Batan Island Research Articles

A record of the northernmost location of Otus elegans in the Pacific area

This individual of Otus elgans was rescued on Udo Island located in the east of Jeju Island, the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula, on January 4, 2007. It was found at 3° 32″ N, 2° 58′ E, which is the northernmost record among the habitats of Otus elegans. After that, we took photographs of its shape, recorded its calls, and analyzed them. While analyzing we confirmed that it is an unrecorded species in Korea. We classified the chick calls based on structural similarity on spectrograms (view range: 0–7.5 kHz; window length: 1 second). We measured it and the results are; weight: 86.7 g, total length: 210 mm, wing length: 170 mm, tail length: 68.0 mm, and Tarsus length: 25.13 mm. In addition, its vocalizations are structurally diverse: duration, ∼10 ms to 1.5 s; peak frequency (adults), <900 to >3000 Hz. Currently, it was found not only on Nansei Shoto, Minami-daito-jima, and Okino Islands in Japan but also on the Batanes Islands in eastern China and the Babuyan Islands. Moreover, assumed that it inhabits Okinoshima, lying beyond the known northern limit of distribution. Therefore, this study record demonstrates the attempt of O. elegans to move north even to Udo Island from the previous habitats.

Morphology, morpho-taxometric and molecular characterization of the invasive alien species Caribbean leatherleaf slug Sarasinula plebeia (Gastropoda: Veronicellidae): a first record in southern Philippines

Herein, we first report the comprehensive description of the terrestrial slug, Sarasinula plebeia (Gastropoda: Veronicellidae) by employing morphology, morpho-taxometrics and molecular analysis. A rapid survey on terrestrial slug invasive alien species (IAS) was conducted in La Dicha, Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugay, the Philippines. Obtained COI gene sequences shared 100% similarities to S. plebeia from Brazil (JX532107, KM489378), Dominica (KM489500) and Vietnam (KM489367) and further supported using Bayesian analysis thus designated as S. plebeia isolate LDZS. Notably, the first reported S. plebeia in 2013 from Batan island, Batanes, northern Philippines, characterized through COI gene markers (JQ582277, JQ582278, JQ582279) showed 100% sequence similarities to a closely related veronicellid slug, Laevecaulis alte isolates (LC636101, LC636102, LC636103, and LC636104) from Japan. Taken this into account, our S. plebeia LDZS isolated from an agricultural field is the first report in the Philippines with combined diagnostic tools for the taxon.

Comprehensive analysis of mitogenome of native Henan pig breeds with 58 worldwide pig breeds.

Mitochondria follow non-Mendelian maternal inheritance, and thus can be used to compare genetic diversity and infer the expansion and migration between animal populations. Based on the mitochondrial DNA sequences of 58 pig breeds from Asia, Europe, Oceania, and America, we observed a distinct division of Eurasian pig species into two main Haplogroups (A and B), with the exception of the Berkshire and Yorkshire breeds. Oceanian pigs were much more similar to European and American pigs in Haplogroup A. Additionally, native Chinese pigs exhibited the most abundant genetic polymorphisms and occupied the centre of Haplogroup B. Miyazaki (Japan) and Siberia (Russia) are two distant and disconnected regions; however, most pigs from these regions were clustered into a subcluster, while native pigs from Korea clustered into a second subcluster. This study is the first to report that pigs from Thailand and Vietnam had haplotypes similar to those of Henan, where the earliest evidence of domestic pigs was found from the Yellow River Basin of North China. Local Henan pig breeds are related to many Asian breeds while still having their own mutation identity, such as g.314 delins T>AC/AT/C of the 12S rRNA gene in Yuxi. Some pigs from Palawan, Itbayat, and Batan Islands of the Philippines and Lanyu Island of China were distinct from other Asian pigs and clustered together into Haplogroup C. These findings show that the complexity of domestication of worldwide pig breeds and mitochondria could reflect genetic communication between pig breeds due to geographical proximity and human activities.

New locality records of Jewel Blue butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the Philippines

Nature interest groups such as the Philippine Lepidoptera Butterflies and Moths, Inc. (PhiLep) aim to monitor and document butterflies and moths in various landscapes across the country using citizen science. This report compiled new island records for the four species of the genus Chilades known in the Philippines, namely Chilades putli gnoma with new records from General Santos City (Mindanao) and Bohol Island, Chilades lajus athena from Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental and Banton Island, Romblon (Visayas) and the Batanes Islands, Chilades mindora from Bohol Island, and Chilades pandava vapanda with new records from Barobo, Surigao del Sur (Mindanao), and Bago, Negros Occidental.

Comparative analysis of parametric cyclone models and relations for radius of maximum winds for storm surge simulations: case of Typhoon Meranti 2016

ABSTRACT Parametric cyclone models consist of relations for a pressure field and wind field based on specified typhoon parameters such as coordinates, central pressure, maximum wind, and radius of maximum wind. Such models generate the forcing conditions for simulations of storm surges. This study investigated the cyclone model parameters considering the Typhoon Meranti event, which made landfall in Batanes Islands of the Philippines in 2016. Available empirical equations for radius of maximum wind were compared and it showed that the equation developed by Vickery and Wadhera in 2008 best estimated the radius of maximum winds for the dataset considered. Comparisons of modeled and observed winds and pressures using various parametric cyclone models showed that the 1952 Fujitamodel gave more accurate pressure fields, while the 2010 Holland model gave more accurate wind fields. Based on storm surge simulations of Typhoon Meranti, the 1952 Fujita cyclone model gave the more accurate simulation of the storm tides. The 2010 Holland cyclone model generally has lower wind fields which reduced the wind surge component and the simulated significant wave heights which also reduces the contribution of wave setup to the storm tide levels.

The Pending Territorial Sovereignty of the Batanes Islands: A Taiwan Perspective

After Japan occupied Taiwan from the Quin Dynasty in 1895, the Japanese government immediately held talks with Spain to delimit the sea boundary between Spain and Japanese Taiwan. According to the Convention between Japan and Spain in 1895, the sea boundary of both countries was in the middle of the navigable channel of Bashi. For it did not refer to the longitude and latitude, thus it resulted in confusion when the United States negotiated a peace treaty with Spain. What is the meaning of “in the middle of the navigable channel of Bashi?” In the Treaty of Paris between the United States and Spain in 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines archipelagoes to the south of 20∘ North latitude to the United States. In fact, the Batanes Islands are located at 20–21∘ North latitudes. Geographically, the Batanes Islands were not included in the Treaty of Paris. This paper will focus on the reasons why did not Spain cede the territory to the north of 20∘ North latitude to the United States? And, it also discussed the problems of the legal status of the Batanes Islands and the rights of claim by Taiwan.

Cold Water in the Lee of the Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait

Using satellite remote sensing data and hydrological observation data, this study investigated the cold water in the lee of the Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait. The formation of cold water in climate is mainly due to the geostrophic heat advection on the east and west sides of the Batanes Islands: the Kuroshio separates into two branches on the east and west sides of the Batanes Islands. These two branches cause two warm tongues by transferring heat from low latitudes to mid-latitudes, and then the two warm tongues lead to the formation of the relatively cold water in the lee of the Batanes Islands. Further study shows that the cold water range has obvious seasonal and inter-annual variations. Except for August, the seasonal variation of the cold water range is caused by the interaction of geostrophic heat advection and net surface heat flux, whereas the low temperature in August in the lee of the Batanes Islands is caused by the island wake effect. The inter-annual of the cold water range is related to the difference in the meridional velocity between the east and west sides of the Batanes Islands, and the correlation coefficient can reach −0.68 at the 95% confidence level.

Observed Warm Filaments from the Kuroshio Associated with Mesoscale Eddies

Based on high resolution satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST), warm filaments near the Kuroshio around the Luzon Strait were systematically identified. These filaments extend an average length of about 200 km from the Kuroshio. The occurrence and features of the warm filaments are highly associated with both mesoscale eddies and the intensity of the SST gradient of the Kuroshio. Warm filaments are formed by heat advection from the warm Kuroshio into the colder interior Pacific Ocean by anticyclonic eddies (∼58%), cyclonic eddies (∼10%), and the dipole eddies (∼16%). The large temperature gradient near the Batanes Islands may also contribute to the high frequency of warm filaments in their vicinity. This study will help elucidate the role of zonal heat transport associated with the Kuroshio–eddy interaction during filament formation.

Comment on Blust "The Resurrection of Proto-Philippines"

Comment on Blust "The Resurrection of Proto-Philippines" Malcolm Ross I thank the editors of Oceanic Linguistics for inviting me to comment on Blust's paper arguing for the integrity of a Philippine subgroup within Malayo-Polynesian (MP). As Blust critiques the rejection of Proto-Philippines (PPh) in Ross (2005), l address that paper briefly first. Accepting that all Austronesian languages outside Taiwan belong to a single branch of Austronesian that has no members in Taiwan, in 2005 it was a reasonable geography-based inference that Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) might have come into being in the Batanes Islands and, if so, that the Batanic languages were a first-order offshoot of MP. This was Ross's (2005) "History 1." The alternative hypothesis, "History 2," was that the Batanic languages were clearly MP but not a first-order offshoot and reached their current location at a later stage. The paper reached no firm conclusion but commented, as Blust notes, that "there is a greater likelihood that History 1 is correct," because the Batanic languages appear very conservative. However, "the evidence for this conclusion is circumstantial, and does not have the same status as subgrouping evidence based on shared innovations." History 1 would entail that there was no Philippine subgroup, or, if there was, that the Batanic languages did not belong to it. If I had thought a Philippine subgroup had been well established, I could not have been proposed History 1. At the time of writing, the evidence for a Philippine subgroup seemed insufficient to rule out History 1. The published evidence in 2005 consisted of the lexical innovations proposed by Zorc (1986) in response to Reid's (1982) rejection of a pan-Philippine subgroup. Since that time further data and discussion have appeared in the form of a shortish discussion in Blust (2005:34–37) with a substantial appendix of lexical innovations, and, now in Blust (2020) detailed argumentation for the integrity of PPh, including discussion of individual lexical innovations and a note of the distribution of the reflexes of each, as well as a single phonological innovation. This brings me to the question: Fifteen years on, would I write something like Ross (2005) now? I would not. The new evidence strengthens the case for a Philippine grouping of some kind with Batanic as a somewhat peripheral [End Page 366] member subgroup—but it does not unequivocally support the reconstruction of PPh in the sense that a protolanguage is usually understood. Blust proposes that PPh is now supported by a single phonological innovation, the merger of PMP *z and *d. The remainder of its innovations is lexical, and in support of PPh Blust appeals to their very large number: 1,222 in appendix 1, plus the 37 in tables 2 and 3. I have paid particular attention to the latter, as Blust labels them as "the best" or "strong" replacement innovations (henceforth, "the strong innovations"), and have also looked at the distribution of all 1,259 across his microgroups. Together with supporting data on line in Blust and Trussel (ongoing), this is a wonderful collection of reconstructions. Despite this quantity of evidence, the argument for PPh seems to me to be weak in three interrelated respects. One is that the innovations are not distributed as one would expect of a proper subgroup, that is, the exclusive descendants of a single language; the second is the putative position of Philippine languages within the MP tree; and the third is the difficulty inherent in using lexical innovations. The distribution of the innovations cited in support of PPh does not attest that the Philippine languages form a proper subgroup. A proper subgroup is ideally defined by one or more innovations shared by all its members and exclusive to the languages of that group. Such innovations must satisfy two conditions, namely (1) that the innovation has not occurred independently in various members of the subgroup and (2) that it has not been borrowed across language boundaries. This defines an ideal, and one that is rarely achieved for large language groups. Sometimes an innovation is obliterated by further innovation in some members of a group. At times...

A new sinistral species of the land-snail genus Satsuma (Pulmonata: Camaenidae) from China

ABSTRACTThe species of Satsuma are mostly endemic to East Asia except for one species distributed in Batan Island of the Philippines. More than 99% of the known species of this genus are endemic to the island environment. Only three species are currently known to occur on the mainland. Here we describe a new sinistral Satsuma species from China, Satsuma guandi n. sp. We studied the shell morphology and genital anatomy of the new species and reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of the genus based on partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and nuclear markers from the ribosomal RNA cistrons (the internal transcribed spacer and the external transcribed spacer regions). The new species differs from other sinistral Satsuma species by having a strongly angulated shell and an open dark brownish-red umbilicus. The new species also differed from all other sinistral congeners in details of its reproductive anatomy. The molecular analysis supports the validity of the new species within the genus Satsuma.

NOTES ON CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) FROM JAPAN, TAIWAN AND BATAN ISLAND (PHILIPPINES)

As part of ongoing molecular phylogenetic work on the large Gesneriaceae genus Cyrtandra, new insights into the taxonomy and relationships of the Cyrtandra of Japan, Taiwan and Batan Island in the northern Philippines have emerged. Cyrtandra umbellifera is confirmed as a species with a distribution that includes both Taiwan and Batan Island. Cyrtandra yaeyamae is found to be distinct from the widespread C. cumingii, with a distribution that includes both the Ryukyu Islands in Japan and Batan Island.

Sub-arc xenolith Fe-Li-Pb isotopes and textures tell tales of their journey through the mantle wedge and crust

Island arcs provide insights into the origin and recycling of continental crust, but questions remain concerning source metasomatism, the depth of differentiation, the potential role of amphibole fractionation, and the time scales involved. Basaltic andesites on Batan Island (Philippines) contain ≥150 Ma peridotite fragments encased in hornblendite and gabbroic rinds produced via melt-rock reaction. The peridotites have some of the lightest δ7Li and δ57Fe values yet measured in mantle rocks. These values are too fractionated to have been created solely by equilibrium partial melting and thus require a combination of melt depletion and slab fluid addition and may be derived from diffusion-modified melt channel wall rocks. Stable isotope signals are easily modified by diffusive equilibration between peridotite and host magma, so the preservation of light δ7Li and δ57Fe here suggests magma ascent rates of ∼10 km yr−1. We show that melt–wall rock reactions at ∼25–30 km depth led to the crystallization of amphibole (± plagioclase) followed by gabbroic fractionation at ∼7 km depth. The former provides a location and mechanism for the “cryptic” amphibole fractionation observed in these and perhaps many other arc lavas and may obviate the requirement for delamination of cumulates.

Pyropia lunaesp. nov. andPyropia islaesp. nov. (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) from the Philippines

AbstractChallenges in morphology come to bear when assigning specific names in foliose Bangiales. Recent studies suggest that the integration of molecular and phenotypic data is essential, particularly in setting species boundaries and revealing the true species diversity of a given area. In an attempt to further elucidate the diversity of foliose Bangiales in the Philippines, two new species,Pyropia lunaesp. nov. andPyropia islaesp. nov. are described. Each species differs from other closely related taxa by a combination of morphological and anatomical characters, and nucleotide sequences. Phylogenetic reconstruction based onrbcL gene sequences supports the sister relationship ofP. lunaeandPyropia acanthophora, whereasP. islaeis recovered as a species allied toPyropia tanegashimensisandPyropia denticulata. These two previously undescribed species increase the number of confirmed PhilippinePyropiaspecies to four. So far,P. lunaeandP. islaeare found only from the Batanes Islands whileP. acanthophoraandP. tanegashimensisare known to extend their native distributions across into the Indo-Pacific waters. Questions remain, however, with regard to the true species diversity of foliose Bangiales in the Philippines. A wider sampling effort and the application of molecular methods will make it possible to resolve the remaining gaps in the taxonomy of Philippine foliose Bangiales.

Molecular diversity and biogeography of Philippine foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta)

Species circumscription based on phenotypes has frequently masked the actual species diversity in foliose Bangiales. Application of DNA sequence differences in this group has removed dependence on the utility of morphological characters traditionally considered for species discrimination. This study currently represents an extensive analysis of phylogeny and species discrimination of foliose Bangiales across most of their distributional range in the northern Philippines, particularly in Luzon Strait. Molecular assessment based on plastid rbcL and two mitochondrial loci, COI-5P, and cox2–3 spacer, suggested four major groups diagnostic of species lineage. As supported by the results from the four molecular species delimitation methods: PTP, bPTP, ABGD, and SPN, the confirmed Philippine foliose Bangiales species included Pyropia acanthophora, Py. tanegashimensis, and two cryptic taxa from Batanes Islands. The number of species detected in this study suggested that the true species composition of Philippine foliose Bangiales might be considerably lower than what was previously thought. It is possible however that a greater sampling effort in complete seasonal range of collections will reveal more species and extent of their actual distributions. Although the influence of northeast monsoon significantly affects the growth of foliose Bangiales in the Philippines, its role in shaping their present-day distribution remains unclear. Our molecular datasets however suggested that their current biogeographic distribution might reflect past vicariant events and is therefore more complex than have been previously regarded.

Case study on impact of storm waves on inundation characteristics

Modeling interactive features of storm waves and surges may be one of important but challenging tasks toward more accurate estimations of coastal hazards under severe storms. This paper discusses how storm waves and interactions of waves and surges affect amplification of local inundation characteristics through overviews of several case studies of recent coastal disasters. The paper first describes witnessed inundation characteristics caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan along the coast of San Pedro Bay and also the east coast of Eastern Samar in the Philippines. Along the west coast of San Pedro Bay, neither predicted storm surge nor storm wave can reasonably represent the following observed features: inundation around the mouth of San Pedro Bay started about an hour prior to the time when the inundation was witnessed at the inner part of the bay and the water level quickly descended after the peak around the bay mouth while it was kept high for an hour in the inner part of the bay. Along the east coast of Eastern Samar, deformation of wind wave components strongly depends on bathymetry of fringing coral reefs and refraction, diffraction and wave-wave interactions appear to have significant influence on observed locally varying damage levels and inundation characteristics. Similar locally concentrated inundation was also observed along the west coast of Batan island, the Philippines when the super typhoon Meranti passed north of the island. Significant influence of infra-gravity waves on the locally concentrated inundation characteristics was also observed in the disaster along Seisho coast on the Pacific coast of Japan when the typhoon, Fitow, hit the coast in 2007. Based on these findings, finally, this paper discusses how the numerical model should be extended for better estimations of coastal hazard with brief example of model application to South Pacific islands.

Characterization of Ruminant Husbandry Systems in Protected Areas of Batanes Islands, Philippines

The Batanes islands are few of the remaining preserved natural landscape and seascape areas in the Philippines. The major source of income in the islands is ruminant husbandry. The study was conducted to document and assess the traditional husbandry systems in these areas with the specific aim of providing baseline data for policymaking and future intensification projects. Six villages were identified as study sites, and ten households per village with a total of 60 respondents were interviewed using a guided questionnaire. Findings from this survey revealed two husbandry systems namely: pasture based and mixed pasture based systems. The dominant livestock species in the islands were cattle, goat and carabao, quantified as Total Livestock Unit (TLU). The major reason for raising ruminants in the islands was for food. Tethering, feeding and breeding were the major husbandry activities done by the heads of the families and their children. Pasture based system mostly relied on vegetation in the wild and grassland areas while mixed-pasture based system added more plant protein sources from crop residues including cassava, sweet potato and corn. There were no feed and fodder materials coming from external feed resources. In general, traditional ruminant husbandry systems are still practiced by most farmers in Batanes. These practices contribute to the maintenance of the good landscape in the many areas of the islands.

An extreme internal solitary wave event observed in the northern South China Sea.

With characteristics of large amplitude and strong current, internal solitary wave (ISW) is a major hazard to marine engineering and submarine navigation; it also has significant impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery activity. Among the world oceans, ISWs are particular active in the northern South China Sea (SCS). In this spirit, the SCS Internal Wave Experiment has been conducted since March 2010 using subsurface mooring array. Here, we report an extreme ISW captured on 4 December 2013 with a maximum amplitude of 240 m and a peak westward current velocity of 2.55 m/s. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the strongest ISW of the world oceans on record. Full-depth measurements also revealed notable impacts of the extreme ISW on deep-ocean currents and thermal structures. Concurrent mooring measurements near Batan Island showed that the powerful semidiurnal internal tide generation in the Luzon Strait was likely responsible for the occurrence of the extreme ISW event. Based on the HYCOM data-assimilation product, we speculate that the strong stratification around Batan Island related to the strengthening Kuroshio may have contributed to the formation of the extreme ISW.

The Kuroshio bifurcation associated with islands at the Luzon Strait

AbstractBased upon a suite of satellite and hydrology data along with numerical model simulations, the Kuroshio is found to be separated into two branches. The two branches are located on the western and eastern sides of the Batanes Islands. The western branch, which is the main branch of the Kuroshio, is estimated to carry roughly 68% of the transport, while the eastern branch, which has not been reported before, carries the remainder. Both branches bring warmer water northward, producing two separate warm tongues east of the Luzon Strait. The western warm tongue has an obvious seasonal variation due to the seasonal variation of the Kuroshio in the northern Luzon Strait, while the eastern warm tongue is associated with Pacific mesoscale eddies. As an anticyclonic (a cyclonic) eddy approaches the Batanes Islands from the east, the eastern branch of the Kuroshio is strongly intensified (weakened), and a more (less) pronounced warm tongue is induced. Consequently, interannual variability of Pacific mesoscale eddies affects the strength of the eastern branch.

Nicolas Castaño, O.P., (1773-1840): Architect, Engineer, Author, Missionary to Batanes

The pioneer Dominican missionaries were harbingers of the Word and civilization. Evangelization was the drama of the Incarnation in which lives of people were transformed by the preaching of the Word of God and the refashioning of the physical world to sacramentalize the arrival of the Kingdom of God in various forms of reordering and reorganizing of Nature and social life. It took nearly a century (1686-1783), and many precious lives, before Dominicans finally established a permanent foothold in 1783, on the Batanes islands which lie at the northern tip of the Philippine archipelago. In 1798, a 25 year-old youth, newly ordained priest, (probably) an alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas, arrived in Batanes: Fray Padre Nicolas Castaño, OP. He came to stay for 26 years of his life. He was, by all indications of the records and his activities, an assiduous and good learner of the indigenous culture. He picked up the study of the Ivatan language from where his predecessors left it and carried it on, to be passed on the next generation of Dominican missionaries; and seeing the need for handy catechetical tool, he used his knowledge of the language to write a Catechism of Christian Doctrine (whose manuscript he probably used in preaching), and later prepared for printing—which became the first printed Ivatan text. But while he preached the Word, he, in due time, saw the need to announce the majesty of God in Baroque architecture—the preferred art style used by the Tridentine counter reformation to proclaim the gospel to a largely unlettered world. Father Nicolas built what today continues to be the grandest church facade in the Batanes, and which served as the model and inspiration of all the other later Ivatan churches. He built bridges to ensure that the new Christians had no excuse to miss masses and catechetical instruction on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. He was concerned about the convenience and efficiency of local government officials. So he built decent government buildings for them near the churches. By getting the Ivatan people to work with him, they learned in turn how to build homes which have remained typhoon-proof to this day. To make social life more efficient in the new lowland settlements, especially Ivana which in his time was the centre of three tribal communities (Ivana, Itbud/Uyugan, and Sabtang), he arranged streets and roads to facilitate the development of better community spirit—for his vision was certainly ecclesial: communitarian.

4000 Years of Migration and Cultural Exchange: The Archaeology of the Batanes Islands, Northern Philippines ed. by Peter Bellwood, Eusebio Dizon (review)

4000 Years of Migration and Cultural Exchange: The Archaeology of the Batanes Islands, Northern Philippines ed. by Peter Bellwood, Eusebio Dizon (review)