A study by the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte, found many animal species listed by the
World Conservation Union in the Red List of Threatened Animals (
IUCN Red List), including the
Philippine tarsier,
Philippine flying fox, and
Fischer's pygmy fruit bat. New records of the
microbat (
Hipposideros obscurus), with a length of 5.5 centimeters and body weight of 10 grams; a type of
skink (
Tropidophorus grayi); and two new species of the
Gobiidae fishes (
Stiphodon olivaceus and
Stiphodon surrufus) were also found by the VSU survey. VSU's
Natural History Museum collected 43,000
arthropod specimens from 377
families and 500
genera on Mt. Pangasugan. A new species of
orchid (
Dendrobium milaniae) and a
tiger beetle (
Thopeutica milaniae) were named in honor of VSU president Dr. Paciencia Po-Milan, a renowned
ecologist. Other endemic species include the
eagle-owl,
Philippine hawk-eagle,
rufous-lored kingfisher,
Philippine leafbird and
miniature tit-babbler and
flying lemur. The Federal Republic of Germany (through the ViSCA-GTZ Applied Tropical EcologyProgranl, ViSCA, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines International) funded the VSU study to collect, identify, describe and document the existing species of aroids (
Araceae) and
orchids in Mt. Pangasugan. Twenty-five species of aroids representing 12
genera were documented at elevations of up to 350 m
ASL. Classified as erect ground dwellers or climbers, the most dominant aroid belong to
Pothos and
Epipremnum. The orchid species represent 16 genera, with the most dominant belonging to
Phalaenopsis. The herpetofauna (
herps) of Anibong, Jordan, Mt. Pangasugan Range, Leyte, is a
habitat to endemic species, which is so diverse and slightly distributed. The
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology identified 17 herpetofaunal species belonging to 6 families (
Ranidae,
Rhacophoridae,
Agamidae,
Scincidae,
Colubridae,
Viperidae), of which eight (47%) are endemics (
Endemism). These endemic species include
Limnonectes magnus,
Platymantis corrugatus,
Platymantis dorsalis,
Brachymeles samarensis,
Draco lineatus,
Sphenomorphus jagori,
Rhabdophis lineata and
Trimeresurus flavomaculatus.
Limnonectes magnus is already in the near-threatened category. == Notes ==