comments


bottom of page