Southeast Asia includes four overlapping biodiversity hotspots: Indo-Burma, Philippines, Sundaland and Wallacea (Myers et al. 2000; Sodihi et al. 2004). Southeast Asia covers about 4.5 million km2, which is approximately 3 % of earth’s total land area. There is, however, approximately 20 to 25 % of Earth’s higher plant species in this area (Myers et al. 2000). It is crucial to understand the bi...

Northeast India, the only region which currently forms a land bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, has been proposed as an important corridor for the initial peopling of East Asia. Given that the Austro-Asiatic linguistic family is considered to be the oldest and spoken by certain tribes in India, Northeast India and entire Southeast Asia, we expect that populations of thi...

Uncertainties surround the timing of modern human emergence and occupation in East and Southeast Asia. Although genetic and archeological data indicate a rapid migration out of Africa and into Southeast Asia by at least 60 ka, mainland Southeast Asia is notable for its absence of fossil evidence for early modern human occupation. Here we report on a modern human cranium from Tam Pa Ling, Laos, ...

We report the full genome sequence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtype 6n from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Phylogenetic analysis of the isolate 10MYKJ032 suggests that Southeast Asia might be the origin for the HCV subtype 6n and highlights the possible spread of this lineage from Southeast Asia to other regions.

Aims Insular Southeast Asia and adjacent regions are geographically complex, and were dramatically affected by both Pliocene and Pleistocene changes in climate, sea level and geology. These circumstances allow the testing of several biogeographical hypotheses regarding species distribution patterns and phylogeny. Avian species in this area present a challenge to biogeographers, as many are less...

A study of specimens of family Histeridae from Southeast Asia yielded two species of the genus Nicotikis, which are here described: Nicotikis kabakovi sp. n. (Thailand and Vietnam) and N. korshunovi sp. n. (Thailand). Both species are illustrated and a key to species of Nicotikis from Southeast Asia is provided.

Leptogenys brevilobasp. n., Leptogenys curvasp. n., Leptogenys itoisp. n., Leptogenys kanaoisp. n., Leptogenys malayanasp. n., and Leptogenys modiglianii Emery, 1900 are described from southeast Asia. The Leptogenys modiglianii species group is proposed on the basis of similarities among the six species. An identification key to species in this group from southeast Asia is provided.

Humans reached present-day Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) in one of the first major human migrations out of Africa. Population movements in the millennia following this initial settlement are thought to have greatly influenced the genetic makeup of current inhabitants, yet the extent attributed to different events is not clear. Recent studies suggest that south-to-north gene flow largely influenc...

There are ~750 active and potentially active volcanoes in Southeast Asia. Ash from eruptions of volcanic explosivity index 3 (VEI 3) and smaller pose mostly local hazards while eruptions of VEI ≥ 4 could disrupt trade, travel, and daily life in large parts of the region. We classify Southeast Asian volcanoes into five groups, using their morphology and, where known, their eruptive history and d...

The question surrounding the colonization of Polynesia has remained controversial. Two hypotheses, one postulating Taiwan as the putative homeland and the other asserting a Melanesian origin of the Polynesian people, have received considerable attention. In this work, we present haplotype data based on the distribution of 19 biallelic polymorphisms on the Y chromosome in a sample of 551 male in...