Panching Karsts-400 million years old geological monuments under threat

Aerial view of Panching Limestone Formation: (from top to bottom) Bukit Tenggek, Bukit Sagu, Bukit Charas, Bukit Panching. The formation is possibly the easternmost limestone karsts in Peninsula Malaysia.

Spanning about a kilometre wide is a vast wasteland of limestone boulders, pebbles and ridges partially overgrown with bushes and grass. A large, 26 metre deep lake smack right a the middle of the rocky terrain is all that is left of Bukit Panching, a 134m tall limestone outcrop overlooking it's larger sister mountain, Bukit Charas. Located 25km from Kuantan, on the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia, these 400-million-years old karsts are part of the Panching Limestone Formation. Bukit Panching is the very first limestone outcrop in the peninsula to be wiped out of existence. Managed by the now defunct Pancing(sic) Quarry Sdn Bhd, the last outcrop was flattened in the 1990s which then led to a continued quarrying of subterreanean limestone until a 26 metre depression was made.

Bukit Panching (Google Earth year 2003 image)Seen here are pools of water collected on the southwestern area which has now became a large lake covering the 26m depression.
The destroyed Bukit Panching (foreground,lake) with Bukit Charas as its backdrop.

With that, countless endemic flora and fauna also disappeared. That includes molluscan casualty Opisthostoma (Plectostoma) sciaphilum (Benthem Jutting 1952), a microsnail that only inhabits Bukit Panching's rocky crevices. Endemic flora like Monophylla hendersonii and Emarhendia bettiania (both now restricted to Bukit Charas) also disappeared from the hill. And due to lack of research done on the hill's ecology, there might in fact be more casualties.

Bukit Charas: a 355m tall limestone massif with a forested valley in the centre, it is located several kilometres north of Bukit Panching.

To the north is Bukit Charas, an almost intact limestone hill with plenty of rare and endemic flora ie: Ardisia suffruticosa, Epithoma saxatile, Begonia ignorata, Monophylla hendersonii, Emaehendia bettiania, Tectaria cherasica, and many more. The molluscan fauna is also quite interesting, with plenty of microsnails belonging to Opisthostoma (Plectostoma) sp. , the newly described Notharinia linnei (Vermeulen, Phung and Troung 2007)and other diplommatinids. There're also unidentified Phaedusa sp. and Macrochylamys sp. . Fortunately, the presence of a Thai-Buddhist Cave Temple in its northern cliff has prevented it from being a target of limestone quarry prospectors.

The snails found in self-collected soil samples of Bukit Charas: (from left to right) Macrochylamys sp., Alycaeus cf. perakensis(?), Phaedusa sp. fragments and various microsnails.
The endemic Monophyllaea hendersonii living on limestone surface near the stairway to the Thai-Buddhist Cave Temple.
Another endemic, Emarhendia bettiania, which lives on cliff faces in the same area.

The easily identified Ardisia suffruticosa with its characteristic radiating leaves. This species is only known to occur in two localities, Sungai Tebrau,Johor and Bukit Charas, Pahang.
Tectaria cherasica, an endemic fern named after Bukit Charas (Bukit Cheras (sic.))

Not so fortunate though, for the remote Bukit Sagu and Bukit Tenggek in the North. These two hills have been quarried extensively, 50% on Bukit Sagu and 30% on Bukit Tenggek. Bukit Sagu is expected to disappear within the next 10 years with Bukit Tenggek following suit. Little molluscan research was carried out on these hills, so the known snails are limited to a few like the Bukit Sagu endemic Opisthostoma (Plectostoma) senex (Benthem Jutting 1952)see pics. here and Alycaeus carinata (Maasen 2006)see pics. here. In fact, Bukit Tenggek, the northernmost hill, has so far escaped attention of scientists. In terms of flora, the only known endemic is Bukit Sagu's Paraboea bakeri.

Bukit Sagu with the flattened northern flank and cement processing factory.

The northernmost limestone hill of the Panching Limestone Formation, Bukit Tenggek.

The Panching Karsts harbour many new-to-science flora and fauna and should be given more attention from the researchers and conservationists. Although quarrying of limestone is unavoidable as this is the only closest limestone source for the city of Kuantan and the region's infrastructure developement, sustainable use of the precious resource will ensure that the wildlife and plantlife of these special hills remain intact for years to come.

Further Reading:
1.Schilthuizen J.J. and Clements R. (2008) Tracking Land Snail Extinction From Space. TENTACLE 16:8-9 (IUCN/SSC Mollusc specialist group letter)click here
2.Soh Wuu Kuang (2006) The Flora of Bukit Charas,Conservation Malaysia Issue 2/2006,FRIM click here
3.Maasen W.J.M. (2008) A new species of the genus Notharinia Vermeulen, Phung & Truong, 2007 from Peninsular Malaysia (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Pupinidae),Naturalis Repository. click here
4.Amer Mohammad Ibrahim (1999) Geochemistry of Selected Upper Paleozoic Kuantan Group and Triassic Carbonaceous sediments of Pahang and South Terengganu, West Malaysia
University Malaya.

Bizarre Twists

 by Tan Cheng Li


The oddly coiled shell of a tiny snail has left scientists puzzled.

IT measured no bigger than a pinhead, yet when a scientific description of the microsnail Opisthostoma vermiculum was published in the scientific journal Biology Letters in January last year, it created a stir in the scientific world. Various websites discussed the find, and it even got its discoverer Reuben Clements into the New York Times and the scientific journal Nature.
Last month, O. vermiculum was in the news again: it was voted into the list of top 10 species discovered last year, alongside Sabah’s Phobaeticus chani, the longest stick insect ever found.
Ironically, on either occasion, O. vermiculum did not make it into local newspapers despite it being new to science and found only on one limestone karst in the Kinta valley of Perak.
But that’s hardly surprising seeing that snails, and one that measures a mere 1mm at that, are unlikely to match the appeal quotient of mega-fauna such as the orang utan, tiger or elephant.
But within the field of malacology (the study of molluscs), O. vermiculum has created quite a buzz – and all because its shell coils on four axes, a first in the world of snails. Most of us would be familiar with shells that coil tightly around a single axis, making for a simple spiral. But some shells have two axes, starting out coiling one way during the early stages of growth, and then curving by 90° or 180°.
Many species of Opisthostoma snails have three axes of coiling, with a final twist at the end of their growth. The O. vermiculum, however, has defied the established rules of shell growth and form by creating a home that twists in four independent directions. That is one more than any other known snail........

(This post is an extract from an article in the Malaysian daily, The Star. It is reproduced here for educational purposes. For the whole article please visit:

 Tan, CL 2009, 'Bizarre Twists', The Star, 23 June. Available from: <http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?sec=lifefocus&file=/2009/6/23/lifefocus/4093480>. [27 June 2009]

Two Worlds, Same Species

It's well known that giant ground sloths many times larger than it's present day cousins,the three -toed sloths, existed in the Americas millions of years ago. And then, there're the woolly mammoths that roamed the tundra and large, flightless Moa birds from New Zealand that hides in the shadows of the pine forests. These ancient giants a.k.a. mega fauna became extinct either because of over hunting by early humans or drastic changes that altered their habitats. Today, we can see reminiscence of those creatures in their surviving relatives like the elephants and emus, albeit smaller in size. however little is known about the molluscs of those days in comparison with present day equilvalents. This is especially the case of tropical ones.

Gunung Panjang- The cave paintings of Tambun decorates it's western cliff faces.










Days ago, I went to an interesting rock painting site known as the Tambun cave Paintings, east of Ipoh,Perak. It is one of the handful of rock paining sites in Malaysia. Dating back to some 2000 years ago, these paintings were made by primitive people of the Neolithic period. On the walls are scenes of hunting of animals like dugong, tapir and other mystical wildlife. What's peculiar is the presence of dugong because this particular location is approximately 50-60km from the nearest coast. Furthermore, with such natural heavy siltation from large rivers even a few thousand years back, this part of the malay peninsula didn't looked like a suitable habitat for the marine mammals. So, how did these ancient people came to know the dugong?

Now, this is even more interesting! Last year, a local daily reported that arecheaologists discovered large quantities of seashells eaten by the Neolithic people (see: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/4/nation/16216494&sec=nation). I was baffled. After I visited the cave and located some specimen, I found the answer. The shells aren't marine after all! They are the freshwater snail Brotia costula varicosa (Troschel 1837). This species still survives today! But what draws the line between the present day specimens with the past ones is their size.

The ancient fossils (without the black periostracum) are much bigger than the present day ones (with periostracum).















On another occasion, I found a dozen of similar sized Brotia costula varicosa under a cave opening facing a natural freshwater pond of Kek Lok Tong in Gunung Rapat,Ipoh,which is quite a distance away from Gunung Panjang. Thus, it is possible that the ancient giant Brotias used to be widespread across the Ipoh region thousands of years ago.

The distance between the two mountains is rather far.

















Similar findings of Brotia c. varicosa was reported in many archealogical sites like Lenggong, Kelantan and Terengganu although size wasn't mentioned.

Comparison of size of specimens from different localities.














So, does this have any relationship with the mega fauna extinction. Perhaps it's an extinct bigger form of the brotia costula variocosa?

Snailing Sipadan and Mabul

Well known as a world class diving destination, Sipadan Island and it's neighbour, Mabul Island also hold some interesting topside flora and fauna, including a hoard of new-to-science snails.
Mabul Island- A heavily developed island north of Sipadan. Most of the greenery on the island are coconut palms planted by native Bajau and Suluk people. The only remaining original forest,less than 2 acres, lies in the East side of the island. This narrow strip of forest has a wide path cutting through it the centre and is surrounded by worker's quarters and storage rooms of a nearby resort. Apparently, it lies it the property of the resort itself. I found 3 unidentified molluscs here:


Obba cf. marginata- Found dead in a cleared area near the forest. I tried to find live ones in the forest but couldn't. It resembles Obba marginata from Mindanao,Southern Philippines.




Videna sp.- Because there is no proper study to sort out the various species of this genus, the shell's identification couldn't be ascertained. But recent studies shows that this genus does exists in the Semporna archipelago.



Amphidromus sp.- An abundance of dead specimens were discovered around the coconut plantations and resorts. The broken shell on the left shows the original colouration. No live snails found.






Sipadan Island- Relatively untouched by resort development due to strict management rules and it's status as a marine sanctuary. Other than several abandoned chalets in the North, this island is densely covered with coastal forest vegetation. There are lots of hermit crabs, skinks and clouded monitor lizards (Varanus bengalensis nebulosus). Lucky visitors might be able to see the endangered nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)as well as the rare ground dwelling megapode bird(Megapodius cummingii).The biodiversity here is intact. It also supports a healthy population of molluscs:

Pythia scarabaeus- Abundant amongst trees trunks, stems, fallen leaves etc. A widespread species throughout Southeast Asia's coasts.







Amphidromus sp.- Found living on pandanus sp. trees' aerial roots. It has a zigzag patterned periotracum. Different from Mabul Island's amphidromus as it has less whorls than Mabul's. Possible endemic species.





Both islands illustrates the diversity of the region as well as it's problems vividly. Mabul has lost most of it's diversity due to over development whereas Sipadan shows the success of the sanctuary's strict laws of conservation. They also revealed the undiscovered molluscan fauna of the Semporna archipelago. The new discoveries beckons......

Fossils, Bones and Thrombollites

Australia contains loads of impressive fossils from ancient dinosaurs to Ice-Age marsupials. My trip to South-western Australia revealed some interesting finds.
Check these out:


1. The omnipresent limestone ridges and hills from Nambung to Perth and from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Augusta as well as in walpole and Albany are remains of marine sediments eroded over millions of years.





2.Ancient tree roots from the pinnacles, nambung national Park. These are remains of bushland flora that once grew over the limestone slabs before the rocks erode into present day monoliths.




3.Fossils of extinct marsupials exhibited in Mammoth Cave, south of Margaret River. The Mammoth Cave system is part of the 80km long limetone ridge stretching from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Augusta.





4.Known only from a handful of locations in the world, Thrombolite reefs (similar to Stromatolites) can be found on the Eastern Shore of Lake Cliffton south-west of Mandurah. These structures are covered with a slimy layer of microorganisms which deposit calcium carbonate particles and form the rounded structures. Soon, they will joint together to form a flat limestone platform. Thrombolites is one of the earliest organisms to appear on the surface of Earth. Some even said it contributes oxygen gas to the atmosphere and pave way from other organisms to develop.



5.Fossils of Bothriembryon sp. snails from rocks of the pinnacles in Nambung Dessert.

Living Fossils Down Under

A trip down South-Western Australia's coast reveals some amazing flora, fauna that belonged to a bygone era.








This corner of Australia has a hugely varied landscape ranging from the cool and wet Albany coast in the South (left) to the dry, sun-baked bushlands of Nambung in the North (far left).




Separated from the rest of the world some 60 million years ago, the Australian native wildlife have links to fossils dating back to ancient times.
Look around for these interesting flora:

Banksias Banksia petiolaris is a typical Western Australian bush tree with easily recognisable flower cones.







Red kangaroo paws Anigozanthos rufus is one of the many varieties of kangaroo paw plants found only in Western Australia.







Rock Sheoaks Allocasuarina huegeliana are tough plants that lives in semi-arid habitat around Wave Rock, Hyden.






Boab trees Adansonia gregori is a kind of tree from the dry Kimberly region of North-Western Australia. Another similar species can be found in the same habitat in Madagascar, evidence of an ancient link between both lands across the Indian Ocean.









Another iconic tree, the Red Tingle Eucalyptus jacksoni from Walpole is the second tallest tree in the world after the Californian Redwoods.






The fauna here is equally special:

Red Kangaroo Macropus rufus is a well-recognised mascot of Australia.







Smaller than their kangaroo relatives, Bennet's Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus are equally charismatic mammals.







Smaller still, Quokkas Setonix brachyurus,which once covers a wide range across South-Western Australia before the introduction of foriegn predators , is now restricted to Rottness Island off Perth.





A wild encounter with an echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus, a lesser known egg-laying mammal which is also the platypus' relative.







(Next post: Fossils, Bones and Thrombolites!)

Zhangjiajie - A Molluscan Wonderland

Baofeng Lake with limestone hills at the backdrop (left).

Lesser known than Guilin karsts in Guangxi, China's geological wonder of Zhangjiajie is equally beautiful and amazing. This karstic area located at the northwest corner of Hunan Province has breathtaking views of natural sandstone pillars and towering limestone hills.








The quartz sandstone towers of Tianzhi Mountain (Tianzhishan) are remains of a thick ancient seabed eroded by the elements over millions of years (left)

The presence of limestone means there are plenty of molluscs here. However, after some attempts to find them, I can only identify two species.







Bradybaena ravida ravidella (Mollendorff 1899)
from a vegetable farm in a village on Tianzhishan (the two above) and Aegista subchinensis (Mollendorff 1884)? from a limestone hill near Baofeng Lake (below two)

Perhaps what's the most surprising is that there are fossils on the limestone tiles used to build the pavement across all tourist attractions in the area!
Ammonite!











Intact belemnites! These are very common here. I found dozens of them along the pathways.









A polished trilocinoceras without any broken parts! Another common find here.









Fossils are very common here indeed. Most tourists also do not notice these treasures under their feet.

Zhangjiajie truly is an undiscovered molluscan treasure chest. It's worth exploring around. It is only more appropriate that it is a 5 star World Heritage Area and UNESCO Geopark.