Species richness and endemism of Reptilian Fauna in four Long-Term Ecological Research sites in Mindanao, Philippines

摘要

Reptiles are highly sensitive to environmental change and are vulnerable to habitat disturbance.This study was conducted to determine the species richness and endemism of reptiles usingthe modified cruising method in 12 randomly selected plots inside a 1-hectare plot in fourLong-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites in Mindanao, namely: Mts. Apo, Kitanglad,Hamiguitan, and Malindang. Twenty-two reptile species belonging to eight families and 16genera were documented in the four LTER sites. The level of reptile endemism was 64% wherethree out of 14 endemic species are found only in Mindanao. Mt. Hamiguitan had the highestspecies diversity (H’=2.4972) and species richness (n=18) with 11 (72%) endemic species,while the rest of the sites had very minimal number of species (n≤2). Among the recordedspecies, Psammodynastes pulverulentus had the highest number of individuals which was onlyrecorded in Mt. Hamiguitan while the Philippine endemic, Parvoscincus decipiens was themost distributed species. Two threatened species, Hydrosaurus pustulatus and Ophiophagushannah with vulnerable conservation status were recorded. Seriation analysis showed thathigh- elevation areas such as Mts. Apo and Kitanglad only host endemic and restricted specieswhile Mt. Hamiguitan, a low-elevation forest, hosts endemic, non-endemic, and threatenedspecies. Results suggest that the Mindanao LTER sites are good habitats for endemic and vulnerablespecies of reptiles and protection is needed.