List of the Odonata taken on an expedition to Mt. Batu Lawi together with descriptions of supposed new species
F. F. Laidlaw’s 1912 paper, published in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Vol. 63, pp. 92–99), presents a faunal list of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) collected during the 1911 Moulton-led expedition to Mount Batu Lawi in the upper Limbang–Madihit region of Sarawak, together with descriptions of species regarded as new to science.
Summary
The expedition, undertaken in May–June 1911 by a party including J. C. Moulton, H. N. Ridley, and several other collectors, travelled up the Limbang River to the Kuala Madihit and then overland through previously unexplored mountainous country to reach Batu Lawi, whose summit rises to approximately 6,400 ft above sea level (pp. 39–40). The region was extremely sparsely populated and had seen only a handful of European visitors in the preceding half-century, making any biological collections of particular interest.
Laidlaw’s contribution is a taxonomic appendix to the broader expedition report, cataloguing the odonate specimens obtained along the route. Despite the hurried and difficult nature of the journey—31 of the 40 days were spent in actual travelling, with long stretches devoid of any native settlement to resupply the party—the collections proved “surprisingly rich in new and rare species,” indicating the poorly known nature of the fauna in this interior highland zone (p. 56). The paper includes descriptions of supposed new species, extending the known odonate fauna of Sarawak and the Borneo highlands.
Key Findings
- The expedition covered altitudes from sea level to approximately 5,660 ft on Batu Lawi’s southern end, traversing riverine, lowland jungle, and montane habitats (pp. 33–40).
- Neurobasis chinensis, a rich green dragonfly, was recorded during the river journey and noted as occurring in Sarawak only in upper reaches of rivers (p. 10).
- The overall expedition collections, though small in absolute numbers owing to logistical constraints, yielded a notable proportion of new and rare species for the region (p. 56).
- The area between the Madihit headwaters and Batu Lawi contained no native inhabitants, and the party spent 13 days without encountering anyone outside their own party (p. 56).
- The paper forms part of a multi-author expedition report in JSBRAS Vol. 63, with contributions covering zoology, botany, ethnography, and linguistics from the same journey.
Conclusion
Laidlaw’s list documents the odonate fauna of an essentially unexplored highland region of central Borneo, providing baseline taxonomic records and new species descriptions from habitats and elevations previously inaccessible to collectors. The paper underscores how little was known of the interior fauna of Sarawak’s upper river systems at the time of writing.
Context
- The expedition was organised under the auspices of the Sarawak Government and the Sarawak Museum; the broader report includes ethnographic, linguistic, and geographical contributions from multiple members of the party.
- The journal volume (JSBRAS 63, 1912) contains the full expedition narrative alongside specialist appendices on various faunal and floral groups collected during the journey.