First record and conservation value of Periophthalmus malaccensis Eggert from Borneo, with ecological notes on other mudskippers (Teleostei: Gobiidae) in Brunei

Abstract

The mudskipper Periophthalmus malaccensis is first recorded in Borneo, from two mangrove areas of Brunei Darussalam. The distribution and habitat types where this and other ecologically similar mudskippers (Periophthalmus and Periophthalmodon species) were found in Brunei are also described, from field surveys conducted in Bruneian coastal wetlands from 2013 to 2015. P. malaccensis has a relatively restricted geographic distribution, and probably got extinct in historical times in Singapore. In Brunei, this species occurs at low population density in high intertidal habitats, which are highly impacted by anthropogenic destruction and fragmentation. For these reasons, the conservation status of this species should be evaluated.