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TILAMSIK | Vol. 8, No. 1 | July 2015

ISSN: 1656-1953 (Print) 2467-6209 (Online)

Herpetofaunal Diversity of Mt. Banahaw

de Lucban

Russel R. Atienza & Lemuel A. Pabico

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Essex Vladimer G. Samaniego, MSc

Department of Natural Sciences, BS Biology Program

Abstract

Determining the diversity of herpetofauna in Mt. Banahaw de Lucban was

the main purpose of this study. Moreover, it tackled the identification, classi-
fication and determination of the conservation status of its herpetofauna. The
study focused on three habitat types namely; secondary lowland forest, mon-
tane forest and mossy forest. Methods used in herpetological search were drift
fences with pitfall and funnel traps, time strained searches in strip transect
and photo- identification. Samplings were done in August and October 2014,
in a day and night basis. A total of 45 individuals from 15 species were identi-
fied and classified up to its lowest taxonomic unit, 36 of which are amphib-
ians from eight species while nine are reptiles from seven species. Amphibians
species belonging to three families (Ceretobatrachidae, Dicroglossidae, and
Ranidae) and reptiles species belonging to four families (Viperidae, Colub-
ridae, Scincidae, and Gekkonidae) were observed. Secondary lowland forest
has the highest diversity while mossy forest has the least. Nine species are of
least concern, four species are vulnerable and two species are not evaluated.

Keywords: amphibians, conservation, diversity, herpetofauna, reptiles

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Introduction

The Philippine archipelago is known for its rich biodiversity. Many flora
and fauna found in the archipelago are endemic. One of the most interest-
ing riches of the country is its vast herpetofauna. Herpetofauna refers to the
amphibians and reptiles inhabiting a certain area. Because of the uniqueness
of many Philippine species, the country is now one of the world‘s most im-
portant centers of herpetofaunal endemism (Diesmos, 2007).

One habitat that is worth studying is Mt. Banahaw de Lucban. This place
as part of Mt. Banahaw- San Cristobal National Park is considered as one of
the remaining forested areas in Southern Luzon (Gascon, 2002). This moun-
tain receives great amount of attention with regard to its overwhelming spe-
cies that includes reptiles and amphibians. The study of Diesmos (1998) dealt
with the amphibian fauna of Mt. Banahaw, Mt. San Cristobal and Mt. Maqui-
ling. But present day researches have not been made and if there are studies
being held with regards to the study, it is by far, not accessible to the majority
of the public. Furthermore, the university has not conducted herpetofaunal
survey for a long time, taking into account the herpetofaunal survey under-
taken in collaboration with Diesmos in 1998. The researchers believe that it
is necessary to conduct this study for further records and for providing in-
formation as to the present status of herpetofaunal diversity in Mt. Banahaw.

This research aimed to evaluate the herpetofauna of Mt. Banahaw de
Lucban. Specifically, the study sought to achieve the following objectives:
to classify amphibians and reptiles up to the lowest recognizable taxonomic
unit, to determine the distribution of amphibians and reptiles inhabiting Mt.
Banahaw de Lucban and to determine their conservation status thru the In-
ternational Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

The study that assessed the herpetofaunal diversity of Mt. Banahaw de
Lucban focused in three different habitat types: secondary lowland forest,
montane and mossy forest. The methods used in collecting and observing
specimens were three arm array drift fences with pitfall and funnel traps,
time strained searches in strip transect and photo-identification. Specimens
were identified by the researcher and verified by Dr. Arvin C. Diesmos from

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 Atienza, R.R., Pabico, L.A. & Samaniego, E.G. | Research Articles

the herpetology section of National Museum. The researchers accessed the

site of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to as-
sess the conservation status of the species. The study started on January 20,
2014 and ended in October 30, 2014. The collection of species was in August
and October 2014 in a day and night basis.

Methods

The descriptive research used involved the gathering of information

about the present existing condition of herpetofaunal study. It also dealt with
the process of identifying, classifying and determining the distribution and
conservation status of herpetofauna. It has also utilized the quantitative and
qualitative approaches in gathering the necessary data.

The observed species were assessed for their Conservation Status. It was
based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2 (Inter-
national Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2014).
Remarks were also added for each species. It includes time of activity as to
diurnal, nocturnal or both. Substratum of activity of adult as to terrestrial,
arboreal, aquatic, amphibious or burrowing, status as to endemic, non- en-
demic or introduced, frequency of occurrence as to common, uncommon or
rare were observed.

The data collected were tallied, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted.

Shannon‘s Diversity Index, Simpson‘s Index of Dominance, Evenness Index,
and Sorensen‘s Similarity Index were used for statistical analysis and were
verified using Paleontological STatistics (PAST) software.

Results

Species Classification and Abundance

A total of 45 individuals from 15 species were observed in the area.

Thirty six are amphibians from eight species and 9 are reptiles from seven
species. Amphibian species belong to three families (Ceretobatrachidae, Di-
croglossidae, and Ranidae) while the reptile species belong to four families

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Journal of Research of the College of Arts and Sciences,
Southern Luzon State University
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Research Articles | Atienza, R.R., Pabico, L.A. & Samaniego, E.G.

(Viperidae, Colubridae, Scincidae, and Gekkonidae). All of the amphibians

observed were anurans while all reptiles observed were squamates. Most of
the species were found on the secondary lowland forest, while the habitat
type with the least observed species was the mossy forest.

Species Diversity

Based on the computed values of Shannon‘s Diversity Index, secondary

lowland forest and montane forest both belong to the range of moderate di-
versity i.e 1.6675 and 1.0986 respectively while mossy forest falls in the range
of being less diverse with a diversity index 0.6931. The Index of Dominance
is highest in the mossy forest accounting to 0.5000 followed by the montane
forest with an Index of Dominance of 0.3333 and lastly, the secondary low-
land forest with an Index of Dominance of 0.2188. Both of the mossy forest
and the montane forest have an evenness of 1.0000. The secondary lowland
forest has the lowest evenness i.e 0.8019. Based on the Sorenson‘s Similarity
Index, the mossy forest and the montane forest have the highest number
of similar species with a Cs of 0.3333, followed by the montane forest and
secondary lowland forest with a Cs of 0.1023. There were no similar species
between the secondary lowland forest and the montane forest because it has
a 0.000 Cs.

Endemism and Conservation Status

From the 15 species observed, four species are vulnerable, nine are least
concern and two are not evaluated. The vulnerable species are all Platymantis
spp. while the two species which are not evaluated are Parvoscincus sp. and
Pinoyscincus sp. P. naomii, P. indeprensus and P. pseudodorsalis are endemic
to Mt. Banahaw while P. montanus is endemic to Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Apoy,
Luzon Island (Alcala & Brown, 1998; Brown, 2004). Seven species of the ob-
served amphibians are all Philippine endemics and only O. laevis is the non
endemic anurans. All reptile species except for two, namely Parvoscincus leu-
cospilos and Parvoscincus arvindiesmosi are of least concern. The two above
mentioned are not evaluated probably because they are new species endemic
to the Philippines (Linkem & Brown, 2013). Of the recorded reptiles, Ahaet-
ulla prasina is the only non-endemic species, all are Philippine endemics.

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Vol. 8, No. 1 | July 2015
 Atienza, R.R., Pabico, L.A. & Samaniego, E.G. | Research Articles

Table 1. Amphibian species observed in Mt. Banahaw de Lucban

Table 2. Reptile species observed in Mt. Banahaw de Lucban

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Journal of Research of the College of Arts and Sciences,
Southern Luzon State University
Vol. 8, No. 1 | July 2015
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Research Articles | Atienza, R.R., Pabico, L.A. & Samaniego, E.G.

Discussion

Most of the observed anurans are Platymantis spp. This can be attrib-
uted with their unusual geographic distribution, highly variable and unique
morphology, direct larval development, and their ability to colonize habitats
that otherwise conspicuously lack ranid frogs ( ). There were no reptiles ob-
served in the mossy forest, this could be attributed to the high temperature
in the area, because reptiles tend to inhabit moist habitat but with area where
they could bask (Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 2004).

Secondary lowland consists of high degree of varying vegetation from

large dipterocarps to small sized ferns. It has also a forest floor covered by
thick humus, leaf litter and decaying vegetation (Alcala & Brown, 1998).
Flowing streams are also found in the area. These factors may affect the dis-
tribution and diversity of species. Reptiles and amphibians may seek refuge
in the leaf litter and dipterocarp trees while making use of the water in the
stream for moisture retention and reproduction.

According to Young et al. (2004), human disturbance, including tour-

ist activities, fires, and armed conflicts, affects 13% of threatened species.
Natural disasters (such as droughts, floods, and wildfires), invasive species,
and global warming affect about eight percent of species. These factors can
greatly affect the herpetofauna of Mt. Banahaw that would result to a sig-
nificant decrease in the rate of encounter. They also stated that amphibians
occurring at high elevations, having restricted distributions, and character-
ized by terrestrial life cycles (rather than those using a mix of aquatic and
terrestrial habitats) are more likely to be threatened than are species with
other characteristics.

It is clear that the status of the species in such listings (IUCN) needs to
be reassessed periodically. The general lack of data on the ecology, distribu-
tion, population trends, and abundance of more than 85% of the amphibian
fauna and over 90% of the reptilian fauna impedes a more accurate assess-
ment of their conservation status (Diesmos et al., 2002)

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 Atienza, R.R., Pabico, L.A. & Samaniego, E.G. | Research Articles

Conclusions

Based on the findings, the following conclusions were derived: Amphib-

ians are more diverse and abundant compared to reptiles in Mt. Banahaw
de Lucban. Amphibians and reptiles are susceptible to human disturbance
and natural calamities. Reptiles tend to inhabit lowland areas with moder-
ate temperature and finer vegetation. An ample supply of water is needed by
both amphibians and reptiles for moisture retention and reproduction.

Secondary lowland forest has the most diverse species compared to

montane and mossy forest. Mossy forest and montane forest has a high de-
gree of evenness between species. Microclimates and microendemism were
observed in the area because of differing similarity index. Most of the species
located in Mt. Banahaw de Lucban are Philippine endemic. The platyman-
tines that are endemic to the mountain shows a high elevation range. All
endemic frogs of Mt. Banahaw de Lucban are vulnerable.

Recommendations

Based on the results of the study and the aforementioned conclusion,

the researchers recommend the following: The authorities should strengthen
and uphold conservation practices for the conservation and protection of
the Philippine endemic species as well as vulnerable species inhabiting Mt.
Banahaw de Lucban. This includes controlling or minimizing the entry of
tourists or hikers that would result to a high degree of disturbance in the
area. Other researchers may conduct herpetological survey in different time
of the year, in different season, to observe season- confounded species and
further define the herpetofauna of the area. A study may be conducted on
different sides of Mt. Banahaw to compare species composition and diversity.
Similar research may be conducted in the future with regards to the follow-
ing: Environmental variables that affect the diversity of reptiles and amphib-
ians, abundance of reptiles and amphibians to evaluate species density, mi-
croclimates of different species, assessing the susceptibility and vulnerability
of amphibians in the area to chytrid fungus.

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Journal of Research of the College of Arts and Sciences,
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Research Articles | Atienza, R.R., Pabico, L.A. & Samaniego, E.G.

References
Alcala A.C. & Brown W.C. (1998). Phlippine amphibians: An illustrated field
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Brown R.M. (2004). Evolution of Ecomorphological Variation and Acoustic
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(subfamily Platymantinae). The University of Texas at Austin.
Diesmos, A.C. 1998. The Amphibian Faunas of Mt. Banahao, Mt. San Cristo-
bal, and Mt. Maquiling, Luzon Island, Philippines. (Master’s Thesis), Uni-
versity of the Philippines, Laguna.
Diesmos A.C. (2007). Conservation of Herpetofaunal Communities in Frag-
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Gascon C.N. (2002). Mount Banahaw: Physical, biological and management
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___________________________________________________________
About the Authors
Russel R. Atienza & Lemuel A. Pabico finished their Bachelor’s degree in
Biology in 2015.

Essex Vladimier G. Samaniego, MSc is an Instructor of the BS

Biology Program at the Department of Natural Sciences. He has
a Master of Science degree in Biology from the University of
Sto. Tomas.
TILAMSIK
Journal of Research of the College of Arts and Sciences,
68 Southern Luzon State University
Vol. 8, No. 1 | July 2015