Living amphibians exhibit a diversity of ecologies, life histories, and species-rich lineages that offers opportunities for studies of adaptive radiation. We characterize a diverse clade of frogs (Kaloula, Microhylidae) in the Philippine island archipelago as an example of an adaptive radiation into three primary habitat specialists or ecotypes. We use a novel phylogenetic estimate for this clade to evaluate the tempo of...

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We present results from several recent herpetological surveys in the Romblon Island Group (RIG), Romblon Province, central Philippines. Together with a summary of historical museum records, our data document the occurrence of 55 species of amphibians and reptiles in this small island group. Until the present effort, and despite past studies, herpetological diversity of the RIG and their biogeographical affinities has remained...

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...

Evolutionary simplification, or loss of complex characters, is a major theme in studies of body-form evolution. The apparently infrequent evolutionary reacquisition of complex characters has led to the assertion (Dollo’s Law) that once lost, complex characters may be impossible to re-evolve, at least via the exact same evolutionary process. Here, we provide one of the most comprehensive, fine-scale analyses of squamate body-form...

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....

In this note, we question the hypothesis of a widespread case of mimicry, report on additional observations of the sympatric association of Bracca and Hemibungarus , and compare banding and color patterns between two subspecies of Hemibungarus  and the sympatric lepidopteran from Luzon Island, Philippines.  These observations suggest that a mismatch in color and pattern exists between the model (snake) and potential...

We describe a new species of scincid lizard of the genus Brachymeles from the Luzon Faunal Region of the northern Philippines. We discovered the new species in the Camarines Norte Province of the Bicol Peninsula (Luzon Island) and Catanduanes Island. Until recently, the new species had been mistaken as Brachymeles talinis, a distantly allopatric yet morphologically similar, large-bodied congener from the central...

We describe a new species of gekkonid lizard on the basis of 21 recently acquired specimens from Babuyan Claro Island, Babuyan Islands group, northern Philippines. The new species differs from other Philippine Gekko by characteristics of external morphology, color pattern, and body size. The new species has been found low on trunks and buttresses of mature closed-canopy climax forest trees at low...

We describe a new species of forest frog (genus Platymantis) from 180–300 m above sea level on Mt. Lihidan in the northwestern part of Panay Island, Philippines. It is assigned to the Platymantis dorsalis species group and is distinguished from congeners by external morphology, various spectral and temporal components of the advertisement call, and a preference for terrestrial, limestone microhabitat. Unique morphological...