In 2008, we detected the first case of Bd infection in an assemblage of frogs at two localities on the island of Luzon: on Mts. Palaypalay-Mataas Na Gulod in Cavite Province and on Mt. Labo in Camarines Norte Province. We subsequently found chytrid-positive frog populations from our surveys of other areas across the country. Here we summarize information on the status and...

We report new distribution records for amphibians and reptiles from 20 localities within the northern Cordillera Mountain Range of Ilocos Norte Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. Together with opportunistic collections of specimens from past surveys, our new data result in a total of 58 amphibian and reptile species for Ilocos Norte Province and the extreme northern Cordilleras—all of which constitute major geographic range...

...

We report 35 new amphibian and reptile distribution records for two regions within the southern Sierra Madre Mountain Range, Aurora Province, central Luzon Island, Philippines. Together with results of our previous survey work in Aurora, our new data result in a total of 82 amphibian and reptile species for the area. These results highlight the degree to which the island’s biodiversity continues...

Platymantis spelaeus is endemic to southern Negros Island, Philippines, and is one of four recognized species of Philippine limestone forest frogs. While conducting fieldwork in the Philippines, we observed newly metamorphosed juvenile Platymantis spelaeus inside a small cave system, 2–4 m from the entrance to the cave....

We investigated phylogeography of Philippine slender toads (genus Ansonia) and used a temporal framework for diversification, statistical tests of alternate topologies, and Bayesian approaches to test previous hypotheses concerning dispersal to, and colonization routes within, the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Two species of Ansonia previously have been documented, with ranges separated by an east–west split corresponding to the approximate boundaries of...

We report amphibian and reptile distribution records based on recent biodiversity surveys conducted at the Angat Watershed Reservation, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. This watershed constitutes the principal water source for Manila, the Philippines’ largest metropolitan area. As virtually nothing is known of the herpetological diversity of the immediate area and the surrounding Bulacan Province, all species recorded as part of our...

We describe a new species of terrestrial limestone forest frog of the genus Platymantis from Biak Na Bato National Park in central Luzon Island, Philippines. Platymantis biak is assigned to the primarily arboreal Platymantis guentheri Species Group, and is distinguished from these and other congeners by features of its external morphology and preferred terrestrial limestone microhabitat. Several distinguishing morphological characters include a...

Southeast Asia’s widespread species offer unique opportunities to explore the effects of geographical barriers to dispersal on patterns of vertebrate lineage diversification. We analyzed mitochondrial gene sequences (16S rDNA) from a geographically widespread sample of 266 Southeast Asian tree frogs, including 244 individuals of Polypedates leucomystax and its close relatives. Our expectation was that lineages on island archipelagos would exhibit more substantial...

A new species of forest frog of the genus Platymantis is described from an elevation of 140 m in the Taft Forest Reserve in eastern Samar Island, Philippines. It is assigned to the Platymantis guentheri Species Group, a group of primarily arboreal species, and is distinguished from these and other congeners by features of its external morphology and its preferred terrestrial, limestone...

A new species of fanged frog (genus Limnonectes) is described from Davao Del Norte Province, eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines. The new species can be diagnosed on the basis of external morphology, with notable diagnostic features being its moderately large size (79.6 and 84.3 mm SVL for two males and 69.3 mm SVL for the single available female specimen), the possession of white-tipped...