Diversity and Geographical Ranges of Insects in Crocker Range Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia

An insect diversity survey was carried out in May, 2011 in the Crocker Range Forest Reserve. This is a Class VI Forest Reserve (Virgin Jungle Reserve), gazetted in 1967 and then regazetted in 1984. It comprises an area of 3,279 ha. The nocturnal insect diversity was very high, with an average of 148 insect species from 207 individuals in a square metre of the light-trapping cloth. The mean Shannon, Simpson and Fisher Alpha indices are H’ = 4.77 (>3.0), D = 322.49 and S = 417.04 respectively. Apart from having the highest diversity of nocturnal insects in all the 20 forest reserves surveyed within the Heart of Borneo area in Sabah, it has also recorded a number of endemic species. Some beetles are hyper-endemics, such as Cyclommatus chewi, Odontolabis schenki and Odontolabis katsurai (all Lucanidae beetles) which are found only in Mt. Alab of the Crocker Range F.R. At least 10 butterfly species are known to be confined to the Crocker Range, including the Kinabalu Tiger, Parantica crowleyi, which was sampled during the survey. A stick insect, Orthonecrosia felix, was recorded and it is only confined to the Crocker Range. New species are still being described. Such interesting scientific insect data from this survey and also from past records support the need to enhance biodiversity conservation in this Virgin Forest Reserve. In view of the high diversity and intriguing insect fauna, Crocker Range F.R. has potential in nature tourism for special interest tourists who contribute to Sabah’s economy. A private initiative, Kipandi Park set up adjacent to the forest reserve, not only showcases the diversity of insects in Sabah but is also doing its part in studying the life cycle of rare and endemic insects which contributes towards insect conservation. The park also cooperates with government agencies in promoting conservation of biodiversity. In this paper, some of the issues pertaining to insect diversity and conservation are discussed.