Distribution of endemic and threatened herpetofauna in Mt. Malindang, Mindanao, Philippines

Mt. Malindang is one of the upland ranges where biodiversity has been severely threatened due to forest loss. Fieldwork was conducted from October 2003 to December 2004 in 14 sampling sites from an elevation of 120 to over 1,700 m above sea level to assess the distribution of endemic and threatened herpetofaunal species. Twenty-six species of amphibians and 33 species of reptiles were observed for all sampling sites. The level of endemism for amphibians was 42% where 7 of the 11 recorded species are found only in Mindanao. Nine species were in the threatened category, 8 vulnerable and 1 endangered. For the reptiles, 48% endemicity was observed. No threatened species was found. Field observations show that the major threat to the herpetofauna is habitat destruction, particularly the conversion of the forest to agricultural farms by the local people. It was also observed that endemic and threatened species were distributed in high elevation sites (submontane, dipterocarp, almaciga, and montane forests). Despite habitat loss in Mt. Malindang, 18% of the recorded herpetofaunal species recorded in the Philippines were found in Mt. Malindang, indicating the conservation importance of this mountain range.