Philippines Stamps Animals Lizards

Republic of the Philippines - Stamps & Postal History

RP Issues of 2011

2011, August 30. Philippine Endemic Lizards

Litho Offset. Amstar Company, Inc. Perf. 14.

Se-tenant Blocks of 4, Sheets of 40 (4 x 10); Souvenir Sheets of Four

Se-tenant Blocks of Four (30,000)

   7p   Luzon Giant Forest Skink

   7p Luzon Karst Gecko

   7p   Southern Philippine Bent-toed Gecko

   7p   Luzon White-Spotted Forest Skink

28p Souvenir Sheets of Four (5,000)

   7p   Philippine Forest Dragon

   7p Philippine Spring Stream Skink

   7p Philippine Sailfin Lizard

   7p Cordilleras Slender Skink

First Day Covers: Manila



ENDEMIC LIZARDS OF THE PHILIPPINES

On se-tenant Block of Four:

Luzon Giant Forest Skink (Sphnomorphus cumingi). This species is endemic to the Philippines, where it has been recorded from the islands of Mindanao, Bohol, Dinagat, Leyte, Samar, Luzon, Mindoro, Calotcot, Sibuyan, Lubang, and Sicogon Islands. It ranges from close to sea level to around 1,000 m asl. This species is found under leaves and logs as well as in open spaces on the forest floor. They are found in both dipterocarp tropical moist forest and secondary growth. Animals have also been collected from dry stream beds. General habitat loss due to deforestation is a threat to this species. It is hunted for local consumption by a tribal group on Mindoro although it is not known if this represents a significant threat to the species. (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/169822/0)

Luzon Karst Gecko (Gekko carusadensis). Type locality: inside a cave in secondary-growth forest in Barangay Biak na Bato, Municipality of San Miguel and Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. Etymology. Gekko carusadensis is derived from the word “Carusadus” which refers to a region in Slovenia with extensive Karst topography. This region is considered the origin of the term “Karst” (Kranjc, 1998), the current term for the type of topography in which the new species occurs.
(http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Gekko&species=carusadensis)

Gekko carusadensis. From low elevation, disturbed and secondary-growth forest in east-central Luzon Island, Philippines. Numerous features of its external morphology distinguish it from other congeners, including the presence of a distinct color pattern, body size, and a unique combination of scale counts. This species has been found on karst outcrops and cave systems at low elevation. The new species typifies the rapidly expanding known diversity of Philippine gekkonid lizards. (http://people.ku.edu/~camsiler/PDFs/2010.Linkem.etal.Gekko.carusadensis.pdf)

Southern Philippines Bent-Toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus mamanwa). Type locality: Dinagat Island, Dinagat Province, Municipality of Loreto, Barangay Santiago, Sitio Cambinlia (Sudlon), Mt. Cambinlia. Etymology. The specific epithet is chosen in recognition of the rapidly disappearing southern Leyte, Dinagat, and Agusan Del Norte Province’ indigenous people’s group, the Mamanwa (‘‘people of the mountains’’ or ‘‘first forest dwellers’’). Believed by some archeologists and anthropologists to be the oldest tribal group in the Philippines, the history of the Mamanwa is characterized by peace; seasonal movements of clan groups to follow food sources; and recently, mass tribal migration to escape logging and mining company intrusion into their ancestral homelands. (http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Cyrtodactylus&species=mamanwa)

Luzon White-Spotted Forest Skink (Sphenomorphus leucospilos). The species is endemic to the Philippines, where it has been recorded from the central and southern Sierra Madre Mountain Range (including Mount Banahao) of Luzon Island. Reports of this species from Mount Twin Peaks Botanical Garden in Baggao, Cagayan Province need verification. It ranges between 300 and 1,200 masl. The species is fairly common in preferred habitats. The species is associated with riparian vegetation alongside cool mountain streams in primary forest, degraded primary forest fragments, and secondary forest. The species is threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation. Diversion of water from mountain streams for agricultural purposes is a potential threat to the species. The species is found within protected areas of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range (Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, Quirino Protected Landscape, Casecnan Protected Landscape) and the Mount Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape. (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/169755/0)

On Souvenir Sheet:

Philippine Forest Dragon (Gonocephalus sophiae). This species is endemic to the Philippines, where it has been recorded from the islands of Negros, Mindanao and Panay. The species seems to be common in some areas. It is rather common in some areas on Panay, along watercourses in primary and secondary lowland forests, being rarer away from water and along forest edges. This appears to be a mainly arboreal forest obligate that has been recorded from both primary and secondary lowland forests. The species is oviparous, with egg deposition taking place in small holes dug in the banks of forest rivers. Habitat loss due to deforestation is considered to be the major threat to this species. This species is present within the protected area on the NW-Panay Peninsula. (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/169895/0)

Philippines Spiny Stream Skink (Tropidophorus grayi). Gray's water skink (sometimes known as the Philippine Crocodile skink and Latin name Tropidophorus Grayi) is a highly secretive lizard. It is relatively common, but it is so hard to find that it is rarely seen. They live by rivers and lakes, which gives them their name the 'water' skink. They are found only in the Philippines. Despite the warm habitat in the Philippines, they prefer relatively cool climates in mountain streams. They have serrated scales (very spiky) which are grey-black in color, but may also appear in pure black, reddish-brown or wood brown colors. Their belly is white with or without brown blotches and is smooth & shiny. This makes them look like miniature crocodiles. They are fast and agile, but despite their looks and speed are harmless but they may occasionally bite if handled. When threatened by predators this reptile hides in water. If left to swim in deep water, they may appear to drown but it actually only plays dead. When removed, they may stay motionless for a few minutes and then return to their normal state. Like any member of the Skink family, it could also regrow it's tail if severed but the replacement tail usually is shorter and has less spikes than the original tail itself. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray's_water_skink)

Philippine Sailfin Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus). The sail-fin lizard is notable not only for its impressive size of up to a meter in length, but also for its rather spectacular appearance. Adults of this large mottled greenish-grey lizard boast a well-developed crest of tooth-like scales from the nape of the neck down the back. However, the most distinctive feature of adult males is the erect ‘sail’ of skin at the base of their tail, up to 8 cm high, which provides propulsion for this strong swimmer to move through the water, and probably also plays an important role in territorial display. Another adaptation to its watery environment is the large, flattened toes that help the lizard to swim, and even enable it to ‘run’ across the water’s surface, observed particularly in the lighter juveniles. (http://www.arkive.org/sail-fin-lizard/hydrosaurus-pustulatus/)

This species is endemic to the Philippines. Populations have been reported from the islands of Luzon (with recent records from Bicol), Polillo, Mindoro, Negros, Cebu, Guimaras, Panay, Masbate, Tablas, Romblon, Sibuyan, and Catanduanes. Can be very common in appropriate habitat (such as silty, lowland rivers). The density of the species is also considered to vary between islands; field surveys indicate that it is common on Guimaras and Romblon, but rarer on Negros and Cebu. (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/10335/0)

Cordilleras Slender Skink (Brachymeles elerae). This species is known only from the Philippines, where the indistinct collection details of the type series, only 'Philippines' is recorded, means that the range remains very poorly known. (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/169782/0)

Brachymeles elerae is one of 18 recognized lizard species of Brachymeles, and is one of only two species known to possess four digits on the fore and hind limbs. This unique species was originally described on the basis of two specimens, both lacking locality data, and has long been presumed to occur in the Nueva Vizcaya Province in the north central region of Luzon Island in the Philippines. In 1920, two additional specimens were collected from the Municipality of Balbalan of Luzon by E. H. Taylor. All subsequent reviews of the genus have been based on this material. Report on the first records of Brachymeles elerae in over ninety years and present the first photograph and new data onmorphology and habitat. (http://www.journaldatabase.org/articles/reptilia_squamata_scincidae.html)

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Animals
Amphibians

Articles by Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak

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Issues of 2011