Patterns and Progress of Peninsular Malaysia’s Amphibian Research in the 21st Century (2000–2020)

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, we review the status, patterns, and progress of Peninsular Malaysia’s amphibian research in the 21st century with the main goal of identifying areas for improvement that can help focus and prioritize future research initiatives. Between 2000–2020 we found 130 publications that can be broadly categorized into four groups: 1) checklists and biodiversity; 2) new species and taxonomy; 3) ecology and natural history; and 4) evolution and phylogenetics. An average of 6.5 papers was published per year and although the number of papers fluctuated, there was a significant upward trend in the number of papers published. Almost half (49%) of all papers published comprised checklists and biodiversity-related papers. This was followed by new species and taxonomy (25%, 33 papers), evolution and phylogenetics (14%, 18 papers), and ecology and natural history (12%, 16 papers). Amphibian research was conducted most frequently in the states of Kedah, Pahang, and Perak, and most infrequently in the states of Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor/Kuala Lumpur, Perlis, and Kelantan. Despite being a megadiverse country and a biodiversity hotspot, not a single conservation-centric paper has ever been published on Peninsular Malaysian amphibians, highlighting the urgent need for future research to focus on conservation.