Rapid assessment of anurans of Panigan-Tamugan watershed, Davao City, Mindanao Island, Philippines

Data on anurans in Davao City watersheds remains depauperate. This study provides the first account of anurans of the Panigan-Tamugan watershed using visual encounter survey (VES) and microhabitat searches along fifteen ۱۰ × ۱۰ m belt transects. A total of ۱۴ species belonging to ۱۱ genera and five families were recorded for all three sampling sites in the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed. Eleven out of ۱۴ anurans species documented in this survey are endemic to the Philippines. Anuran families recorded during the survey included Bufonidae Gray (n= ۳), Dicroglossidae Anderson (n= ۴), Megophryidae Bonaparte (n= ۲), Ranidae Batsch (n= ۱), and Rhacophoridae Hoffman (n= ۴). Additional records of anurans from this study, namely Fejervarya vittigera (Wiegmann), Occidozyga laevis (Günther), Pelophryne brevipes (Peters), and Philautus worcesteri (Stejneger), increased the number of species known from watershed areas of Davao City, as they were not reported in previous inventories conducted in the city. Species richness data may not necessarily reflect the true number of species in the site. Future studies should include an increased number of transects and man hours. Although the list comprises the limited information on this taxon in watersheds, more inventories are necessary for a full understanding of anuran composition in the city's several watersheds.

کلیدواژه ها:

Anuran species checklist ، Mindanao endemic anurans ، Philippine wildlife ، watershed anuran inventory