Data from: The phenology and floral visitors of Timonius arabii

Our understanding of the pollination ecology of Timonius (a dioecious
genus) is limited to deducing their pollination syndrome based on floral
traits. Through a series of field surveys on several populations of
Timonius as a prerequisite to studying their pollination ecology, a new
species from a limestone hill in northern Dered Krian National Park in
Bau, Sarawak, Malaysia is described. The new species, Timonius arabii, and
two other co-occurring congeners were compared in terms of morphology and
ecology, in relation to the unique site conditions. Timonius arabii is
associated with phalaenophily, as inferred from its yellow, short tubular,
faintly fragrant, nectar-producing flowers which open around dusk in both
staminate and pistillate individuals. The anthetic period in male flowers
typically spans only one night but may last 2–3 days in female flowers.
Floral visitors monitored from dusk to dawn over a 7-day observational
period show that the flowers attracted up to 23 floral visitor
types/species belonging to Coleoptera, Thysanoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera,
and Orthoptera, with most species belonging to moths. Two geometrid moths
(Eumelea biflavata and E. florinata) have the highest visitation rate to
female flowers, probably indicating their role in the pollination of the
species. Further study is needed to demonstrate this, while also not
excluding the potential role of other moth species as well as thrips and
weevils as pollinators. Our preliminary observation provided important
baseline data needed for a better understanding of the plant-pollinator
relationships in Timonius.