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Rutaceae (or citrus family), specifically subfamily Aurantioideae,includes many economically important species due to their wide array of secondary metabolites. Atalantia linearis (Blanco) Merr., an imperfectly known endemic member of the Rutaceae from the Philippines, is a species of shrub found only in the province of Rizal. It was originally described as Limonia linearis and later transferred to the genus Atalantia. Subsequent study recognized A. linearis as a species of Severinia based on morphology. Comparative morphology between the two genera shows disparate features. To determine the generic status and position of A. linearis with more certitude, rps16 sequences of two samples were newly generated and analyzed together with previously published related sequences. Surprisingly, parsimony analysis of the aligned 950 base pairs of the rps16 dataset showed that the two A. linearis isolates did not group to neither Atalantia nor Severinia species included in the analyses. Instead, the two Atalantia isolates formed a lineage of its own closely related to the subclade of Severinia and another species of Atalantia with a moderate support (BS=87). The phytochemical tests showed the presence of sugars, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, tannins and phenolic compounds in the leaf and stem ethanolic extracts of A. linearis. Thus, the endemic species should be explored as a potential source of medicine.

Keywords: Atalantia linearis, rps16 intron, Rutaceae, phytochemical, Severinia linearis

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Twenty-nine species of lizards, belonging to four families, were recorded in the remaining forest patches of Cavite Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. The family Agamidae is represented by 4 species, Gekkonidae by 9 species, Scincidae by 14 species, and Varanidae by 2 species. Fifty-five percent of the species in the area are endemic to the Philippnies, indicating the region of Luzon is dominated by forest-obligate species. Fifteen species are diurnal and 13 species are nocturnal including Brachymeles bonitae Duméril & Bibron, 1839, Brachymeles boulengeri boulengeri Taylor, 1922, and Brachymeles kadwa Siler & Brown, 2010. Three major habitats (forest, stream, and human habitation) were occupied by the observed species, with some species appearing to be habitat generalists. Observation accounts include notes on lizard behavior during social interaction, predator avoidance and capture.

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Gloeocarpus is a monotypic genus and is endemic to the Philippines. There are no available molecular data for Gloeocarpus, and its generic status as well as its position within the Sapindaceae has never been challenged, hence, it was not included in any molecular phylogenetic study within the family. Therefore, to determine its phylogenetic position and to evaluate its monophyly, the ITS (nrDNA) regions were sequenced and analyzed together with the previously published sequences of closely related genera. The aligned ITS dataset contained a total of 694 positions, 239 of which are parsimony informative. The strict consensus tree confirmed the phylogenetic position of Gloeocarpus within the tribe Cupanieae with strong support (BS=100) and the monophyly of the genus is highly supported (BS=100). Molecular results support morphological evidences characterizing the genus by having the sinuous branchlets and hairy petals with folded margin.

The genus Costera is here added to the “Checklist of Philippine Ericaceae” (Argent 2008) as well as the genus Leucopogon (Styphelia) previously included as it was in the Epacridaceae and which are now widely accepted as being included in the Ericaceae. An additional Diplycosia has also been subsequently published and added here. The following additions complete the checklist and bring it up to date.

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Cellular slime molds or dictyostelids are unicellular, amoeboid organisms that feed on bacteria. They are commonly found in forest soils where they play an important role in maintaining balance among soil microbial flora. However, in the Philippines, in spite of their important ecological roles, very few studies have looked at these organisms. Thus, this present investigation was designed to look at the occurrence of cellular slime molds in two forest trails within Subic Bay Natural Forest Reserve, Zambales, Philippines. Forest and mossy soils were collected from these areas and used for the isolation of dictyostelids. Our results showed clonal population counts of 821 to 3,150 clones/g soil. Identification of the isolated dictyostelids showed two species: Dictyostelium laterosorum and Polysphondylium pallidum. This is the first report of cellular slime molds in Subic Bay Forest Reserve, Zambales.

Keywords:clonal population count, Dictyostelium, diversity, forest soil, Polysphondylium

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