Hari Raya Haji (Eid-Al-Adha) likely to fall on June 6, says International Astronomical Centre
ABU DHABI/JAKARTA (Bernama-WAM): Hari Raya Haji (Eid al-Adha) is expected to fall on Friday, June 6 in most Islamic countries, according to the International Astronomical Centre.
The Abu Dhabi-based centre said the crescent moon marking the beginning of Dhu al-Hijjah 1446H is likely to be visible on Tuesday, May 27, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The centre's director, Mohammad Shawkat Odeh noted that the moon will be observable through telescopes in parts of Central and Western Asia, most of Africa and Europe.
He added that the crescent moon could also be seen without telescopes in several parts of the Americas.
Based on these astronomical calculations, May 28 is expected to be the first day of Dhu al-Hijjah, placing Eid al-Adha on the 10th day -- Friday, June 6.
Eid al-Adha is the second of the two major Islamic festivals and coincides with the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. - Bernama-WAM
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KUALA LUMPUR - Discovering something rare is exciting but it becomes truly memorable when it happens unexpectedly. That was exactly the case for Tan Wei Jack, 24, a research assistant and master's student in environmental science at Monash University Malaysia. He never imagined that a routine firefly survey at Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara here on Oct 23 last year, would lead to the unintentional "rediscovery' of a rare species last seen in Malaysia a century ago. Of the nine Pteroptyx species found in mangrove forests, four have been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. - Bernama photo His discovery - Pteroptyx gombakia (P. gombakia) or the Gombak bent-winged firefly - turned out to be the third known specimen of this particular species, and marked the ninth known firefly species identified in the Bukit Kiara urban forest, Malaysia's first federal park which is managed by the National Landscape Department. P. gombakia was officially named in 2015 by entomologist Lesly Ballantyne at the Natural History Museum in London, based on the first specimen of the species collected in 1921 from the area now known as Genting Sempah in Gombak, Selangor. Tan said the firefly specimen he collected last October was initially assumed to be of a species from the genus Colophotia, which is commonly found in Bukit Kiara. But later when he examined it closely on Jan 9, it looked different. "So I took some photos through the microscope and sent them to my academic supervisor Dr Wan Faridah (Akmal Jusoh). After discussions, we found out it was actually a bent-winged P. gombakia (from a different genus),' he told Bernama recently. Tan said he, together with Dr Wan Faridah - a firefly taxonomist and senior lecturer in Biodiversity and Conservation at Monash University Malaysia - returned to Bukit Kiara to do more research. "Whenever we saw their flashing lights (usually at twilight), we would catch the fireflies, observe their features, record their species and then release them,' he said. MANGROVE SPECIES According to Wan Faridah, who is also the co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Firefly Specialist Group, P. gombakia belongs to the genus Pteroptyx, which is usually found in mangrove habitats and known for its synchronous flashing displays in large congregations. She added there is a group of Pteroptyx called 'bent-winged' fireflies, named after their folded wings, which are also mostly found in mangroves. She said she was surprised when Tan showed her the specimen collected from the Bukit Kiara urban forest as it was "the first bent-winged Pteroptyx ever found outside of mangroves'. "This suggests that the species can actually survive outside that ecosystem,' she told Bernama. Wan Faridah also said she did not realise Tan's specimen was the bent-winged Pteroptyx until she examined its microscopic images. "The difference (between P. gombakia and the more common Colophotia) was spotted in the (P. gombakia) firefly's light-producing organ called the 'lantern', which is located in the insect's abdomen,' she said. She explained both P. gombakia and Colophotia have bipartite light organs, meaning the structure is divided into two distinct sections. However, P. gombakia lacks a median carina, a ridge that separates the organ into two halves. "Indeed, it's truly magical we have this rare group of fireflies living in the heart of our city,' she said. She also said out of the 14 known bent-winged Pteroptyx species, nine are found in mangrove ecosystems. The habitats of the remaining species, including P. gombakia, remain unclear due to a lack of ecological data. 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Wan Faridah noted that most fireflies found flying in both mangrove and terrestrial habitats are males while some females are flightless, remaining on the ground while the males fly and use light signals to locate and attract them. While congregating fireflies in mangrove swamps are well-known as ecotourism attractions in Malaysia, Wan Faridah said solitary fireflies also exist in other forest types. The Bukit Kiara urban forest, for instance, is now home to nine firefly species, including Lamprigera - the world's largest female firefly species - and the latest discovery P. gombakia. EXTINCTION Wan Faridah said unlike most Pteroptyx species, the bent-winged firefly species recently discovered in Bukit Kiara does not appear to congregate in large numbers. "We don't have enough data about this species and we still have many unanswered questions. "What worries us is that we may have discovered a species (P. gombakia) which is on the brink of extinction. 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