Uncovering the true history of Dulit Partridge Rhizothera dulitensis to re-evaluate its conservation status

Abstract

Summary. Dulit Partridge Rhizothera dulitensis is an enigmatic galliform endemic to the Bornean highlands. Usually, the species is reported as having been collected at four localities (three in Sarawak, one in Sabah) and as recently as the 1930s. However, a review of the evidence (just eight known specimens) finds that it can be confirmed at only three sites, and the whereabouts of one of these has previously been misunderstood. Moreover, the specimens were procured over just eight years, between 1894 and 1902, with recent suggestions of the species' collection in the 1930s probably a misinterpretation of a single source. With more than 120 years since the last record, there is no information on its current population size and trend, such that R. dulitensis is probably best listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Surveys of little-explored parts of its presumed range, especially those furthest from habitation, are urgently required.