Diesmos Et Al.Qxp
2004 Asiatic Herpetological Research Vol. 10, pp. 22-27 Rediscovery of the Philippine Forest Turtle, Heosemys leytensis (Chelonia; Bataguridae), from Palawan Island, Philippines ARVIN C. DIESMOS1,2,3, GENEVIEVE V. A. GEE3, MAE L. DIESMOS3, 4, RAFE M. BROWN2,3,5, PETER J. WIDMANN3,6, AND JUDELINE C. DIMALIBOT7 1National Museum of the Philippines, Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita 1000, Manila, Philippines; Current address: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Block S3 14 Science, Drive 4, Singapore 117543; E-mail: kaloula@i-manila.com.ph 2Angelo King Center for Research and Environment Management; Marine Laboratory, Silliman University, Bantayan, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines 6200. 3Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines, Room 106 Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines, Diliman 1101, Quezon City, Philippines; E-mail: jutisha@yahoo.com 4Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas España, Manila; E-mail: msleonida@lycos.com 5Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin Texas, 78712; Current address: Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 3101 Valley Life Science Building, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; Email: rafe@mail.utexas.edu 6KATALA Foundation, Jacana Road, Bancao-Bancao, P.O. Box 390, Puerto Princesa City 5300, Palawan, Philippines; E-mail: widpeter@yahoo.com 7Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Sta Monica, Puerto Princesa City 5300, Palawan, Philippines. Abstract. - We report new observations from natural populations of the critically endangered Philippine forest turtle, Heosemys leytensis. Previously known from two cotypes (reportedly from Leyte Island) that were destroyed during World War II, a lone specimen in a U.S. collection, and a specimen purchased on Palawan Island in the late 1980s, its status in the wild has been uncertain since its discovery.
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