Dataset of reptiles in fragmented forests at Tasik Kenyir, Hulu Terengganu, Malaysia

This data article is about reptiles (lizard, snake, and skink) captured from fragmented forest within man-made lake of Tasik Kenyir that is situated in Terengganu State, Peninsular Malaysia. Data collection was conducted in January 2019 and sampling methods included drift fenced-pitfall traps and Visual Encounter Survey (VES). All animals were identified, measured snout to vent (SVL) and weighted before their release at the site of capture. The highlights like conservation statuses in the wild, detection type and substrate type are presented with the data to increase its value. A total of 73 individuals from 18 species, 15 generas and seven families of reptiles were recorded. The data comprised of seven reptile family groups Agamidae, Gekkonidae, Scincidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae and Homalopsidae. Reptiles like Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgattus (n = 33, 45.2%) and Aphaniotis fusca (n = 7, 9.6%) were most dominant in the checklist and most of the animals were captured using VES. Data of SVL and mass of the animals can be further interpreted by researchers to assess the health condition of animals in the altered habitats.


Data
The data was constructed using 73 reptilian individuals sighted at various habitats within Tasik Kenyir. In this six days of passive and active samplings, a total of 18 reptilian species from seven family groups were transformed into Table 1 to indicate abundances. Additional information like common name and conservation statuses acquired from IUCN Red List were compiled with the data to focus valuable reptilian species available in Kenyir rainforest. Total family and individual counts were presented in Table 2. Complete raw data on reptiles capture along with the capture date, detection type, substrate type and additional morphological descriptions are available in a separate list (Table 3).

Experimental design, materials, and methods
Animals were captured using drift fenced-pitfall trap which is known as passive sampling, and Visual Encounter Survey (VES) which is known as active sampling. These sampling methods follow the first reptile study that was conducted at Tasik Kenyir by Ref. [1]. The coupled techniques are necessary as drift fenced-pitfall trap alone only catch ground dweller reptiles and almost impossible to catch arboreal reptiles. Hence, VES is needed to capture both ground dwellers including aquatic reptiles and arboreal reptiles at the same time.
Drift fences are borders that used to guide the movement of terrestrial animals towards the traps. Pitfall traps were constructed from 18 L plastic bucket that were punched with small hole to allow the flowing of excess water and were buried into the ground up to its lid level. The aluminium sheets were used to separate the traps with distance of 2.5 m from each trap. Due to the geographical limitation, traps were set up in 'L' shape arrangement with the total of 12 traps and three traps for each set (Fig. 1). The arrays were replicated over multiple sites to determine the variation between different pitfall traps. Traps then were checked regularly before noon and also during the VES survey at night. VES Specifications Table   Subject Agricultural and Biological Sciences Specific subject area Animal Science and Zoology Type of data

Value of the Data
The reptilian abundance data allows researchers to collaborate, extend their checklist, construct a repository and expand their statistical analyses.
The abundance data along with their morphological descriptions also informs about the variety of reptiles present in suburban area and fragmented forest within man-made lake that offer research opportunities and perhaps collaboration to address the subject matter. The size and weight data of reptiles can be translated into body condition index by the researcher and can be integrated into indicator of wildlife health, stress and forest carrying capacity. Detection type and substrate type data can be incorporated into prediction models that can be used in planning conservational management by responsible authorities. Substrate type data also can address specific microhabitat associations of reptiles that may be used to illustrate evolutionary processes of speciation by taxonomist.
involves active searching of animals for both day (1000He1300H) and night (2000He2300H). Day and night survey give an equal temporal representation to capture both diurnal and nocturnal species. During night time, a wide-beam headlamp or torchlight was used to discover animals in the dark by depending on the reflection produced by the animal's eyes. Specimens were properly handled and transferred into different plastic bags to avoid them from having stress and injuries. Each of the specimen was identified by referring to various identification books such as [2e5]. The photograph of each specimen was taken using a compact camera which included the dorsal and ventral sides. Measurements such as snout-vent length (SVL) was obtained using Vernier caliper while the weight was measured using an electronic balance. Voucher specimens of species collected were preserved in 10% formalin and later stored in 70% alcohol before deposited at Makmal Biologi Umum (FSSM, UMT) for future reference.

Acknowledgments
Authors in this data article extend their appreciation to Makmal Berpusat, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu for assistance and logistic provision. This work was supported by Talent and Publication Enhancement Research Grant (TAPE-RG 55160, 2018).

Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.