HERPS: Its More Fun In The Philippines

Herpetofaunal Diversity and Endemism in Mindanao, Philippines

Bryan George D. Belleza MS Biology August 14, 2012

Agusan del Sur

Lanao del Sur Davao Oriental Sarangani

 172

native amphibians and reptiles 111 (64%) endemic

80

known species of frogs 92 species of reptiles

Eight

(8/35; 22.86%) species of frogs are indigenous to Mindanao Island and 60 (75%; 60/80) species are restricted to the Philippine archipelago.

 Species

Composition and Abundance

 Species

Composition and Abundance and Conservation Status

Endemism

 Species

Composition and Abundance and Conservation Status

Endemism Species

Diversity

 Species

Composition and Abundance and Conservation Status

Endemism Species Existing

Diversity threats to the Herpetofauna

140 herptiles (24 species) -15 reptiles & 9 amphibians (Mt. Hamiguitan, Davao Oriental) 59 herptiles, 37 reptiles and 22 amphibians (Mt. Diwata Range, Agusan del Sur)

11 herptiles (6 families) - 8 reptiles & 3 amphibians (Sarangani Province and Lanao del Sur)

(Mt. Hamiguitan, Davao Oriental) - 21 Philippine endemic species (14 squamates & 7 anurans)
- reptilian endemics (93%) of total captured species - two of the 14 endemic reptiles as Mindanao Faunal Region endemics.

(Mt. Hamiguitan, Davao Oriental) - 21 Philippine endemic species (14 squamates & 7 anurans) - amphibian endemics 77.8% of the total amphibian species captured - reptilian endemics (93%) of total captured species - three endemic species with vulnerable conservation status - two of the 14 endemic reptiles as Mindanao Faunal Region endemics.

(Mt. Diwata Range, Agusan del Sur)

- reptilian endemics (51%) of the total species captured - amphibian endemics (50%) of the total species captured - seven species with vulnerable status and two were socio-economically important

(Sarangani Province & Lanao del Sur)

- reptilian endemics (27%) of the total captured species

- amphibian endemics (18%) of the total captured species

- two endemic species of amphibians were of vulnerable conservation status

Table 1. The number of lizards and snakes documented in Mt. Hamiguitan and Mt. Diwata Range

Table 2. The number of anurans documented in Mt. Hamiguitan and Mt. Diwata Range

Table 3. Reptiles and amphibians documented in different cave sites within Sarangani Province and Lanao del Sur.

 Simpson

Diversity Index and Evenness

(Mt. Hamiguitan and Mt. Diwata Range)

-highest reptile diversity and uniform distribution in lowland dipterocarp forest, followed by montane forest and mossy forest.

 (Sarangani

Province & Lanao del Sur)

- Moderate diversity with more or less even distribution was documented in the cave sites

Table 4. Biodiversity indices (Simpsons index, Shannon-Weiner index and Species Evenness).

HERPS: Its More Fun In The Philippines

Herpetofaunal Diversity and Endemism in Mindanao, Philippines

Bryan George D. Belleza MS Biology