Abstract:
Coleoptera of Genting Highland, Malaysia: species richness and diversity changes along
the elevations. The objective of this study was to measure beetle richness and diversity in
Genting Highland at four major elevations (500 m, 1,000 m, 1,500 m and 1,800 m). Beetles
were collected using light traps, malaise traps and pitfall traps. Altogether, 1,499 beetle
samples representing 156 morphospecies were collected. Light trap and pitfall traps were
more effective than Malaise trap. The 500 m elevation band displayed high species richness,
abundance and diversity with all indices showing a decreasing pattern. The species accumulation
curve displayed a progressive asymptote for all the altitudinal transects, showing
the sampling effort was sufficient for this study. A long–term monitoring program of beetle
diversity and distribution is useful to test abiotic factors that might influence biodiversity.
This study also serves as a benchmark for further studies on this highly disturbed montane
cloud forest in Peninsular Malaysia and will be useful to implement effective conservation
management, particularly under the threat of climate change.
