Amphibians and Reptiles in Selected Sites in Palawan Province, the Philippines

We report here a sample-event dataset of herpetofaunal surveys conducted by HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc., and partners in selected sites in Palawan Province, the Philippines. We used a combination of systematic sampling using standardized techniques and opportunistic sampling to survey the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in the following sites: (1) Mabentangen Creek, Barangay Poblacion 6, Municipality of Coron, Busuanga Island; (2) Estrella River Falls Park, Barangay Estrella, Municipality of Narra, Palawan Island; (3) Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, Barangay Irawan, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Island; (4) Palawan Center for Sustainable Development Training Center, Barangay Irawan, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Island. Our survey resulted in distribution records of 14 species of frogs and toads (Class Amphibia: Order Anura: seven families), seven species of snakes, lizards, and geckos (Class Reptilia: Order Squamata: three families) and one turtle (Class Reptilia: Order Testudines:Family Geomydidae). More importantly, we present here our survey on the abundance of amphibian and reptiles in human-modified and disturbed natural habitats in the surveyed sites. Several species have yet to be identified. These results contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the distribution of many species in the region. This survey is part of an invasive alien species-targeted monitoring programme and a long-term biodiversity monitoring programme of HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc. The dataset will be updated annually by HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc. The development of this dataset was made possible through the project of HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc., in collaboration with the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (BMB-DENR) and The University of Santo Tomas – Biodiversity, Ecology, Systematics, and Taxonomy Group (BEST): “Alien Amphibians and Reptiles, a Threat to Philippine Biosecurity: Developing a National Invasive Alien Amphibian and Reptile Species Inventory and Occurrence Database and an Observation and Monitoring System” Project (BIFA03_26) funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan.