Philippine Journal of Science

140 (2): 195-206, December 2011

ISSN 0031 - 7683
Date Received: 29 Apr 2010

Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watersheds of

Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Laguna, Philippines

Vachel Gay V. Paller1*, Bonifacio V. Labatos Jr.2, Beatriz M. Lontoc2,

Olivio E. Matalog2, and Pablo P. Ocampo1,2

1
Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences,
College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños
2
UPLB Limnological Research Station, College of Arts and Sciences,
University of the Philippines Los Baños

Survey of freshwater fish fauna was conducted in watersheds of Makiling Forest Reserve (MFR),
Laguna, Philippines. These watersheds were Molawin Creek, Dampalit Falls, and Cambantoc
River, all in the Province of Laguna, Philippines and directly under the management of Makiling
Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME), University of the Philippines Los Baños. There
were 10 families of fish found in MFR. Two native species, Rock goby (Glossogobius celebius)
and Snakehead gudgeon (Giuris margaritacea), were found to be common in all the watersheds
of Makiling Forest Reserve. Similarity index of the three watersheds was computed at 72 %.
Diversity index of the study areas was 1.12, 1.15, and 0.85 for Dampalit Falls, Molawin Creek,
and Cambantoc River, respectively. In terms of species richness, Molawin Creek had twelve
species, four of which are native; Dampalit Falls had twelve but with five native and one endemic
species; and Cambantoc River had nine with two native species. The study revealed that Makiling
Forest Reserve harbors a diverse community of fish. However, diminutive species which are
becoming prone to extinction, such as Glossogobius celebius and Hippichthys heptagonus, also
found the place as a haven especially in those areas with least human interventions. The study
also showed that there was no significant difference in the physico-chemical properties among
the three sites. Conservation efforts must focus on protecting these areas to guarantee the
continuous existence of these diminutive species which are very important components of our
freshwater ecosystems. The survey also updated the list of freshwater fish fauna of Makiling
Forest Reserve.

Key Words: fish diversity, freshwater fish, Makiling Forest Reserve, similarity

INTRODUCTION country’s natural heritage (Vallejo 1986; Ng et al. 1998).

The Philippines is a globally important hotspot for
biological diversity and center for endemism, but much
of the studies are centered in terrestrial and marine
biodiversity (Mallari et al. 2001; Ong et al. 2002). Little
is known about the diversity and status of endemic
freshwater fishes which are equally valuable as bio-
indicators of ecosystem health and an integral part of our
*Corresponding author: vgvpaller@yahoo.com
Many unique species of freshwater fishes, particularly
gobies, pipefishes and halfbeaks are known to be restricted
only to isolated lakes and rivers in major islands in the
Philippines, but their current status in these beleaguered
freshwater habitats is not known (Herre 1953; Butler
2006). Gobies represent the most diverse group among
the freshwater fishes in the country, with about 16 species
known to occur only in the Philippines (Froese and
Pauly 2010; Eschmeyer 2011) that include Gobiopterus

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Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011
lacustris of Laguna de Bay (Herre 1927), G. stellatus of
Lake Dapao, Lanigay, Polangui, Albay (Herre 1927) and
Mistichthys luzonensis of Lake Buhi in Buhi, Camarines
Sur (Smith 1902).
Taal Lake is the only habitat of the world’s only known
freshwater sardine, Sardinella tawilis (Herre 1927).
More interestingly, there are four endemic Gulaphallus
species: G. bikolanus (Herre 1926), G. eximius (Herre
1925), G. falcifer (Manacop 1936) and G. mirabilis
(Herre 1925) as well as four Neostethus species of the
family Phallostethidae: N. ctenophorus (Aurich 1937), N.
robertsi (Parenti 1989), N. thessa (Aurich 1937) and N.
villadolidi (Herre 1942) that only inhabit the freshwaters
of the Philippines. The country also has an endemic rice
fish, Oryzias luzonensis (Herre and Ablan 1934) from the
family Adrianichthyidae. There are about sixteen species
of the family Cyprinidae with species known mostly
from Lake Lanao in Mindanao and Lake Manguao in the
island of Palawan namely, Cyclocheilichthys schoppeae
(Cervancia and Kottelat 1997), Puntius amarus (Herre
1924), P. bantolanensis (Day 1914), P. cataractae (Fowler
1934), P. disa (Herre 1932), P. flavifuscus (Herre 1924),
P. hemictenus (Jordan & Richardson 1908), P. herrei
(Fowler 1934), P. katolo (Herre 1924), P. lanaoensis
(Herre 1924), P. lindog (Herre 1924), P. manalak (Herre
1924), P. manguaoensis (Day 1914), P. sirang (Herre
1932), P. tumba (Herre 1924), and Rasbora philippina
(Günther 1880).
There are few species described in the Philippines after
the monumental work done by Herre (1924 and 1927),
due mainly to the limited surveys conducted in the country
after World War II. The most recently described species
in the Philippines include the following freshwater fishes:
Stenogobius kyphosus (Watson 1991), two new species of
Stiphodon: olivaceus and surrufus (Watson and Kottelat
1995) from Leyte, Sicyopus cebuensis (Chen and Shao
1998) from the island of Cebu, Stigmatogobius elegans
(Larson 2005) from Luzon, Cyclocheilichthys schoppeae
(Cervancia and Kottelat 2007) from Palawan and Anguilla
luzonensis (Watanabe et al. 2009) from Cagayan River.
At least 20 species of endemic non-commercial freshwater
fishes are known to occur in Southern Luzon, and their
possible sustainable use, socio-cultural and eco-tourism
value to local communities have not been tapped
(Gonzalez 2006; Froese and Pauly 2007). And much
of the research done on freshwater ecosystems locally
is focused on commercially important fishes (Samonte
et al. 2004); however, the implications presented for
equally valuable endemic species to ichthyology and
environmental science were apparently overlooked
(Santiago et al. 2001). Impending loss of these diminutive
but integral components of the aquatic food web may have
detrimental effects on the natural balance of freshwater
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Paller et al.: Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watershed of
Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve
ecosystems, notwithstanding the economic potentials of
these species in local fisheries – especially in the multi-
million tropical fish industry (Guerrero 2002; Grist 2007).
Continued threats from pollution, erosion and introduction
of invasive species pose a level of uncertainty on the
survival of these endemic fishes, coupled with the lack of
local concern/education or stable protection (Bagarinao
2001; Diesmos et al. 2004; Cagauan 2007).
Development of strategies through habitat protection,
captive-breeding and local education is vital to the
conservation of these potentially endangered endemic
fishes. Consequently, surveys done in other Southeast
Asian countries led to the description of many new
species, and subsequent surveys on selected lakes and
rivers of the country may reveal similar new discoveries
(Kottelat et al. 1993; Watson & Kottelat 2006).
The Makiling Forest Reserve (MFR) which is under
the administration of the University of the Philippines
Los Baños - Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems
(MCME), covering the municipalities of Los Baños, Bay,
and Calamba in the province of Laguna and Sto. Tomas
in the province of Batangas. Being a forest reserve under
the direct supervision of an academic institution, a number
of research works has already been initiated to study its
rich biological diversity, its flora and fauna like mammals,
reptiles, amphibians, and birds but little attention is given
on the fishes of MFR. Except for the surveys conducted
by Herre in 1927, 1931, 1936-1937, and 1940-1941,
which merely listed the freshwater fishes he collected
from Molawin Creek, no studies to date have examined
the natural fish population of MFR; hence, this study
was done to record and collect fish samples, determine
species composition, and diversity to contribute to the
better understanding of its faunal richness.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Sites
The Makiling Forest Reserve (14° 08' N, 121° 11' E),
which is under the administration of the University of the
Philippines Los Baños - Makiling Center for Mountain
Ecosystems (UPLB-MCME) lies approximately within 65
km South of Metro Manila covering the municipalities of
Los Baños, Bay, and Calamba in the province of Laguna
and Sto. Tomas in the province of Batangas and has a
total area of 4,244 ha. The MFR is divided into six major
watershed zones: Zone 1- Molawin/Maralas Watershed,
Zone 2 – Dampalit Watershed, Zone 3 – Puting Lupa/Tigbi
Watershed, Zone 4 – Sipit/Sto. Tomas Watershed, Zone
5 – Cambantoc Watershed, and Zone 6- Maitim Watershed
(Cruz 1992). A total of three major watersheds of Makiling
Forest Reserve (Figure 1) were studied representing
Philippine Journal of Science Paller et al.: Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watershed of
Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011 Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve

two rivers and a cataract. Study areas include portion
with primary forest growth, secondary forest growth,
agroforestry areas, near and within human settlements
that are subjected to various human disturbances. Some
areas have riparian growth, others have none. These three
watersheds drain into Laguna de Bay.
Sampling
Reconnaissance surveys were conducted, with the
assistance of local residents and in coordination with
the Local Government Units, to choose appropriate and
accessible routes to isolated watersheds of MFR.
The three study sites were inspected and the collection
areas were randomly chosen within each site. Three
sampling locations per kilometer run were surveyed. Fish
samples were collected using various sampling techniques
such as seine net, hand nets, fish trap, and the hook-and-
line method. Additional method was employed for specific
species of interest where basic sampling methods were
difficult to use or not applicable (i.e., back-pack low
voltage electro-fishing along transects to stun the fish).
The survey was done on almost the same time of the day
in which samples are collected to minimize, if not to
eliminate temporal biases.
Seine net of ‘sinamay’ (1.2 mm x 1.2 mm) mesh
standardized at 2.8 m wide x 8.44 m and 1.4 m long was
used wherein three passes along the 30 m transect line
were done during sampling. Seine netting is effective on
banks of lakes and rivers but hard to use in rocky areas.
Hand-nets of ‘sinamay’ mesh were also used as traps
during low voltage electro-fishing, wherein they were
placed at the end of the transect line to catch the fishes
that goes with the water flow. Hook-and-line method was
used with earthworm as bait. This method was proven
effective to lure rock gobies. All species caught regardless
of collection method used were counted and initial
identification recorded. Most of the captured fish were
released alive back into the water. Among the sampled
fish, voucher specimens were obtained and brought to
the laboratory for accurate identification.
Documentation and identification
of freshwater fishes
Field documentation of collected fish samples and fish
species identification in the field and laboratory were
facilitated using several fish identification materials
including books and field guides (Herre 1953; Conlu
1986; Vidthayanon 2007). Fish identification was also
done through standard morphometric measurements
given in FishBase (1995), as noted in other systematic
reviews and taxonomic references (Collete 1999; Tan &
Lim 2002; McDowall 2003; Larson 2005; Chen & Tan
2005). Morphometric data was recorded for cataloguing
and data encoding. Taxonomic nomenclature mainly
follows the current systematic status presented in FishBase

121°90° E 121°100° E 121°110° E 121°120° E 121°130° E 121°140° E 121°150° E 121°160° E 121°170° E

16°120° N
16°120° N

16°110° N 16°110° N
16°110° N

16°100° N 16°100° N
16°100° N

16°90° N 16°90° N
16°90° N

16°80° N 16°80° N
16°80° N

16°70° N 16°70° N
16°70° N

16°60° N 16°60° N
16°60° N

121°90° E 121°100° E 121°110° E 121°120° E 121°130° E 121°140° E 121°150° E 121°160° E 121°170° E

Figure 1. Study sites of the three major watersheds of Makiling Forest Reserve (modified after map from http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount Makiling).

197
121°90° E
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011
(Froese and Pauly 2007). The collected voucher specimens
were deposited in UPLB Limnological Research Station
for further taxonomic analysis and identification. Fish
specimens were compared with the existing literature and
Pisces collection of UPLB Limnological Research Station
for proper identification.
Water quality test and habitat information
Habitat information was also recorded at the sites
including details of water quality. Dissolved oxygen,
pH, salinity, and water temperature were determined to
describe the current habitat conditions. Dissolved oxygen,
water, and air temperature were measured using an Oakton
Instrument DO 300 Series hand held probe and the pH was
measured using Oakton Instrument pH/Con 10 Series hand
held probe submerged 15 cm below the water surface until
values stabilized. Some important limnological data were
also noted, including depth using stainless meter stick, and
to determine the deepest area, a bamboo pole was used
and measurement was based on where the water height
reached on the probe while the water body width was
measured using Tajima waterproof fiberglass measuring
tape, and transparency was measured using Secchi disk.
Other relevant key characters were noted such as substrate
type, dominant aquatic vegetation, presence of introduced
and invasive alien species. Degree of disturbance of the
sites under study was estimated following the rating we
devised to support description of current conditions of
the study sites and impacts of human activities to the
composition of freshwater communities.
Data analyses
Biological indices were computed for each representative
site. Species richness (D) was determined by the number
of species present in a community. Diversity index was
computed following the Shannon Index: H’ = -Ʃ [(ni/N)
log (ni/N)] where; p is the proportion of individuals found
in the ith species and ln is the natural logarithm (Shannon
& Weaver 1949). Pielou’s Evenness Index (e) uses the
Shannon’s Diversity Index and computed as: e = H’/logS
where; S = total number of species (Pielou 1969). Species
dominance was computed using the Simpson’s Dominance
Index formula: c = Ʃ [ni (ni-1)/ N(N-2)] where; ni is the
number of individuals in the ith species and N is the total
number of individuals (Simpson 1949). The number of
individual species per unit area, or the fish density, was
calculated. Similarity (Cs) between communities using
Sørensen similarity index (Smith and Smith 2004) which
is based on species composition was also computed using
the formula: Sim = 2Ʃnc/Ʃn1+Ʃn2 where; nc= common
species between sites, n1 = the species of site 1 and, n2
= the species of site 2.
Analyses of the physico-chemical water parameters within
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Paller et al.: Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watershed of
Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve
and among the three representative sites of MFR were
done using one-way ANOVA and correlate it with the
species abundance using Pearson’s correlation analysis.
RESULTS
Fish Composition
Sixteen species (Table 1) from thirteen genera belonging
to ten families were collected from the three major
watersheds of the Makiling Forest Reserve. Two native
species, Glossogobius celebius (Rock goby) and Giuris
margaritacea (Snakehead gudgeon) were found in all
the watersheds. A native species, Glossogobius giuris
(White goby) was collected in Molawin Creek. Another
native species (Rhinogobius sp.) was found near the
mouth of Laguna de Bay. Hippichthys heptagonus (Belly
pipefish) of the family Syngnathidae was collected from
Dampalit and Molawin watersheds. An endemic species,
Leiopotherapon plumbeus (Silver therapon) was also
collected from Dampalit watershed near the mouth of
the Lake.
A total of 4,920 species was collected from the three
watershed areas. Dampalit Falls had 186 whereas
Molawin and Cambantoc Watersheds had 3,215 and 1,519
respectively. Relative abundance of species collected from
each study site is presented in Figure 2.
Fish Species Diversity
Diversity index for each representative site is summarized
in Table 2. Species richness was 12, 12, and 9 for Dampalit,
Molawin, and Cambantoc Watersheds, respectively.
Diversity index was found to be high in Molawin and
Dampalit watersheds with 1.12 and 1.15 correspondingly
and 0.85 for Cambantoc watershed.
Similarity
Molawin and Cambantoc Watersheds were somewhat
more similar in terms of species composition at 76 %.
Two native species are commonly found in the two sites
namely, Glossogobius celebius and Giuris margaritacea.
Five introduced species are also common in the two
watersheds, Trichopodus trichopterus, Poecilia latippina,
P. reticulata, Oreochromis niloticus, Clarias batrachus,
and Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus. Dampalit and Molawin
had 75 % similarity index wherein four native species,
Glossogobius celebius, G. giuris, Giuris margaritacea,
and Hippichthys heptagonus and five introduced
species, Trichopodus trichopterus, Poecilia latippina, P.
reticulata, Oreochromis niloticus, and Clarias batrachus
are commonly found from the two sites. Cambantoc
and Dampalit had a similarity index of 67 % wherein
two native species, Glossogobius celebius and Giuris
Philippine Journal of Science Paller et al.: Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watershed of
Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011 Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve

Table 1. Checklist of fish species collected from the three representative sites of Makiling Forest Reserve.
Family Species Status1 Dampalit Falls Molawin Creek Cambantoc River
Gobiidae
Glossogobius celebius Native + + +
Glossogobius giuris Native + + -
Rhinogobius sp. Native + - -
Terapontidae
Leiopotherapon plumbeus Endemic + - -
Eleotridae
Giuris margaritacea Native + + +
Syngnathidae
Hippichthys heptagonus Native + + -
Osphronemidae
Trichopodus pectoralis Introduced - + -
Trichopodus trichopterus Introduced + + +
Poeciliidae
Poecilia latippina Introduced + + +
Poecilia reticulata Introduced + + +
Xiphophorus helleri Introduced - + -
Channidae
Channa striata Introduced - - +
Cichlidae
Oreochromis niloticus Introduced + + +
Sarotherodon melanotheron Introduced + - -
Clariidae
Clarias batrachus Introduced + + +
Loricariidae
Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus Introduced - + +
Total no. of species collected from each study site: 12 12 9
1
Status of the fish and currently accepted name of the species based on FishBase (Froese and Pauly 2010) and Catalogue of Fishes (Eschmeyer
2011).

Figure 2. Relative abundance of species collected from the three watersheds of Makiling Forest Reserve.

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Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011 Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve

Table 2. Fish species diversity indices of the three representative sites different types of habitat. Seine netting is more applicable
of Makiling Forest Reserve. in slow moving or still waters with sandy substrates but
not on rocky substrates, which gobies naturally prefer.
Representative
D H’ e c d Hook-and-line is more applicable in fast moving waters
sites
where electro-fishing and seine netting could not possibly
Dampalit Falls 12 1.12 0.4935 0.0939 4/10 m2
be done. The survey also collected supplementary
Molawin Creek 12 1.15 0.3279 0.1064 1/10 m2
information on water quality and habitat conditions that
Cambantoc River 9 0.85 0.2672 0.1658 3/10 m2 could help correlate changes in fish community structure.
D = species richness (total number of species), H’ = species diversity, e = Pilou’s
Evenness Index; c = Species dominance, d = Fish density. The Makiling Forest Reserve watersheds showed a
diverse array of freshwater fish fauna. Sixteen species
from thirteen genera and ten families with a total of 4,920
margaritacea and five introduced species, Trichopodus individuals were recorded from the three watersheds of
trichopterus, Poecilia latippina, P. reticulata, O. niloticus, MFR. These include one endemic species, Leiopotherapon
and Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus are common in the two plumbeus; five native species, Glossogobius celebius,
sites. The average similarity index between the three sites G. giuris, Rhinogobius sp., Giuris margaritacea,
was computed at 72 %. and Hippichthys heptagonus; and twelve introduced
species, Trichopodus pectoralis, T. trichopterus,
Physico-chemical water parameters and Habitat Poecilia latippina, P. reticulata, Xiphophorus helleri,
disturbance Channa striata, Oreochromis niloticus, Sarotherodon
The physico-chemical water parameters for the three sites melanotheron, Clarias batrachus, and Pterygoplichthys
surveyed are summarized in Table 3. In general, dissolved disjunctivus. The presence of both native and introduced
oxygen, pH, salinity, air and water temperature showed fish species in the areas were also documented, because
no significant variation between the three representative the occurrence of introduced species poses a threat to
sites of Makiling Forest Reserve. the stability of native ecosystems. Introduced species
like Janitor fish (Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus) and Nile
tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) are known to compete
with available food and space, and prey on the eggs and
DISCUSSION juveniles of native species.

This study used various sampling techniques to gain the
most comprehensive understanding of fish species present,
their distribution and relative abundance in isolated
watersheds of Makiling Forest Reserve. Multiple sampling
techniques were employed for each sampling technique
has its own limitations and different species prefer
Meanwhile, two native species, Rock goby (Glossogobius
celebius) and Snakehead gudgeon (Giuris margaritacea),
were found to be common in all the watersheds of MFR.
There were five introduced species common in all the
watersheds that include Trichopodus trichopterus,
Poecilia latippina, P. reticulata, Oreochromis niloticus,

Table 3. Physico-chemical properties of the three representative sites of Makiling Forest Reserve.
Watershed Parameters No. of sites Sum Mean Std. Error Std. Dev Variance P-value
Dampalit 13 82.21 6.3238 0.0221 0.0797 0.0064 0.775838P*
Dissolved
Molawin 22 138.79 6.3086 0.0184 0.0863 0.0074
oxygen
Cambantoc 20 126.49 6.3245 0.0159 0.0709 0.0050
Dampalit 13 110.90 8.5308 0.0571 0.2057 0.0423 0.964550*
Molawin pH 22 187.90 8.5409 0.0327 0.1533 0.0235
Cambantoc 20 170.90 8.5450 0.0211 0.0945 0.0089  
Dampalit 13 333.30 25.6385 0.2766 2.9971 0.9942 0.000011**
Water
Molawin 22 573.80 26.0818 0.1604 0.7525 0.5663
Temperature
Cambantoc 20 542.80 27.1400 0.1890 0.8451 0.7141
Dampalit 13 350.10 26.9308 0.2530 0.9123 0.8323 0.000001**
Molawin Air Temperature 22 607.70 27.6227 0.1902 0.8923 0.7961
Cambantoc 20 576.60 28.8300 0.2050 0.9166 0.8401  
*Since P > 0.05 (level of significance), Ho is accepted that the means are equal.
**Since P < 0.05 (level of significance), then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted that atleast one of the water temperature means is different.

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Table 4. Mean value of the species collected from the three watersheds of Makiling Forest Reserve.
No. of
Watershed No. of sites
individuals
Dampalit 13 186
Molawin 22 3215
Cambantoc 20 1519
* Since P > 0.05 (level of significance), Ho is accepted that the species number means are equal.
and Clarias batrachus. Janitor fish (Pterygoplichthys
disjunctivus), an invasive species which is considered
a pest in Marikina River is alarmingly recorded from
Molawin and Cambantoc watersheds.
Similarity index of the three watersheds was computed at
72 % in terms of species composition. In terms of species
richness, Molawin Creek had 12 species, four of which are
native; Dampalit Falls had 12 also but with more native
species of five and one endemic species; and Cambantoc
River had nine with two native species.
Based on the records of Herre’s Philippine Expeditions
(1927, 1931, 1936-1937, and 1940-1941), eleven species
(Table 4) were recorded in Molawin Creek, many
times he referred to as Molawin Brook. Seven native
and four endemic species were obtained by Herre. The
present survey recorded 12 species, nine of which are
new species records in Molawin Creek not previously
reported by Herre during his many expeditions in the
country. Of the twelve native species earlier recorded,
only three were seen in the present survey together with
eight new species records which are all introduced in
the country. Interestingly, a native species (Hippichthys
heptagonus) not previously recorded from Molawin
Creek was found inhabiting certain portion of the river.
The same species was also found in Dampalit River but
were not seen in Cambantoc River. No previous studies
were conducted from Dampalit and Cambantoc; thus,
this study will serve as baseline information for the two
watersheds.
The stock assessment of Palma et al. (1997) revealed that
Scatophagus argus, a migratory species of marine origin
was nowhere to be found in Laguna de Bay, this is also
true in the current survey where it was not seen in Molawin
Creek. Migration of migratory fishes towards Laguna de
Bay is hindered by the construction of Napindan Hydraulic
Control Structure (HCS) built in 1983 to minimize
flooding in Metro Manila.
During his Molawin Creek expeditions in 1931 and
1940, Herre collected a halfbeak species, Dermogenys
viviparus. Meisner (2001), after her thorough examination
of the species collected by Herre found another species
of halfbeak mixed with D. viviparus and she placed
it under the genus Nomorhamphus. Accordingly, N.
Paller et al.: Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watershed of
Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve
Mean Std. Error Std. Dev Variance P-value
14.30769 3.1772 11.4556 131.2308 0.104473*
146.1364 57.4014 269.2367 72488.41
75.9500 16.5376 73.9584 5469.839
pectoralis for having an elongated spiculus is most
similar to N. manifesta, N. pinnamaculata, N. vivipara
and N. philippina, all Philippine species. She furthered
that it is distinguished from these species by the presence
of dorsally offset spiculus comprised of 5-6 segments
(vs. 7-10) and short terminal segment of spiculus which
are rarely curved. In the same paper by Meisner, she
revised the genus of D. viviparus and placed it under
Nomorhamphus, and consequently revised its specific
epithet to vivipara as new combination name hence,
Nomorhamphus vivipara is the currently accepted name
of the former.
Diversity Index was found to be high in Molawin Creek
with 1.15 followed by Dampalit Falls with 1.12 and
Cambantoc Creek had 0.85. Diversity is related to species
richness and how individuals are evenly distributed among
the species in a community (Smith and Smith 2003).
They furthered that a community with a few individuals
from many different species has higher diversity than a
community of the same number of individuals with most
of them belonging to few species.
Cambantoc River was heavily damaged by typhoon
Milenyo in 2006 which drastically changed its natural
landscape. The changed in the natural landscape is
detrimental to the native inhabitants of the river which
made the introduced species to persist in unfavorable
environment coupled with many anthropogenic
activities. Domestic wastes are being dump on the river
causing temporary damming on some portion of the area.
The presence of E. crassipes, an invasive macrophyte
aggravated the situation. Siltation also made the river
shallow and 450 m-long portion of the river in Brgy.
Tranca was waterless during the conduct of the survey.
In addition, secondary forest growth was minimal since
the area surrounding the river system was converted
to agroforestry area planted mainly with coconut and
banana with no riparian zone to control soil erosion
during heavy rains.
Species dominance of Cambantoc River at 0.1658 is
relatively higher than Dampalit Falls’ 0.0939 and Molawin
River’s 0.1064. Species diversity is inversely proportional
to species dominance. Presence of a single species in
large quantity relative to other species translates to higher
species dominance index. Except for Dampalit Falls, the
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Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011 Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve

Table 5. Comparison of the inventory of fish species recorded from Molawin Creek by Herre and this study.

Surveys of
Family Scientific Name Current Name Statusa Current Survey
Herre
Hemiramphidae Dermogenys viviparus Nomorhamphus vivipara Endemic - +
Hemiramphidae Dermogenys pectoralis Nomorhamphus pectoralis Endemic - +
Gobiidae Glossogobius celebius G. celebius Native + +
Phallostethidae Gulaphallus mirabilis G. mirabilis Endemic - +
Zenarchopterinae Zenarchopterus philippinus Z. philippinus Endemic - +
Eleotridae Ophiocara aporos Giuris margaritacea Native + +
Gobiidae Ctenogobius criniger Yongeichthys criniger Native - +
Eleotridae Eleotris fusca E. fusca Native - +
Syngnathidae Oostethus manadensis Microphis manadensis Native - +
Scatophagidae Scatophagus argus S. argus Native - +
Gobiidae Glossogobius giurus G. giuris Native + +
Syngnathidae Hippichthys heptagonus H. heptagonus Native ++ -
Osphronemidae Trichopodus pectoralis T. pectoralis Introduced ++ -
Osphronemidae Trichopodus trichopterus T. trichopterus Introduced ++ -
Poeciliidae Poecilia latippina P. latippina Introduced ++ -
Poeciliidae Poecilia reticulata P. reticulata Introduced ++ -
Poeciliidae Xiphophorus helleri X. helleri Introduced ++ -
Clariidae Clarias batrachus C. batrachus Introduced ++ -
Pterygoplichthys disjunc-
Loricariidae P. disjunctivus Introduced ++ -
tivus
Cichliidae Oreochromis niloticus O. niloticus Introduced ++ -
Total number of species: 12 11
Note: (-) absent, (+) present, (++) new Molawin Creek records, (a) status of the fish and currently accepted name of the species based on FishBase
(Froese and Pauly 2010) and Catalogue of Fishes (Eschmeyer 2011)

most dominant species are Poecilia latippina followed
by P. reticulata. The occurrence of fishes captured in the
downstream connected to Laguna Lake contributed to the
species richness of Dampalit Falls and Molawin Creek.
Species such as Leiopotherapon plumbeus, Glossogobius
giuris and Giuris margaritacea are known inhabitants of
the lake which were also found from the two watershed
areas. In the case of Cambantoc River, it has man-made
structure which blocked the entry of species naturally
live in Laguna de Bay. Species density of the three
watersheds was computed at 4/ 10 m2, 1/10 m2, and 3/10
m2 for Dampalit, Molawin and Cambantoc watersheds,
respectively.
The sustainability of freshwater fish is highly dependent
on suitable habitat as species diversity and populations
are closely linked to habitat conditions. The composition
of the fish community is a living representation of the
physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the
community they live in. In this study, differences in
physico-chemical properties of the three watersheds
were found to be statistically insignificant. Pearson’s
correlation analysis further revealed that species richness
is not correlated with the water parameters.
Habitat loss, human intervention, pollution and
introduction of alien species account for the major
threats to country’s freshwater fish diversity (Guerrero
2002; Vidthayanon 2007). At least 42 introduced species
from 14 alien families are now known to inhabit various
aquatic environs in the Philippines (Casal 2006; Cagauan
2007). Alarmingly, those areas surveyed with abundant
presence of introduced and invasive species, diminutive
native species were nowhere to be found.
The expanding human settlements coupled with over
exploitation of aquatic resources threaten many freshwater
habitats (Guerrero 2005; Rosaganon 2001). Several
geographically isolated freshwater systems are home to
many native and endemic species of fishes. And probably,
a number of these would remain unknown and some
potentially face great threat from extinction (Herre 1953;
Butler 2006).

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Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 140 No. 2, December 2011
CONCLUSION
The Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve supports diverse and
abundant populations of freshwater fishes that include one
endemic species, five native species and ten introduced
species. There was no significant difference in the
physico-chemical properties of water among the three
sites. Habitat disturbance, presence of introduced species,
siltation and other environmental factors could have
influence the species composition of the three study sites.
The freshwater ecosystem of the country is currently under
pressure brought about by the rapid increase of human
population and settlements, urbanization, pollution,
habitat destruction, and introduction of alien invasive
species. Hence, initiating a work similar to this associated
with conservation and management measures that focus on
endemic and native fishes is highly significant. Although
the current scope of the study is limited to Makiling Forest
Reserve, this survey can serve as a model for initiating
further research on native and endemic Philippine
freshwater fishes in other aquatic environments.
The fish survey is part of the program Fish Ark
Philippines: Direction for the Conservation of Native
and Endemic Philippine Freshwater Fishes to monitor
freshwater fish fauna in Makiling Forest Reserve and to
identify possible threatened native and endemic freshwater
species. The sampling has been successful in obtaining
a baseline dataset of the fish resources for the three
watersheds monitored in MFR. Conservation efforts must
focus on protecting these areas to guarantee the continuous
existence of the fish species which are very important
components of our freshwater ecosystems.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to convey their sincerest gratitude
and utmost appreciation to the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST) for funding the project;
Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and
Development (PCAMRD); Makiling Center for Mountain
Ecosystems (MCME); Makiling Botanic Garden (MBG);
UPLB Museum of Natural History; Municipality of
Bay and its Barangay: Sta. Cruz, Tranca, Masaya,
Puypuy, Maitim, Calo, San Antonio and Sto. Domingo;
Municipality of Los Baños and its Barangay: Lalakay,
Bambang, San Antonio, and Maahas; Red Cross Youth of
UPLB; Mr. Donald A. Luna, Mr. Dalton Erick S. Baltazar,
Mr. Angel V. Magpantay, Mr. Rogelio R. Alvarez, Mrs.
Nenita B. Salvador, Mr. Andrew R. Padalhin, Dr. Vivian
C. Camacho, and Professor Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez of
the Animal Biology Division, IBS, CAS, UPLB.
Paller et al.: Freshwater Fish Fauna in Watershed of
Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve
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