Fragile Chloraea Snail (Leytea leytensis)
The Fragile Chloraea Snail was described in 1841; it is apparently endemic to the island of Leyte in the Philippines.
The species is thought to be extinct.
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syn. Chloraea fragilis (Sowerby), Helix leytensis Pfeiffer
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edited: 12.02.2024
Cebu Blackish Cicadabird (Edolisoma coerulescens ssp. alterum)
The Blackish Cicadabird (Edolisoma coerulescens (Blyth)) is endemic to the Philippines, where three subspecies are recognized, of which two again are now considered extinct, leaving only the nominate race which inhabits the islands of Catanduanes and Luzon in the northern part of the Philippines.
***
The Cebu Blackish Cicadabird, which was endemic to the island of Cebu, was described in 1881, originally as a distinct species.
The form was not recorded since 1906 and probably died out sometimes after that date due to the extreme deforestation of its habitat.
***
syn. Coracina coerulescens ssp. altera (Wardlaw-Ramsay), Edolisoma alterum Wardlaw-Ramsay
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edited: 06.02.2024
Lance-leaved Gomphandra (Gomphandra lancifolia)
The Lance-leaved Gomphandra is known only from its type locality in dry lowland forest at Mt. Dingalan on the island of Luzon, Philippines.
The species was described in 1920.:
“A glabrous tree, about 6 m high.
…
A species well characterized by its lanceolate, subcaudate-acuminate, few-nerved leaves which are subequally narrowed to both base and apex, as well as by its rather large fruits.” [1]
The whole region of the type locality has been logged since the 1990s, thus it is highly unlikely that this regional endemic species still survives, it is very likely extinct now.
***
The photo below shows a congeneric taxon, the Luzon Gomphandra (Gomphandra luzoniensis (Merr.) Merr.), a rather widespread species that also occurs naturally in the Philippine Islands.
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References:
[1] Elmer D. Merrill: New or noteworthy Philippine plants, XVI. The Philippine Journal of Science 17: 239-325. 1920
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edited: 11.02.2024
The Small Buttonquil (
Turnix sylvatica (Desfontaines)) occurs with nine subspecies from parts of Africa and southern Europe to Southeast Asia; about four subspecies occur in the Philippine Islands alone.The subspecies that once occurred on the island of Jolo in the Sulu Islands was last seen in the 1950s and is now considered most likely extinct.
***
The nominate form was known to inhabit the island of Sicily, Italy, where the species apparently was last recorded during the 1920s, as well as Andalusia, Spain where it was last recorded in 1981. This form survives today only in a small area in Morocco, where only an extremely small population of about a hand full of individuals exist. [1][2]
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References:
[1] Carlo G. Violani; Bruno Massa: Extinction of the Andalusian Hemipode Turnix s. sylvatica (Desf.) in the Mediterranean region. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 113(4): 225-229. 1993
[2] Daniel Lingenhöhl: Erste europäische Vogelart seit Riesenalk ausgestorben. Spektrum.de. 16. November 2018
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edited: 03.10.2020
The Concealed Helicostyla Snail was described in 1841.:
“Imperforate, ovate-oblong, solid; yellowish, ornamented with two bands and a basal area of chestnut, veiled with a whitish hydrophanous cuticle. Spire conic, apex obtuse. Whorls 6, scarcely convex, the last about equal to three-sevenths the entire length. Columella nearly straight, slightly dilated, rose-white; aperture oval, milk-white within; peristome somewhat thickened, narrowly reflexed, brown-edged.” [1]
This species is apparently restricted to the Camotes Islands east of Cebu Island, Philippines; it is possibly extinct now.
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References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a. o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 8: Helicidae – Volume VI. 1892
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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a. o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 8: Helicidae – Volume VI. 1892’
(public domain)
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edited: 23.08.2022
The Truncataed Bitungu was described in 1924; it was restricted to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The species fell victim to introduced predatory fish as well as likewise introduced invasive competitor fish species; it was last seen in 1973 and is now extinct.
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edited: 29.04.2022
Big Anixa Snail (Helicostyla propitia)
The Big Anixa Snail species was described in 1907, it is endemic to the island of cebu, Philippines..
This is a rather large species with shells reaching up to 4 cm in diameter, it is closely related to Morelet’s Anixa Snail (Anixa moreleti) and differes from that species in being much larger, and having a thicker shell with a much lighter-colored epidermis. [1]
This species appears in lists of extinct species, but I’m not quite sure if it indeed is extinct, since other, closely related species, also having been considered extinct, subsequently actually rediscovered.
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References:
[1] Hugh C. Fulton: Descriptions of new species of Trochomorpha, Cochlostyla, Amphidromus, Bulimulus, Drymaeus, Placostylus, Stenogyra, Leptopoma, Cyclophorus, Cyclotus, and Alycaeus. The Annals and magazine of natural history; Zoology, Botany, and Geology ser. 7, Vol. 19(110): 149-157. 1907
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edited: 17.06.2020
Morelet’s Anixa Snail (Anixa moreleti)
Morelet’s Anixa Snail was described in 1848, it is endemic to the island of Cebu in the Philippines.
***
“Wie Pfeiffer richtig vermuthete, lag ihm ein abgeriebenes Stück vor; frische sind mit einer gelbbraunen, gestriemten und blitzartig gestreiften Oberhaut versehen. Sie ist höheren Formen der vorigen Art [Anixa callodes] im ganzen ähnlich, aber grösser, die Oberhaut besitzt einen starken Fettglanz und die letzte Windung zeigt an der Peripherie eine eigenthümliche Abplattung. Die Art wurde uns in einiger Anzahl von einem Einwohner des Dorfes Boljoon gebracht, doch konnten wir leider nicht constatieren, ob sie mit der von dort stammenden hohen Form der C. carbonaria zusammenlebt. oder ob sie, wich ich annehmen möchte, aus einem anderen Winkel desrselben Insel stammt. Jedenfalls ist sie aus keinem anderen Theil der Insel gebracht worden und dürfte ganz local beschränkt sein. Ihr näheres Vaterland war bisher noch nicht bekannt.“
translation:
“As Pfeiffer suspected rightly, he had an abraded specimen in front of him; fresh ones have a yellow-brown, streaked and zigzagy striped epidermis. It is generally similar to higher forms of the previous species [Anixa callodes], but is larger, the epidermis has a strong oily sheen on it and the last whorl shows a peciular flattening on the periphery. The species was brought to us in some numbers by a resident of the village of Bojoon, but unfortunately we could not establish whether it lives together with the high form of C. carbonaria. or whether, as I like to suppose, comes from another corner of the same island. In any case, it has not been brought from any other part of the island and should be very likely absolutely local. Its closer homeland has not been known yet.” [1]
The shells reach sizes of about 2,5 cm in height.
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References:
[1] C. Semper: Reisen im Archipel der Philippinen: Wissenschaftliche Resultate, zehnter Band: Landmollusken. Ergänzungen und Berichtigungen zum III. Bande: Die Landmollusken von Dr. O. F. von Möllendorff. Nach dessen Tode auf Grund seinen Nachlasses fortgeführt von Dr. Wilhelm Kobelt und Frau Gertrud Winter, geb. von Möllendorff. Achtes Heft. Wiesbaden; C. W. Kreidel’s Verlag 1910
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edited: 17.06.2020
Pfeiffer’s Anixa Snail (Anixa pfeifferi)
Pfeiffer’s Anixa Snail was described in 1889 (?), it originates from a locality near of what today is the city of Dalaguete at the eastern coast of the island of Cebu in the Philippines.:
“Auch die Verbreitung dieser Art ist sehr beschränkt: weiter nach Südost tritt schon bei Boljoon eine Form der C. carbonaria an ihre Stelle, auf der Westseite jenseits der Centralkette haben wir C. zebuensis bereits erwähnt.”
translation:
“The distribution of this species is also very limited. further to the southeast, a form of the C. carbonaria takes its place, on the western side beyond the central ridge we already have mentioned C. zebuensis.” [1]
The shells of this species reach sizes of 2 cm in heigth and nearly 4 cm in diameter.
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References:
[1] C. Semper: Reisen im Archipel der Philippinen: Wissenschaftliche Resultate, zehnter Band: Landmollusken. Ergänzungen und Berichtigungen zum III. Bande: Die Landmollusken von Dr. O. F. von Möllendorff. Nach dessen Tode auf Grund seinen Nachlasses fortgeführt von Dr. Wilhelm Kobelt und Frau Gertrud Winter, geb. von Möllendorff. Achtes Heft. Wiesbaden; C. W. Kreidel’s Verlag 1910
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edited: 17.06.2020
Marinduque Blackish Cicadabird (Edolisoma coerulescens ssp. deschauenseei)
The Marinduque Blackish Cicadabird is one of several enigmatic Philippine birds about which almost nothing is known.
The form was described in 1972 from specimens (how many?) that were collected one year earlier. It was never recorded since.
The bird reached a size of about 25,5 cm, it was entirely black with a purplish gloss
***
The Marinduque Blackish Cicadabird fell victim to the extreme deforestation that took place (and still takes place today) on the Philippine Islands.
***
syn. Coracina coerulescens ssp. deschauenseei duPont
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edited: 18.06.2019
Baolan Barbel (Barbodes baoulan)
The Baolan Barbel, locally known as Baolan, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines, where it was said to inhabit deeper waters.
The species reached a length of about 11 cm.
The fish is known from only nine specimens, despite being one of the most highly esteemed for food and apparently the rarest and most difficult to obtain. It is said to have only been caught during the colder months, and only after a storm with the waves still running high.
The species was reportedly last caught in 1963 to 1964, it is now feared to be extinct.
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edited: 27.03.2017
Black-breasted imperial-Pigeon (Ducula carola ssp. nigrorum)
The Black-breasted imperial-Pigeon was described in 1897, it apparently is, or was endemic the the islands of Negros and Siquijor, Philippine Islands
The species reached a size of about 33 cm.
The form was last recorded in the 1950s and, given the state of the Philippine’s natural areas, it very likely is extinct.
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edited: 14.05.2019
Herre’s Barbel (Barbodes herrei)
Herre’s Barbel was described in 1935, it was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The species was not caught in recent years and is now considered most likely extinct.
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edited: 27.03.2017
Cebu Oriole (Oriolus steerii ssp. assimilis)
The Philippine Oriole, as its name implies, is endemic to the Philippine Islands, with five subspecies being usually recognized. The subspecies from the island of Cebu, almost right in the middle of the Philippine archipelago, was described in 1878, originally as a distinct species.
The Philippines are well known to be among the most severely deforested places in the tropics with some islands having been almost completely ripped from their native vegetation, this is also the case with Cebu, where only very, very small remnants of the former forest remain, leading to the near or even complete extinction of many of its native ornithofauna.
The Cebu Oriole was last seen in 1906 and was usually considered extinct, however, there appears to have been a sighting in the early 2000s, which has never been confirmed.
***
The most recent field studies undertaken in the years from 2001 to 2004 actually manage to rediscover 20 of the species respectively subspecies of birds that were thought to have been extirpated from Cebu, many of them endemic to the island, four of the endemic subspecies, however, were not rediscovered and are now clearly extinct.
Among these four subspecies was the Cebu Oriole. [1]
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References:
[1] Lisa Marie J. Paguntalan; Philip Godfrey Jakosalem: Significant records of birds in forests on Cebu Island, central Philippines. Forktail 24: 48-56. 2008
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edited: 25.05.2019
Diza Barbel (Barbodes disa)
This species, locally known as Diza, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The fish reached a length of about 9 cm.
The Diza Barbel was reportedly last caught in 1963/64 and is now considered most likely extinct.
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edited: 27.03.2017
Bitter Barbel (Barbodes amarus)
This species, which locally is known as Dipura or Pait, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The species reached a length of about 11 cm.
The species was reportedly last caught in 1982, all subsequent surveys failed to record it and it is now feared to be extinct.
***
The causes for the extinction of so many endemic fish species from Lake Lanao are the excessive exploitation of fish, which is the main diet for the increasing human population in the area; the traditional fishing methods having been replaced by dynamite fishing, which simply destroys and kills everything, and by the use of several poisons.
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edited: 27.03.2017
This species was described in 1924; it was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
In the 1960s, the Tank Goby (Glossogobius giuris (F. Hamilton)), a predatory fish species was accidently introduced to the lake, leading to the extinction of several endemic fish species. However, overfishing, rampant use of destructive fishing methods (dynamite fishing), and unsustainable fishing practices certainly played their part too.
The Bitungu was last recorded in 1975 and is now extinct.
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edited: 29.04.2022
Tras Barbel (Barbodes tras)
The Tras Barbel, which was locally known as Tras, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The fish reached a length of about 12,5 cm.
The species, which was described in 1926, is now feared to be extinct.
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edited: 27.03.2017
Cebu Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike (Coracina striata ssp. cebuensis)
The Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike includes 14 subspecies which occur from the mainland of Southeast-Asia to the Philippines.
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The subspecies that once was restricted to the island of Cebu, Philippines, was described in 1896, originally as a distinct species.
The bird reached a size of about 30 cm, it was more or less completely grey in color.
The Cebu Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike has last been recorded in 1906, it disappeared sometimes after that date due to the almost complete deforestation of the island’s forests.
***
syn. Artamides cebuensis Ogilvie-Grant
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edited: 18.06.2019
The Bay Owl (Phodilus badius Horsfield) (see depiction) is native to Southeast Asia, where several subspecies have been described; the biology of the species is still rather unknown.
The Samar Bay Owl from the island of Samar in the Philippines was described in 1927 based on a single specimen which has subsequently been lost due a bombing raid in World War II.; this form, however, is not accepted by all biologists.
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nominate form
Depiction from: John Gould; Richard B. Sharpe: The Birds of Asia. London: printed by Taylor and Francis, published by the author 1850-1883
(public domain)
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edited: 01.08.2022
Negros Celestial Monarch (Hypothymis coelestis ssp. rabori)
The 18 cm large, exceedingly beautiful Celestial Monarch is an endemic species of the Philippine Islands.
The species is curently split into two subspecies: the nominate form, which inhabits the islands of Basilan, Dinagat, Luzon, Mondanao, Samar as well as the Tawi-Tawi Islands, as well as the subspecies discussed here, which is known only from the island of Negros in the Visaya Islands group in the center of the Philippines.
(One specmen was allegedly found on the island of Sibuyan, I personally, however, think that this, for the sake of geographical reasons, is rather unlikely.)
***
The Negros Celestial Monarch was slightly larger than the nominate race and differed furthermore from it by its even longer, lighter-colored, glistening sky blue crown- and neck feathers, by the paler, less purplish blue-colored back and by the more extended grey areas on the lower breast, which furthermore appear to bear a somewhat bluish shimmer.
The Negros subspecies was last recorded in 1978 (?) and is considered very likely extinct. The main reason for its disappearance as well as for the progressing decline of the nominate form, is the still ongoing large-scaled destruction of the native forests in the Philippines.
***
This species is still highly under-researched and some of the island populations may also constitute distinct races.
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References:
[1] A. L. Rand: Species formation in the blue monarch flycatchers genus Hypothymis. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society 23: 353–365. 1970
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edited: 24.10.2016
Thick-lipped Barbel (Barbodes pachycheilus)
The Thick-lipped Barbel was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The species is known only from the type specimen that was collected in 1921, it was never recorded again and is considered most likely extinct.
***
The local name of the fish was Bongkaong.
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edited: 27.03.2017