Abstract. Tolentino PJS, Navidad JRL, Angeles MD, Fernandez AP, Villanueva ELC, Obena RDR, Buot Jr IE. 2020. Review: Biodiversity of forests over limestone in Southeast Asia with emphasis on the Philippines. Biodiversitas 21: 1597-1613. A comprehensive review of literature was carried out to determine the status of plant and animal diversity on forests over limestone in Southeast Asia (SEA), particularly in the Philippines. Angiosperm records are available in Peninsular Malaysia (1216 spp.); West Java and Seram Indonesia (101 and 149 spp., respectively); Laos (135 spp.); Thailand and Myanmar (1 sp.); and Limestone areas in Vietnam. Pteridophytes were recorded in Malaysia (32 spp.) while Bryophytes are recorded in Peninsular Malaysia (59 spp.). In the Philippines, there are plant records in: Masbate (61 spp.); Isabela (169 spp. Pteridophytes); Bohol (12 spp.), and Samar forests over limestone (29 spp. palms and 20 spp. orchids). A floral assessment in Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) includes species (212 spp.) that can possibly be found but are not limited to karsts. New Philippine endemic species are also recorded in Cebu, Palawan, and Panay Island. There are animal records in SEA including Vietnam (Bats-36, Bird-1, and Langurs-5 spp.); Malaysia (Sciuridae-1, Bats-28, Birds-129, Reptiles-17, and Invertebrates-74 spp.); Thailand (Murids-12, Reptiles-11, and Amphibian-1 sp.); and Myanmar (Reptiles-15 spp.). Records in the Philippines include: Mammals (Bicol-9, Mt. Irid-24, Mt. Aruyan-1, and Cebu-1 species), and; Birds (Cebu-1 sp.). A terrestrial faunal assessment in SINP includes species (182 spp.) that can possibly be found but are not limited to karsts. Forests over limestone are still largely understudied and the potential of discovering species is high. Further research is critical to establish science-based initiatives and policies that will protect and conserve limestone ecosystem biodiversity while allowing the utilization of its biological resources at a sustainable level.

The binturong or bearcat is a forest mesocarnivore ranging from Nepal to Indonesia and the Philippines. Several subspecies of binturongs are recognized but a revision is needed. The binturong from Palawan was described as a species and is now considered a subspecies, but its status has never been checked using molecular approaches. Owing to its restricted range and the pressure on its habitat, the Palawan binturong may be endangered. It is, therefore, of crucial importance to clarify its taxonomic status, particularly for the management of captive populations. We sequenced one nuclear and two mitochondrial markers for binturongs from locations across the species range and from zoos. Our results provide an assessment of the genetic polymorphism and structure within the binturong, resulting in two groups, corresponding to the Indochinese and the Sundaic regions. Within the latter were found the Palawan binturongs on one side, and an individual from Sulu archipelago (a locality not reported before) on the other side. The Palawan binturongs form a monophyletic group, genetically close to Bornean binturongs, which suggests that they may have dispersed from Borneo, and represents a lineage worth preserving, but which is not a separate species nor a separate subspecies.

This study presents the first checklist of the lesser known terrestrial biodiversity in forests over limestone karst of Calicoan Island in Guiuan Marine Reserve Protected Landscape and Seascape, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines. Plants and terrestrial vertebrate species in nine 20x20 m plots and 18 line transects were recorded and identified. A total of 60 bird, eight reptile, one amphibian, and six mammal species were recorded. Moreover, a total of 41 floral species were documented belonging to 17 plant families and 24 genera. Of the plant species recorded, 5 were shrubs and 35 were trees. This study reported a new locality record of the Philippine endemic tree species Hancea wenzeliana, and new island records for fauna such as Varanus samarensis and Cyrtodactylus sumuroi, among many others. To date, the present study is the only assessment of herpetofauna and mammals in Guiuan and represent new island records for most of these taxa in Calicoan Island. Among plants, Shorea negrosensis, Aquilaria cuminigiana and Wallaceodendron celebicum were identified to have a vulnerable conservation status based on their IUCN Red List and DENR-DAO 2017-11. These native and endemic plants can be used for reforestation programs in the area, and conserving biodiversity in general will be crucial to potential ecotourism programs.

Although recent molecular studies have clarified the phylogeny of mongooses, the systematics of the Southeast Asian species was incomplete as the collared mongoose Urva semitorquata and some debatable taxa (Hose's mongoose, Palawan mongoose) were missing in the analyses. We sequenced three mitochondrial (cytochrome b, ND2, control region) and one nuclear (beta-fibrinogen intron 7) fragments of the Southeast Asian mongooses to clarify the systematic position of the different species and populations occurring in this region. Our results showed that the collared mongoose is closely related to the crab-eating mongoose Urva urva, these two species forming a sistergroup to the short-tailed mongoose Urva brachyura. Despite Sumatran collared mongooses having a peculiar orange phenotype, we showed that they exhibited very little genetic divergence to individuals from Borneo. In contrast, the populations of the short-tailed mongoose from Borneo were strongly divergent to those from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, and these might represent separate species. Within the crab-eating mongoose, we observed little geographical genetic structure. Our study suggests that Hose's mongoose is not a valid species. The Palawan mongooses did not cluster with the other populations of the short-tailed mongoose; they were closer to the collared mongoose and should be included in this species.

No abstract