I' BU LLETIN DE L'INSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATU RELLES DE BELG IQUE, BIOLOG IE, 76:201-227, 2006 BULLETIN VAN HET KON INK LIJ K BELG ISC H INSTITUUT VOOR NATUURWETENSC HAP PEN , BIOLOGLE. 76: 20 1-227.2006 On a collection of reptiles from Southern Mindanao Island, the Philippines by Patrick DAVID, Olivier S. G. PAUWELS, Pascal FA. G. LAYS & Georges L LENGLET Abstract Zamboanga Peninsula, around Mt. MaJindang (Misami s Occidental Province), around Lake Lanao (Lanao del Sur We desc ribe a co ll ection of reptiles co mposed of 97 specimens co l­ Province), in Mt. Apo National Park (spreading over the lected in a submontane area of so uthern Mindanao Island, Philip­ boundari es of Davao del Sur and Cotabato Provinces), and in pine Islands. In adding also spec imens observed but not preserved, Davao Province. Although several earl y collectors obtained th e co ll ec ti on includes 35 spec ies, di vided into I spec ies of chelo­ specimens from Mindanao (see BROWN & ALCA LA, 1978, ni an, 18 spec ies of li za rd s and 16 of snakes. The rece ntl y described fo r a summary of herpetological collections from the Philip­ skink species Eutropis indeprensa (BROWN & ALCALA , 1980) and pines), the fi rst report on a herpetological collection from Tropidophorus davaoensis BACON, 1980 are incl uded in this coll ec­ ti on. The range and ex tent of morph olog ica l variati on are ex panded Mindanao was published by FISC HER (1885a, b), unfo rtu­ for these species, as we ll as fo r the rare colubrid 0 /igodon nately without prec ise locality. Another earl y collector on maculatus (TAY LOR , 1918). We also prov ide the first prec ise local­ Mindanao was Edgar A. MEA RNS, who vi sited the island in ity on Min da nao of Ophiophagus hannah. All species but Ewropis 1906. Subsequentl y, E. H. TAYLOR coll ected in Mindanao indeprensa had previously been recorded fro m Min da nao, but 33 (see below), the results of which appeared in hi s major species are new records for South .Cota ba to Prov ince as currentl y monographs (TAYLOR, 192 I, 1922a, b) and several papers. defined. Bronchoce/a cristate/la (KUHL, 1820), Ca /amaria After World War II, other collecti ons were gathered in Lu mbricoidea (H. BOlE in F. BOlE, 1827) and Psalllm odynastes Mindanao but did not res ult in specific publicati ons on the pu/veru/entus (H. BOlE in F. BOlE, I 827) are the most co mmon spe­ herpetofauna of this island. More recentl y, SMITH ( l993a, b) cies , the total number of their res pective specimens represe nting reported on a small collection from eastern Mindanao. Sub­ 29.9 % of the whole co ll ec ti on. The co mposition of this co ll ecti on is compared with the know n fa un a of Mindanao and other islan ds of sequentl y, although the herpetofauna of the Philippines has the Philippine Island s. The reptil e fa un a around Lake Sebu is mostly been the subject of revived interest (see for exampl e, the similar to th e faun as of other parts of Minda nao and of islands of th e various publicati ons of M. GAU LK E and R. BROWN), the un­ Central and Eas tern Vi sayas. certain , if not troubled political situati on in Mindanao has precluded specific mj ss ions on this island . Keywords: Chelonii , Squ ama ta, As ia, Philippine Islands, Minda nao Island , biogeography, biodi versity. In thi s paper, we describe a collecti on gathered between 1993 and 1998 by Pasc.al LAYS (PL hereafter) around Lake Sebu, South Cotabato Prov ince, in the extre me south of Mindanao Island . Collecti ons and observations took pl ace at two di s­ Introduction tinct sites, referred to below as Site 1 on Mount Tasaday and its immediate surroundings , and Site 2, at Lake Sebu and its The peculi ar nature of the herpetological fauna of the Philip­ close vicinity respecti vely (see below fo r a description of the pine Islands (referred to below as the Philippines) has been sites). These co ll ecti ons were made in the frame of anthropo­ stressed by numerous authors, fo r example INGER (1954), logical studies on tribal people inhabiting montane forested TAYLOR (1922a, 1922b), LEV ITON (1963b) and BROWN & areas. Although many specimens have been reported from ALCALA ( 1970). A hi gh level of endemi sm is especiall y note­ "Cotabato Prov ince" in the li terature, thi s part of Mindanao worthy in thi s country (BROWN & ALCALA, 1978, 1980). In had not previously been subject to an y herpetological survey. thi s archipelago of over 7700 islands, Mindanao is the largest TAYLO R ( l922a) and LEV ITON ( l965a), for example, men­ meridi onal island (HI CKS, 2000). It is bi ogeographi call y con­ ti oned some specimens from Saub (6°2'53"N-l24°29 ' I 4"E), nected to Borneo by the Sulu Archipelago. In spite of its great a coastal city located just west of Maitum (now in Sarangani interests, both on zoological and zoogeographical grounds, Province; see below) at the foot of the mountain range in M indanao has received comparati ve ly less attention fro m which Lake Sebu is located. Tt seems that coll ecting efforts in herpetologists th an Luzon and central island s of the Yisayas thi s locality were rather incidental and limited to the coast. (Negros, Panay, and so on). Furthermore, most collecting ef­ The poli tical di visions of the Philippines are both complex fo rts have been undertaken, from west to east, in the and changeabl e. The former prov ince of "Cotabato", as used ,, 202 PATRICK DAVID, OLIVIER S. G. PAUWELS, PASCAL F. A. G. LAYS & GEORGES L. LENGLET by TAYLOR and most subsequent authors cited below up to 2,000 mas!, the highest point being Mount Busa (1 24°41 ' E- the mid 1960s, once encompassed nearly the whole of the 6007' N.) at 2,083 mas!. Flat lands are scarce and the topog­ southern half of the eastern part of Mindanao. This large raphy is dominated by slopes of 18-30 % and 30-50 %; there­ province was first split in 1966, when South Cotabato was fore, the region is rather rugged and even steep in many recognized as a separate province. In 1973, the remaining places. part of the province was divided into North Cotabato, Hydrography. It is in this mountainous forested area that all Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat. Some maps still retain brooks, streams and rivers fiod their origin. Basically, the this political division (ANONYMOUS, n.d.). In 1983, North hydrological system can be divided in two parts: one that in­ Cotabato was renamed Cotabato Province. Lastly, the south­ cludes ri vers like Keloung, Metutum, Pangay, Kling, that ern coastal area of former South Cotabato was also separated flow southward and reach the Celebes Sea; and a second one, as Sarangani Province in 1992. As a consequence, the few including rivers like Sfaka, Lawa, Allah, Bunga, etc. that specimens reported from Saub by TAYLOR (for example flow northward and reach the Allah Valley. Five natural lakes 1922d:' 101) now originate from Sarangani Province. Lastly, occur in these mountains: Lake Sebu (354 ha), Lake Lahit South Cotabato Province used to be included in Region XI of (24 ha), Lake Sl6t6n (75 ha), Lake Nungon (a few ha) and the regional division of the Philippines, Southern Mindanao. Lake Maughan (or L. H616n) which rests in the crater of a On September 19t" 2001, the provinces of Sarangani and dormant volcano, Mount Parker (or Mt. Mele Botu, ca. 300 South Cotabato were moved from Southern Mindanao Re­ ha, I ,800 mas I). gion to Central Mindanao Region. The same year, this latter Undifferentiated mountain soil covers most of the area, with province was renamed SOCCSKARGEN (an acronym for clay loams and semi-fine limons. Sandstone abounds, and South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and Maitum and Maasim limestones occur in some portions of General Santos City). the considered area. Very large deposits of gold have been Situated in southwestern Mindanao, the region that interests tapped for some 15 years, giving rise to local ecological dis­ us here, and where collections and observations were made, asters. stretches between two provinces: South Cotabato (Munici­ Climate. Although this part of Mindanao is classified palities of Lake Sebu and Tboli) and Sarangani (West) (Mu­ amongst the regions without very pronounced seasonal char­ nicipalities of Kiamba, Maasim and Maitum). The area has acteristics, one can, however, observe a "dry season" from the general shape of a slightly curved strip aligned along a November to April (with February and March as the driest north-west I south-east axis, extending over approximately months) and a "wet season" from May to October. Mean an­ 70 km from 124°30' to 124°55' East, width varying from 5 to nual rain fall averages from 2,000-2,500 mm, but above 10 km between 6°20' and 5°55' North. The southern portion 2,500 mm in some areas. Temperature for Site 1 (in the vicin­ faces the Celebes Sea, the northern portion faces the Allah ity ofMountTasaday, at 1,015 m) in May 1993: 19-20° Cat Valley, the western portion touches the Kulaman Valley and 5.30 AM, 25-26° Cat noon, 24° Cat 6.30 PM (sunset), 23.9° the eastern portion faces Sarangani Bay.