Brachymeles bicolor (Gray 1845), from the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of Luzon Island, and Brachymeles pathfinderi Taylor 1925, from southern Mindanao Island, are among the most distinctive species in the genus, representing the largest species and one of only two known nonpentadactyl species with unequal digit numbers respectively. However, both species are inadequately diagnosed, based on a total of only five specimens....

The spectacular, virtually endemic radiation of Philippine semi-fossorial skinks of the genus Brachymeles represent one of the few radiations of scincid lizards to possess both fully limbed and limbless species. And yet, nothing is known of the phylogenetic relationships of this exceptional group. Morphologically similar body plans have made it difficult to assess species-level diversity, and the genus has long been recognized...

With robust new datasets from morphology and DNA sequences, we review the limbed, nonpentadactyl species of the Brachymeles samarensis complex (now known to include B. cebuensis, B. minimus, and B. lukbani), and describe five new species in this highly limb-reduced, endemic Philippine clade of scincid lizards. For more than four decades, B. samarensis has been recognized as a single ‘‘widespread’’ species. This...

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 lizard in the genus Gekko from Sibuyan Island in the Romblon Island group of the central Philippines. Although the new species is diagnosed from other Philippine Gekko by body size and shape, coloration, and multiple characteristics of external morphology, additional support for the recognition of the Sibuyan Gekko population as a distinct evolutionary lineage is garnered...

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...

As humans continue to explore the last uncharted regions of the planet, discoveries of previously unknown species of large vertebrates have become infrequent. Here, we report on the discovery of a spectacular new species of giant, secretive, frugivorous, forest monitor lizard (Genus: Varanus) from the forests of the northern Philippines. Using data from morphology and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, we demonstrate...

Using a combination of fixed morphological character differences, mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and an estimate of phylogeny as our guide, we describe a new species of bent-toed gekkonid lizard (Genus: Cyrtodactylus) from southwestern Mindanao Island, and northeastern portions of the Sulu Archipelago, southern Philippines. The new species resembles C. annulatus, but differs from this and all other congeners by characteristics of external...