Herpetofauna of Mount Capistrano, a fragmented limestone karst forest in Central Mindanao, Philippines
2023
Venturina, R.E.L. | Diesmos, M.L.L. | Maglangit, E.P.T. | del Prado, Y.L.C. | Ordas, J.A.D. | Fernandez, J.B. | Dans, M.F.G. | Warguez, D.A. | Diesmos, A.C.
The island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines has the richest herpetofauna presently documented for any one island in the archipelago, although many regions on the island are yet to be explored. Limestone karst habitats, in particular, are poorly surveyed and are also the most threatened ecosystems in the Philippines. Authors conducted field surveys on the herpetofauna of Mount Capistrano, a low-elevation limestone karst habitat and an ecotourism destination in the central Mindanao Province of Bukidnon. The study is the first biodiversity assessment of the area. It recorded a total of 32 species consisting of 10 frogs, nine lizards, and 13 snakes. Nine are Philippine endemic species, whereas seven are found only in the Mindanao faunal region. Three are invasive alien species. It also provided preliminary information on a putative new species of limestone frog of the genus Platymantis. The study showed that despite disturbance, limestone karst forests in Mindanao harbor significant levels of herpetofaunal species richness, including undiscovered micro-endemics. This study reinforces the biological significance of karst habitats and the critical need to conduct comprehensive biodiversity inventories of this unique, naturally patchily distributed, and highly threatened ecosystem throughout the Philippines.
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