SEAVR 2023: 007‐009
ISSN: 2424‐8525
Date of publication: 10 March 2023
Hosted online by ecologyasia.com

First record of Philippine bent‐toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus philippinicus)(Squamata: Gekkonidae) in Upper Jalaur Watershed, Panay Island, Philippines
Ace Kevin S. AMARGA
ace_amarga061@yahoo.com

Collaborators: Desamarie Antonette P. Fernandez, Roel Alfredo Ruzol.
Photograph by: Gian Carlo Camacho.
Subject identified by: Ace Kevin S. Amarga, Christian E. Supsup, Emerson Y. Sy.
Location: Upper Jalaur Watershed, Brgy. Jayobo, Lambunao, Iloilo Province, Panay Island, Philippines.
Elevation: unrecorded
Habitat: Disturbed secondary forest fragment.
Date and time: 07 March 2017, specimen was collected around 19:00‐20:00.
Identity of subject:
Philippine Bent‐toed Gecko, Cyrtodactylus philippinicus (Steindachner, 1867) (Squamata: Gekkonidae).
Description of record:
An adult Cyrtodactylus philippinicus was collected in a disturbed forest fragment (Fig. 1). The specimen was foundat night, attached to a tree trunk. It was collected alive and released back to the wild after identification andphotographic documentation (Fig. 2) the following day.

Figure 1. The microhabitat where the C. philippinicus was found.

7

Figure 2. Dorsal, lateral and ventral images of Cyrtodactylus philippinicus.

Remarks:
Cyrtodactylus philippinicus is a component of the C. philippinicus species group, a species complex native to theThai‐Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines (Grismer et al. 2021). In the Philippines, C. philippinicus has been
widely documented in different islands including Babuyan Claro, Camiguin Norte, Catanduanes, Cebu, Lubang,Luzon, Mindoro, Panay, Polillo, Romblon, Sibuyan, and Tablas (Brown et al. 2009, 2012; Gaulke 2011; Supsup et al.
2016; Binaday et al. 2017; Oaks et al. 2019; Uetz and Hallermann 2022).
This species has been reported to occur from sea level up to 1, 200 metres asl (Brown et al. 2009) and typicallyinhabits tree trunks, tree holes, fallen logs, and root aggregations by mountain streams (Lagat 2011; Brown et al.
2012). Because of its stable population across its range, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
designated the species as Least Concern (LC) (Brown et al. 2009)
Permit: This research was authorized by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
and conducted through the Monitoring and Detection of Ecosystems Changes for Enhancing Resilience andAdaptation in the Philippines (MODECERA) Research Program with the West Visayas State University‐College ofAgriculture & Forestry (Lambunao, Iloilo) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
References:Binaday, J.W.B., Amarga, A.K.S., Barrameda, E.S., Bonagua, B.J.M. (2017). Amphibians and reptiles in the vicinity ofBulusan Lake, Bulusan Volcano Natural Park, Sorsogon, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science 146(3): 339‐351.
Brown, R., Gaulke, M., Rico, E. (2009). Cyrtodactylus philippinicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009:e.T169862A6683538. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009‐2.RLTS.T169862A6683538.en. Accessed 06
November 2022.
Brown, R.M., Oliveros, C.H., Siler, C.D., Fernandez, J.B., Welton, L.J., Buenavente, P.A.C., Diesmos, M.L.L., Diesmos,A.C. (2012). Amphibians and reptiles of Luzon Island (Philippines), VII: Herpetofauna of Ilocos Norte province,
Northern Cordillera Mountain Range. Check List 8(3): 469‐490.

8Gaulke, M. (2011). The herpetofauna of Panay Island, Philippines. Edition Chimaira, 390 pp.
Grismer, L.L., Wood, Jr., P.L., Poyarkov, N.A., Le, M.D., Kraus, F., Agarwal, I., Oliver, P.M. et al. (2021) Phylogenetic
partitioning of the third‐largest vertebrate genus in the world, Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 (Reptilia; Squamata;Gekkonidae) and its relevance to taxonomy and conservation. Vertebrate Zoology 71: 101‐154.
Lagat, R. (2011) Notes on the natural history of some lizards in the remaining forest patches of Cavite, Luzon Island,Philippines. Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology 5: 60‐82.
Oaks, J.R., Siler, C.D., Brown, R.M. (2019). The comparative biogeography of Philippine geckos challenges
predictions from a paradigm of climate‐driven vicariant diversification across an island archipelago. Evolution 73(6):1151‐1167.
Supsup, C.E., Puna, N.M., Asis, A.A., Redoblado, B.R., Panaguinit, M.F.G., Guinto, F.M., Rico, E.B., Diesmos, A.C.,
Brown, R.M., Mallari, N.A.D. (2016) Amphibians and reptiles of Cebu, Philippines: the poorly understoodherpetofauna of an island with very little remaining natural habitat. Asian Herpetological Research 7(3): 151‐179.
Uetz, P., Hallermann, J. (2022) The Reptile Database. Zoological Museum Hamburg, Germany. https://reptile‐database.reptarium.cz/. Accessed 06 November 2022.

9