Typification and redelimitation of Nepenthes alata with notes on the N. alata group,and N. negros sp. nov. from the Philippines

In the course of studies to typify what has been regarded as the most widespread and common of the endemic Philippines species of Nepenthes, N. alata Blanco, we were able to review the morphological variation in what we previously regarded as a polymorphic species. This led us to redelimit that species in a narrower sense, to resurrect N. graciliflora Elmer, and to recognise N. negros sp. nov., here assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR) using the IUCN standard. The Nepenthes alata group is characterised and a key to its species is provided.     

Rubovietnamia coronula sp. nov. (Rubiaceae: Gardenieae) from the Philippines

Rubovietnamia coronula Alejandro and Meve, a new coastal Rubiaceae species from Davao del Sur, Philippines is here described and compared with Rubovietnamia nonggangensis and R. sericantha. This third species of Rubovietnamia is distinct from the two known species by its long leaf petioles, prominently keeled stipules, reduced calyx and corolla, outward curling of corolla lobes in anthesal flowers, included anthers and stigma, glabrous fruits with nectariferous disk, and numerous seeds.     

Liparis rubescens sp. nov. (Orchidaceae) from Thailand

In the context of an ongoing revision of the orchid genus Liparis in Thailand, we describe and illustrate a new species under the name L. rubescens Tetsana, H. A. Pedersen & Sridith. Morphologically, it is particularly similar to L. dumaguetensis Ames from the Philippines, but it differs in the shape of the lateral sepals and in several characters of the labellum. Among the Liparis species already known from Thailand, L. atrosanguinea Ridl. bears a certain resemblance to the new species, but not so much as to make misidentifications likely. So far, L. rubescens is only known from Khao Nan National Park in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, but we suggest that it should also be searched for in other parts of peninsular Thailand, southernmost Myanmar and Peninsular Malaysia.     

Insular radiation of the genus Hydropsyche (Insecta,Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) Pictet, 1834 in the Philippines and its implications for the biogeography of Southeast Asia

Aims To record and elucidate the phylogeny and biogeography of a species swarm of the genus Hydropsyche (Insecta, Trichoptera) in the Philippines. All species belong to the hamifera group. Location The Philippines and neighbouring areas. Methods A phylogenetic analysis based on variation of morphological characters of the male phallic apparatus. Results The species swarm is differentiated into three clades of different age. Conclusion Alternative dispersal and vicariance hypotheses are considered in an attempt to explain the colonization of the Philippine archipelago and the subsequent ramification of the group. The vicariance hypothesis based on the late Miocene accretion of continental fragments to the Philippines appears to be the most parsimonious. The evolution of the swarm occurred on the Philippines. Later on species dispersed to Borneo, Sulawesi and the Moluccas. The species swarm has undergone an adaptive radiation which enabled the simultaneous occurrence of species in the same streams.     

Freshwater Ostracods (Crustacea: Ostracoda) of the Genus Cypretta VAVRA, 1895 from Malaysia,Indonesia and the Philippines

The genus Cypretta VAVRA, 1895 from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines is reviewed. Currently, eleven species are known from these areas. Two new species are described and two species are redescribed. Remarks and diagnostic illustrations are given for the known species.     

Genetic differentiation and distribution of Pyropia acanthophora (Bangiales,Rhodophyta) in the Philippines

Pyropia acanthophora is a foliose Bangiales with widely known endemic populations in Indo-Pacific region. This alga has expanded its range recently as a consequence of introduction. In an attempt to explore the genetic diversity of Py. acanthophora within the Philippines and the impact of the introduction of the species from elsewhere, an examination of molecular differentiation and distribution was undertaken using the mitochondrial COI-5P and plastid rbcL gene sequences. The results revealed that the populations of Py. acanthophora in the Philippines exhibited high haplotypic and genetic diversities, and were found to be distinct from those previously reported as conspecific populations found in Taiwan, India, Japan, Hawaii, and from those introduced populations from Brazil. The network analyses as inferred from rbcL and from the combined COI-5P and rbcL genes showed evidence that the Philippine populations of Py. acanthophora exhibited a chaotic patchiness pattern characterized by a population with highly site-exclusive haplotypes, wide genetic variability and lack of local geographic patterns. The distribution of Py. acanthophora within the Philippines was also found to be greater than what was previously known, ranging from the extreme northwest to extreme northeast mainland Luzon coasts, including Camiguin Is., Cagayan. Understanding the genetic diversity and distribution of Py. acanthophora in the Philippines provides valuable information in relation to the conservation and effective resource management of native populations of Py. acanthophora in the tropical Asian region.     

Colonization of the Philippines from Taiwan: a multi‐locus test of the biogeographic and phylogenetic relationships of isolated populations of shrews

Aim Colonization of the Philippines from Taiwan or neighbouring areas of the Asian mainland has been proposed as an important source of diversity for some plant and animal groups in the northern Philippines. Previous inferences, however, were based on taxonomic groupings, which sometimes fail to reflect phylogenetic history. Here, we test for colonization of the Philippines from the north in a group of shrews (Soricomorpha: Crocidura) using explicit inferences of evolutionary history. Location Southeast Asia. Methods We estimate the phylogenetic relationships of populations of shrews from Batan and Sabtang islands in the northern Philippines using DNA sequences from two mitochondrial genes and three nuclear loci. We employ topology tests to evaluate the possible relationships of these shrews to species from throughout Southeast Asia. Results We find conclusive evidence that shrews from Batan and Sabtang are closely related to Crocidura tanakae from Taiwan and additional specimens from the Asian mainland. Bayesian and frequentist topology tests using alignments of individual loci strongly reject any notion that shrews from Batan and Sabtang are part of the main Philippine radiation of Crocidura, indicating that the northernmost Philippine islands were almost certainly colonized by shrews from Taiwan or mainland Asia. Main conclusions Our results provide the first compelling evidence for colonization of the Philippine archipelago by a terrestrial vertebrate via a northern route. Invasion of the northern Philippines by shrews, however, did not lead to further range expansion to more southerly parts of the Philippines. This study, combined with previous results, documents that Crocidura colonized the Philippines at least three times. However, only one of these invasions led to in situ speciation and ubiquity across the archipelago. Our findings are part of a growing body of literature suggesting that oceanic archipelagos are often colonized multiple times by groups of closely related species, and occasionally from multiple sources.     

First Philippine record of the parasitoid,Comperiella sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): a potential biocontrol agent against Aspidiotus rigidus (Hemiptera: Diaspididae)

The encyrtid genus Comperiella Howard has so far not been reported in the Philippines, where there is currently an outbreak of the coconut scale insect Aspidiotus rigidus Reyne particularly in the southern parts of the island of Luzon and in some areas in Mindanao. Among Comperiella species, only C. unifasciata Ishii has been reported as a parasitoid of A. rigidus. We report not only new sightings of this parasitoid genus in the Philippines from surveys conducted in parts of the provinces of Laguna and Batangas, but also the discovery of a possibly new species that, like C. unifasciata, has been found to parasitize A. rigidus at a high rate. These findings have presented a potential of biological control against the coconut scale insect problem that has threatened the coconut industry in the country.     

Plagiostachys lourdesiae (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Mindanao,Philippines

A new species, Plagiostachys lourdesiae, from Mindanao, Philippines is described here. Plagiostachys escritorii, which also occurs in Mindanao, is the most closely related species. The new species differs from P. escritorii in its petiolate lamina, lax inflorescence, red and strongly curved upward labellum, and globose to subglobose maroon fruit. A colour plate, notes on its distribution, habitat, phenology, conservation status as well as a key to Plagiostachys species in the Philippines are provided.     

NEW RECORD OF THE MARINE RED ALGA CUBICULOSPORUM (GIGARTINALES) FROM THE SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF1

Cubiculosporum koronicarpis Kraft (Cubiculosporaceae, Gigartinales), known previously only from the type locality (southeastern Luzon, Philippines), has been collected at North West Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The habitat, distribution and taxonomic status of the species are discussed, and habit features of the new specimens are illustrated.     

Microfungi on the Pandanaceae:Polytretophora macrospora sp. nov.

Polytretophora macrospora is introduced based on specimens from two species ofPandanus in Seychelles. The new species is compared with currently accepted species. A key and a comparative synopsis toPolytetophora species are provided. Numerous specimens ofP. calcarata, collected on members of the Pandanaceae from Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Palau, Philippines, Seychelles and Solomon Islands are also reported, along withP. dendroidea onPandanus sp. from Malaysia.     

Phylogeny of magpie‐robins and shamas (Aves: Turdidae: Copsychus and Trichixos): implications for island biogeography in Southeast Asia

Aim Magpie‐robins and shamas are forest and woodland birds of south Asia. There are two genera: Trichixos for the monotypic T. pyrrhopygus, and Copsychus for other species. Two species are widespread, whereas the others are restricted to specific islands. Endemicity is highest in the Philippines. Using phylogenetic methods, we examined how this group came to its unusual distribution. Location Mainland Asia from India to southern China, and islands from Madagascar to the Philippines. Particular emphasis is placed on the Greater Sundas and Philippines. Methods The phylogeny was estimated from DNA sequences of 14 ingroup taxa representing all nine currently recognized Copsychus and Trichixos species. The entire mitochondrial ND2 gene and portions of nuclear myoglobin intron 2 (Myo2) and transforming growth factor beta 2 intron 5 (TGFβ2‐5) were sequenced for all but two species. The phylogeny was reconstructed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The timing of divergence events was estimated using a relaxed molecular clock approach, and ancestral areas were examined using stochastic modelling. Results The group comprises three main clades corresponding to ecological types: Trichixos, a primary‐forest specialist; Copsychus magpie‐robins, open‐woodland and coastal species; and Copsychus shamas, thick‐forest species. Trichixos appears to be sister to the magpie‐robins, rendering Copsychus polyphyletic. The dating of phylogenetic nodes was too ambiguous to provide substantial insight into specific geographical events responsible for divergence within the group. Some patterns are nevertheless clear. Copsychus shamas reached the Philippines, probably in two separate invasions, and split into endemic species. Copsychus malabaricus and C. saularis expanded widely in the Greater Sundas and mainland Southeast Asia without species‐level diversification. Main conclusions Magpie‐robins are excellent dispersers and have diversified into distinct species only on isolated oceanic islands. Trichixos, a poor disperser, is restricted to mature forests of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Copsychus shamas are intermediate in habitat preference and dispersal capabilities. Their endemism in the Philippines may be attributed to early colonization and specialization to interior forests. In the Greater Sundas, C. malabaricus and C. saularis populations split and came together on Borneo to form two separate subspecies (of each species), which now hybridize.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lobelia proctorii</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Lobelioideae,Campanulaceae/Lobeliaceae) from the Philippines

A new Lobelia species is described from Mount Guiting Guiting, an ultramafic mountain on Sibuyan Island in the Philippines.     

Phylogenetic relationships in the harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides (Gymnodiniales, Dinophyceae) inferred from LSU rDNA sequences

Phylogenetic relationships among chain-forming Cochlodinium species, including the harmful red tide forming dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides, were investigated using specimens collected from coastal waters of Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, México, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and USA. The phylogenetic tree inferred from partial (D1–D6 regions) large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA) sequences clearly differentiated between C. polykrikoides and a recently described species, Cochlodinium fulvescens. Two samples collected from the Pacific coasts of North America (British Columbia, Canada and California, USA) having typical morphological characters of C. fulvescens such as the sulcus located in the intermediate region of the cingulum, were closely related to C. fulvescens from western Japan in the phylogenetic tree. Cochlodinium polykrikoides formed a monophyletic group positioned as a sister group of the C. fulvescens clade with three well-supported sub-clades. These three clades were composed of (1) East Asian, including specimens collected from Hong Kong, western Japan, and southern Korea, (2) Philippines, from Manila Bay, Philippines and Omura Bay, Japan, and (3) American/Malaysian, from the Atlantic coasts of USA, the Pacific coast of México, Puerto Rico, and Borneo Island, Malaysia. Each of these clades is considered to be a so-called “ribotype” representing the population inhabiting each region, which is distinguished based on ribosomal RNA gene sequences in the species despite similarities in their morphological characters.     

The spermatozoon of the Old Endemic Australo‐Papuan and Philippine rodents – its morphological diversity and evolution

Breed, W.G. and Leigh, C.M. 2010. The spermatozoon of the Old Endemic Australo‐Papuan and Philippine rodents – its morphological diversity and evolution.—Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91 : 279–294 The spermatozoon of most murine rodents contains a head in which there is a characteristic apical hook, whereas most old endemic Australian murines, which are part of a broader group of species that also occur in New Guinea and the Philippines, have a far more complex sperm form with two additional ventral processes. Here we ask the question: what is the sperm morphology of the New Guinea and Philippines species and what are the trends in evolutionary changes of sperm form within this group? The results show that, within New Guinea, most species have a highly complex sperm morphology like the Australian rodents, but within the Pogonomys Division some species have a simpler sperm morphology with no ventral processes. Amongst the Philippines species, many have a sperm head with a single apical hook, but in three Apomys species the sperm head contains two additional small ventral processes, with two others having cockle‐shaped sperm heads. When these findings are plotted on a molecular phylogeny, the results suggest that independent and convergent evolution of highly complex sperm heads containing two ventral processes has evolved in several separate lineages. These accessory structures may support the sperm head apical hook during egg coat penetration.     

First record of the filefish,Pervagor nigrolineatus,from Japan

A specimen of the filefish,Pervagor nigrolineatus, was collected from dead coral patches at a depth of 3 m in Zamami-jima, Kerama Islands (26° 14′ N, 127° 19′ E). This species is recorded for the first time from Japan. It has been known to be distributed in the tropical western Pacific from the Philippines to New Guinea (Hutchins, 1986). The present specimen is more similar in scale characters to the Philippine specimens than to the New Guinean ones.     

Eastern limit of distribution of the slow loris,Nycticebus coucang

The easternmost known record of the slow loris,Nycticebus coucang, is Tawitawi, Philippines. A report of this species in Mindanao, 500 km northeast of Tawitawi, is based on a mislabeled specimen.     

The Kuroshio Current influences genetic diversity and population genetic structure of a tropical seagrass,Enhalus acoroides

Information on genetic diversity and differentiation of seagrass populations is essential for the conservation of coastal ecosystems. However, little is known about the seagrasses in the Indo‐West Pacific Ocean, where the world's highest diversity of seagrasses occurs. The influence of sea currents on these populations is also unknown. We estimated the genetic diversity and population genetic structure and identified reproductive features in Enhalus acoroides populations from the Yaeyama Islands, Hainan Island and the Philippines. The Philippines are situated at the centre of the E. acoroides range, Yaeyama and Hainan are peripheral populations, and the Yaeyama population is at the northern limit of the species range. The powerful Kuroshio Current flows from the Philippines to Yaeyama. Genetic analyses using nine microsatellite markers indicated that reproduction of E. acoroides is mostly sexual. Clonal diversity does not decrease in northern populations, although genetic diversity does. However, the genetic diversity of the Yaeyama populations is greater than that of the Hainan populations. Significant genetic differentiation among most populations was evident; however, the Yaeyama and north‐east Philippines populations were genetically similar, despite being separated by ~1100 km. An assignment test suggested that recruitment occurs from the north‐east Philippines to Yaeyama. The strong current in this region is probably responsible for the extant genetic diversity and recruitment patterns.     

To the knowledge of the leaf-beetle tribe Nodinini (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae) from the Philippines and Borneo

Three new species of the genus Tricliona are described from the Philippines and Borneo Island: T. bakeri sp. n., T. sandakana sp. n., and T. philippina sp. n. Stethotes aedilis Weise are transferred to the genus Cleoporus, and Stethotes ferruginea Weise, to Tricliona. Typophorus quadrimaculatus Baly is transferred to Cleoporus, and C. cruciatus Lefèvre is synonymized with it. The genus Coniomma Weise is redescribed. For each species, drawings of the genitalia are provided. The species of Cleoporus from the Philippines and all the species of the Tricliona ferruginea group are keyed.