Introduction

Tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are colorful, fast-moving predatory insects that
occupy various types of habitats. These terrestrial species are found in a variety of sandy, open
environments of which most tend to prefer the riverine habitat because of close proximity to water,
food resources and safety from predators. Further, tiger beetle fauna are habitat specific and has a
narrow geographic distribution which makes this taxona a good bioindicator of local biodiversity
and microhabitat changes. It also makes them highly vulnerable for extinction especially when its
habitat is experiencing various anthropogenic pressures (Pearson & Vogler, 2001). Tiger beetles
are widely distributed across the world currently with more than 2850 species, in which 162 taxa
(including 144 species) are occurring in the Philippines (Acal et al., 2021), representing 5% of the
known species worldwide with 90% endemism (Zettel & Wiesner, 2018; Medina et al., 2019;
Anichtchenko & Medina, 2019, Pepito et al., 2020). Acal et al., (2021) stated that it can be expected
that such high diversity values results from both geographical location of the country in the tropical
region as well as the occurrence of a large number of geographically isolated islands that influence
the evolution of endemic species.
Recent research studies on tiger beetles revealed a record of ten genera and 54 species on
Mindanao Island (Acal et al., 2021). Mindanao Island is the second biggest island in the Philippines
which covers a total land area of 104,530 km2 the remaining largest intact primary and secondary
forests in the country. It is also one of the remaining biodiversity hubs in the country (Cabras &
Wiesner, 2016). In Northern Mindanao, thirty species of tiger beetles classified in ten genera were
documented (56% of tiger beetle fauna of Mindanao and 21% of Philippine species). Northern
Mindanao covers a total land area of 19,279.60 km² and more than 60% of the region’s area is
classified as forest land. It comprises five provinces: Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte,
Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental (Acal et al., 2021).
Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park is a protected area located in the northern part of
Mindanao. It has an elevation of 2,404 meters above sea level and a total land area of 53,028
hectares located at the core of the Province of Misamis Occidental. It is the source of the 17 major
river catchments in the area with numerous small river tributaries and streams which provides
water to different communities. Mt. Malindang is considered as one of the biological hotspots in
the Philippines due to its rich, unique flora and fauna. Having been declared as a natural park and
protected area, existing literatures revealed various research works have been undertaken on its
diverse flora and fauna. However, a gap on faunistic data of tiger beetles specifically on the riverine
ecosystems remains.
Due to the gap on faunistic data of tiger beetles in the region, this study aims to investigate
and describe the diversity, occurrence, distribution and habitat preferences of tiger beetles in the
riverine ecosystems of Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park. Further, determine the existing threats
towards the tiger beetles in the area given the fact that this species are highly habitat specific which
makes them highly vulnerable for extinction. The data that will be obtained in this study may
contribute substantially to the current knowledge available on the tiger beetles in the Philippines.
Moreover, provide necessary information in crafting conservation efforts for these species in the
area.