Marine fishes of Palawan, Philippines: Species diversity, new records, and conservation status

Abstract

The Palawan archipelago is considered as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier, a Man and Biosphere Reserve, and a priority conservation area because of its high marine biodiversity. However, a comprehensive checklist of the current marine fishes occurring in the province that can be used for diversity conservation priorities is still lacking. This paper aims to present an updated checklist of marine fishes recorded in Palawan waters (including new records) and their current conservation status. Underwater visual census (UVC) surveys (2003–2021), and published literature from 156 sites were used to compile the checklist, and the species’ updated nomenclatures were also presented. Currently, 1,056 marine fishes (32 elasmobranchs, 1,024 bony fishes) are included in the list, classified under two classes, 42 orders, 115 families, and 366 genera. More species were recorded in the Sulu Sea (904) than in the West Philippine Sea (557) which could be attributed to more studies being conducted in the former than in the latter. We also included 299 newly recorded species in this province, mostly from UVC surveys. Most of the species have Least Concern and Not Evaluated IUCN status, but a few species are already threatened, comprised mostly of elasmobranchs. Necessary information from this checklist is crucial in crafting a management plan for the protection and conservation of marine fishes in Palawan and nearby areas, especially those that are already declared as threatened species.