New forest mice species discovered in Luzon

Filipino and American biologists discovered seven new species of forest mice, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Wednesday. The formal descriptions of the forest mice species (Genus Apomys) were authored by biologists from the University of the Philippines (UP), the Philippine National Museum, Conservation International– Philippines, Utah Museum of Natural History and Florida State University (FSU) and published in the May 2011 issue of “Fieldiana," the peer-review journal of the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH). “Fieldiana" lead author and project leader Dr. Lawrence Heaney of FMNH said that the species were “wonderful little mice that live in forested regions high in the mountain… often abundant, [yet] they actively avoid humans and rarely cause any harm. They prefer to eat earthworms and seeds on the forest floor." Of the seven new species, two are endemic to Mt. Tapulao in Zambales, two in Mt. Banahaw, three in the Mingan Mountains of Aurora province, while others also reside in the Sierra Madre mountain range of northeast Luzon. DENR Secretary Ramon Paje called the discovery timely as it coincided with the United Nations and the Philippine government-declared “decade of biodiversity," from 2011 to 2020. “The international community has recognized that our country has among the highest rates of discovery in the world. Filipinos should be aware of such discoveries, to show a collective pride and give a more positive meaning to the expression, ‘only in the Philippines,’" he added. Earlier this week, biologists from UP and the California Academy of Sciences announced the discovery of what could be 75 new species of marine and terrestrial creatures endemic to the country. More species to be discovered Project field team leader Danilo Balete said that the country may still have even more species waiting to be discovered. “In the past ten years, we’ve published formal descriptions of ten other species, while other biologists have described five more and we are nowhere close to the end of our discoveries. The Philippines may have the greatest concentration of unique species of animals of any country in the world," he said. Co-author and FSU laboratory head Dr. Scott Steppan said that the Philippines may be “even better" than the wildlife-rich Ecuadorian archipelago of the Galapagos Islands. “The Philippines is an ideal place to study the evolution of animal diversity… These animals have been evolving in the Philippine archipelago for millions of years," he said. The discovery serves to emphasize the need to protect mountain forest habitats, DENR Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau director Theresa Lim said. Philippine National Museum biologist and co-author Josefa Veluz added that while the Sierra Madre mountain range and Mt. Banahaw are protected areas, the Mingan Mountains and Mt. Tapulao are not. — VS, GMA News