New host record and redescription of Amblyomma cordiferum nymphs and larvae infesting Malaysian house rats (Rattus rattus diardii) in Peninsular Malaysia, with molecular evidence of Rickettsia, Borrelia, and Bartonella.

Nymphal and larval Amblyomma cordiferum ticks, a relatively rare species, were collected from the Malaysian house rat (Rattus rattus diardii) in Peninsular Malaysia. Redescription and molecular analysis of nymphs and larvae, based on the 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and COI genes, revealed divergence from A. cordiferum in Taiwan, suggesting that the Taiwanese tick specimens may represent a different taxon.

Starvation Levels Affect Behaviors of Wild-Caught and Laboratory-Reared Oil Palm Pollinator Weevil, (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The oil palm pollinating weevil, Faust (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was first introduced into Malaysia from Cameroon as the main oil palm pollinator in 1981. Since then, oil palm pollination has improved and the need for assisted pollination has reduced. However, their pollinating behavior may be influenced by starvation, sexes and sources (wild-caught and lab-reared).