Sex: Male
Education:
- Master of Science in Wildlife Studies, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 2020
- Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, Mindanao State University, 2015
Field of Specialization:
Natural History
Biodiversity
Community Ecology
Amphibians Conservation
Researches:
Article title: Functional traits and environment drive montane amphibian distribution in the southern Philippines
Authors: Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Aljohn Jay L. Saavedra, Maria Eleanor B. Aurellado, Anna Pauline O. de Guia, Leticia E. Afuang
Publication title: Biodiversity and Conservation 30(1), December 2021
Abstract:
Montane amphibians are vulnerable to environmental and climatic changes. Species response to these changes can be better understood by analyzing how amphibian communities differ along environmental gradients. We utilized both taxonomic and functional approaches to determine patterns of distribution in montane amphibians in the southern Philippines. We tested habitat variables to explain distribution and filtering of montane amphibian traits from lowland evergreen to upper montane forests. We recorded 24 species of amphibians from seven families. Multivariate tests revealed different species composition of montane amphibians among forest types. Amphibian diversity decreased and endemism increased from lowland evergreen to upper montane forest. Elevation, shrub foliar cover, and tree basal area explained most of the variations in amphibian distribution. Species richness decreased with these habitat variables while abundance decreased with shrub foliar cover. Fourth-corner modeling showed that elevation had the strongest effect on traits, particularly those related to habitat use, larval ecology, and resource acquisition. Our results suggest that both functional traits and environment were interacting in driving the pattern of montane amphibian distribution, highlighting the additive value of incorporating functional traits in understanding amphibian distribution patterns and community assembly mechanisms.
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/4pywry2m
Article title: Predation on a McClung’s Philippine False Coralsnake, Hemibungarus mcclungi (Weigmann 1835), by a Giant Spiny Centipede, Scolopendra spinosissima Kraepelin 1903, on Luzon Island, The Philippines
Authors: Darrell C. Acuña, Niño Isagani, and Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo
Publication title: Reptiles & Amphibians 28(3), November 2021
Abstract:
No abstract
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/88bt4hrw
Article title: Amphibians and Reptiles of Mount Busa, Sarangani Province: A Glimpse of the Herpetological Community of Southern Mindanao, Philippines
Authors: Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Aljohn Jay L. Saavedra, and Leticia E. Afuang
Publication title: Philippine Journal of Science 150(5):1279-1306, August 2021
Abstract:
The herpetological knowledge of southern Mindanao is one of the largest gaps in Philippine herpetology. To augment this, we generated a comprehensive list of amphibians and reptiles found along the southern slope of Mount Busa in Sarangani Province, Philippines between June 2018 and August 2020 using opportunistic sampling in various microhabitats across different forest types. We recorded at least 68 species of herpetofauna, of which 28 species were amphibians and 40 species were reptiles. Around 65% of the species recorded are endemic to the Philippines. Mount Busa appears to harbor a relatively rich herpetological diversity that is needing conservation and scientific attention. Our study provides a glimpse of the herpetological diversity of southern Mindanao, but we emphasized that more field-based research is needed in nearby areas to improve our understanding of the herpetological community in the region, thereby overcoming Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls in our knowledge of Philippine amphibians and reptiles.
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/2p95vutb
Article title: Natural history notes on the elusive Taylor’s Burrowing Snake, Pseudorabdion taylori Leviton and Brown 1959, from southern Mindanao, Philippines
Authors: Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo
Publication title: Herpetology Notes 14:759-763
Abstract:
No available
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/r55e7hkf
Article title: Bird Observations in the Busa Mountain Range, Sarangani Province, Philippines
Authors: Tristan Luap P. Senarillos, Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, and Jayson C. Ibañez
Publication title: Philippine Journal of Science 150(S1):347-362, February 2021
Abstract:
The Busa Mountain Range hosts one of the last remaining forests in southern Mindanao, Philippines. Previous bird surveys were confined only to the northern slope, leaving the southern slope in Sarangani Province a relatively understudied area in terms of avian fauna. To augment this gap, we did a rapid inventory survey of bird presence in the Busa Mountain Range employing a combination of line transects, point counts, opportunistic listing, and observation from vantage points, which were supplemented by secondary data from a previous avifaunal assessment. We recorded a total of 116 bird species from 45 families and 88 genera. Despite the significant number in species tally, our survey of birds in the Busa Mountain Range is still inadequate because of the few field sites visited (10 localities) and limited survey time for each locality (82.85 person-hr on average). The presence of several threatened species (DAO 2019-09: 16.37%, n= 19; IUCN V3.1: 13.79%, n= 16), endemic species (53.44%), and anthropogenic disturbance indicate the strong need for protection of the bird fauna and their habitats in the Busa Mountain Range.
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/552v664v
Article title: Rediscovery of Guttman’s Stream Frog, Pulchrana guttmani (Brown, 2015) in the mountains of southern Mindanao, Philippines
Authors: Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo and Aljohn Jay L. Saavedra
Publication title: Herpetology Notes 14:163-167, January 2021
Abstract:
No available
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/y3ynu724
Article title: Richness and Distribution of Orchids (Orchidaceae) in the Forests of Mount Busa, Sarangani, Southern Mindanao, Philippines
Authors: Aljohn Jay L. Saavedra and Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo
Publication title: Philippine Journal of Science 150(S1):151-163, January 2021
Abstract:
Orchids are one of the most diverse yet threatened plant families in the world and the Philippines. Despite the new species discoveries of orchids in the country in recent years, diversity and distribution studies are still severely lacking. Here, we provide a list of orchid species found among different forest types in Mount Busa and provide information on the species' altitudinal and vertical distributions and ornamental use. We recorded 108 species of orchids from 51 genera, of which 53 species are endemic to the Philippines and 15 species are known only to occur on Mindanao island. Species composition differed among forest types, with the MASLEF (mixed advanced secondary lowland evergreen forest) hosting the highest number of orchid species recorded, followed by the UMF (upper montane forest), LMF (lower montane forest), and MESLEF (mixed early secondary lowland evergreen forest). Our results suggest a relatively rich and distinct orchid diversity among different forest types in Mount Busa that reinforces the high conservation value of the mountain range.
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/2p9h2sbn
Article title: New habitat and altitudinal records for the enigmatic Eutropis englei Taylor, 1925 in southern Mindanao, Philippines
Authors: Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Tristan Luap P. Senarillos, Maria N. Tubera, and Anthony J. Barley
Publication title: Herpetology Notes 13:1045-1048, December 2020
Abstract:
No available
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/2p86uzbb
Article title: Predation of Platymantis luzonensis Brown, Alcala, Diesmos and Alcala, 1997 on a Stick Insect (Insecta: Phasmatodea) in Mt. Makiling, Philippines
Authors: Kristian James E. Suetos, Camila G. Meneses, Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Josefa Isabel C. Tauli, James DV. Alvarez, and Lief Erikson D. Gamalo
Publication title: Herpetology Notes 13:747-748, September 2020
Abstract:
No available
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/2p9a8z9u
Article title: Shallow-water Sea Cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in Sarangani Bay, Mindanao, Philippines with Notes on Their Relative Abundance
Authors: Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Jennelyn P. Sumin, and Ariel T. Ortiz
Publication title: Philippine Journal of Science 147(3):453-461, September 2018
Abstract:
The Philippines is known for its high diversity of sea cucumbers; however, there is little done on sea cucumber diversity in the southern Philippines. To augment this paucity of information, a rapid survey of the shallow-water sea cucumbers was carried out in three sites in Sarangani Bay by using the transect method for four months in both the seagrass and coral reef habitats. We recorded 21 species of sea cucumbers – 17 of these species were found in the seagrass beds and 10 species in the coral reef areas. The three most abundant species observed were the Holothuria scabra (29.2%), Bohadschia marmorata (21.2%), and Actinopyga echinites (17.6%) (n=1,969). Aside from some economically important sea cucumbers observed, we also noted rare species such as the Holothuria immobilis and Actinopyga capillata, which only have a few records in the Philippines. We are also the first to document Holothuria isuga in the Philippines, which is previously known only from five localities. The results offer opportunities for sea cucumber studies in the southern Philippines, especially on the biology and ecology of the rare and newly recorded species.
Full text link https://tinyurl.com/56ecatt6