Probable distribution of Metapocyrtus tagabawa
[Main] [Weevils of PH] [Genus Metapocyrtus]
Metapocyrtus tagabawa Cabras, Medina, Bollino, 2020
Distribution
Metapocyrtus tagabawa Cabras, Medina, Bollino, 2020
- The paper avoided subgeneric assignment of this species, as mentioned in the introduction (page 27, reference 1).
Distribution
Figure 1. Color plates (artistic renditions) of female and male M. tagabawa (left), and map of the Philippine archipelago showing the provinces where specimens were said to be collected (right) based on one article published in 2020 [1].
Mindanao
Region XI: Davao Region
Comments on Locality Data
According to the paper, the new species was discovered during a joint expedition by researchers from a local university and a foreign university which was conducted on March 2017 in the ancestral land of the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe (page 26 of reference 1). The paper also described in detail the collection method performed. Figure 6 of the paper presents images of the natural habitat of the M. tagabawa. These details presented in the paper may add credence to the distribution data in Davao del Sur.
The paper stated that "since the new species was discovered in the remaining patches of forest of the antique land of Bagobo-Tagabawa, the authors would like to give a tribute to the tribe by naming the species after them" (page 30 of reference 1). However, the specimen collected during such expedition in the "antique land of Bagobo-Tagabawa" is NOT the holotype.
The declared holotype according to the paper was collected on July 2017 in "Mindanao / near Wao / (Lanao del Sur)" by "trusted insect collectors" (page 27 of reference 1). Lanao del Sur is the home of the Maranao tribe, not the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe. The "Maranaos" are the "People of the Lake", the root word being "lanaw" or "ranaw" which means "lake", in reference to Lake Lanao. Thus, it may have been more appropriate to have named the species after the Maranao tribe instead.
The term "near Wao" seems subjective and not accurate. The only municipality in Lanao del Sur that is "near Wao" is Amai Manabilang (formerly Bumbaran), adjacent to the northwest. Wao is also surrounded by the Municipality of Kalilangan (Province of Bukidnon) to the north and east, and the Municipalities of Alamada and Banisilan (both in the Province of Cotabato) to the southwest and south, respectively. It is worth noting that travel by land to any of these adjacent municipalities is much easier than going into the rugged natural terrains of interior Lanao del Sur. Without accurate GPS coordinates, these "trusted insect collectors" may have just picked up the specimens from anywhere in the surrounding area and simply declared it to be "near Wao".
Mindanao
Region XI: Davao Region
- Province of Davao del Sur, City of Davao, Toril
- Province of Lanao del Sur
Comments on Locality Data
According to the paper, the new species was discovered during a joint expedition by researchers from a local university and a foreign university which was conducted on March 2017 in the ancestral land of the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe (page 26 of reference 1). The paper also described in detail the collection method performed. Figure 6 of the paper presents images of the natural habitat of the M. tagabawa. These details presented in the paper may add credence to the distribution data in Davao del Sur.
The paper stated that "since the new species was discovered in the remaining patches of forest of the antique land of Bagobo-Tagabawa, the authors would like to give a tribute to the tribe by naming the species after them" (page 30 of reference 1). However, the specimen collected during such expedition in the "antique land of Bagobo-Tagabawa" is NOT the holotype.
The declared holotype according to the paper was collected on July 2017 in "Mindanao / near Wao / (Lanao del Sur)" by "trusted insect collectors" (page 27 of reference 1). Lanao del Sur is the home of the Maranao tribe, not the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe. The "Maranaos" are the "People of the Lake", the root word being "lanaw" or "ranaw" which means "lake", in reference to Lake Lanao. Thus, it may have been more appropriate to have named the species after the Maranao tribe instead.
The term "near Wao" seems subjective and not accurate. The only municipality in Lanao del Sur that is "near Wao" is Amai Manabilang (formerly Bumbaran), adjacent to the northwest. Wao is also surrounded by the Municipality of Kalilangan (Province of Bukidnon) to the north and east, and the Municipalities of Alamada and Banisilan (both in the Province of Cotabato) to the southwest and south, respectively. It is worth noting that travel by land to any of these adjacent municipalities is much easier than going into the rugged natural terrains of interior Lanao del Sur. Without accurate GPS coordinates, these "trusted insect collectors" may have just picked up the specimens from anywhere in the surrounding area and simply declared it to be "near Wao".
In this present age where technology such as smartphones and GPS devices are affordable and can be easily acquired, it is very interesting that no pictures and no coordinates of the habitat in Lanao del Sur were shown. A smartphone with GPS capabilities can take high-resolution images and provide accurate locality data at the same time, and a simple Internet search can yield the exact municipality and even the barangay. This seemingly lack of data for the collection done in Lanao del Sur seems to indicate the absence of basic scientific training for those "trusted insect collectors" when it comes to field note-taking and specimen-tagging.
These pieces of information on Philippine geography are important because those three provinces belong to three different regions of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Bukidnon in Region X, Cotabato in Region XII, and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) that have Wildlife Export Certification [2] jurisdiction on the areas "near Wao". Since specimens were sent to Europe, all three regions may need to be sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to ascertain the jurisdiction that issued the papers for such export, in order to confirm the specimens' place of origin.
The Wildlife Export Certification [2] indicates that upon completion of the research, the holotypes are to be deposited in the National Museum of the Philippines or at a designated local Philippine university. The paper, however, states that the holotype is not deposited in the Philippines (page 27 of reference 1).
A sample of the Wildlife Export Certification (WEC) [2] is presented in figure 3 of this link. The last sentences of the WEC specifically state that "...retained on deposit with [foreign entities] ... The specimens retained shall remain the exclusive property of the Philippine Government and must be returned upon request of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)." If wildlife collections are done without such permits and exported without such certifications, these may constitute violations of Philippine wildlife laws and stiff penalties may be imposed.
It is somewhat ironic that the specimen chosen as the holotype was the one acquired on July 2017 with seemingly vague locality data and collection methods that are not thoroughly discussed, instead of the specimen acquired on March 2017 with fairly accurate locality, pictures of the habitat, and methods that are described in detail. Although this might be acceptable to the scientific community in general, it just seems a bit strange.
Not only does the naming present potential future confusion for two of the many noble tribes of Mindanao, but it also seems like an outright insult to the dedicated research scientists who actually went to their respective sampling sites to do proper scientific methods in actual field work, collected actual specimens, and gathered actual data, as opposed to just sending some "trusted insect collectors" who probably just did some sloppy collection work (ON POSSIBLY PROTECTED WILDLIFE) that might have bordered in the realm of the pseudoscientific.
However, if the paper had declared the specimen from Davao Region as the holotype, then the following elements would have been instantly satisfied:
1. Legal compliance with the Wildlife Export Certification that specifies to have the holotypes deposited locally.
2. Actual tangible recognition for the Bagobo-Tagabawa Tribe, who graciously accepted the research scientists to do field work in their ancestral homelands, and not just possibly some lip service credit that may only sound good on paper.
3. Appreciation for the hard-working local and foreign scientists who actually went to the field and spent countless hours doing actual science in the hot and humid tropical jungle, and not just probably sitting in some fancy laboratory (or a dental clinic perhaps?) waiting for specimens to arrive, possibly acquired through means other than what is legally allowed in Republic Act 9147, without breaking a sweat.
These pieces of information on Philippine geography are important because those three provinces belong to three different regions of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Bukidnon in Region X, Cotabato in Region XII, and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) that have Wildlife Export Certification [2] jurisdiction on the areas "near Wao". Since specimens were sent to Europe, all three regions may need to be sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to ascertain the jurisdiction that issued the papers for such export, in order to confirm the specimens' place of origin.
The Wildlife Export Certification [2] indicates that upon completion of the research, the holotypes are to be deposited in the National Museum of the Philippines or at a designated local Philippine university. The paper, however, states that the holotype is not deposited in the Philippines (page 27 of reference 1).
A sample of the Wildlife Export Certification (WEC) [2] is presented in figure 3 of this link. The last sentences of the WEC specifically state that "...retained on deposit with [foreign entities] ... The specimens retained shall remain the exclusive property of the Philippine Government and must be returned upon request of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)." If wildlife collections are done without such permits and exported without such certifications, these may constitute violations of Philippine wildlife laws and stiff penalties may be imposed.
It is somewhat ironic that the specimen chosen as the holotype was the one acquired on July 2017 with seemingly vague locality data and collection methods that are not thoroughly discussed, instead of the specimen acquired on March 2017 with fairly accurate locality, pictures of the habitat, and methods that are described in detail. Although this might be acceptable to the scientific community in general, it just seems a bit strange.
Not only does the naming present potential future confusion for two of the many noble tribes of Mindanao, but it also seems like an outright insult to the dedicated research scientists who actually went to their respective sampling sites to do proper scientific methods in actual field work, collected actual specimens, and gathered actual data, as opposed to just sending some "trusted insect collectors" who probably just did some sloppy collection work (ON POSSIBLY PROTECTED WILDLIFE) that might have bordered in the realm of the pseudoscientific.
However, if the paper had declared the specimen from Davao Region as the holotype, then the following elements would have been instantly satisfied:
1. Legal compliance with the Wildlife Export Certification that specifies to have the holotypes deposited locally.
2. Actual tangible recognition for the Bagobo-Tagabawa Tribe, who graciously accepted the research scientists to do field work in their ancestral homelands, and not just possibly some lip service credit that may only sound good on paper.
3. Appreciation for the hard-working local and foreign scientists who actually went to the field and spent countless hours doing actual science in the hot and humid tropical jungle, and not just probably sitting in some fancy laboratory (or a dental clinic perhaps?) waiting for specimens to arrive, possibly acquired through means other than what is legally allowed in Republic Act 9147, without breaking a sweat.
References:
[1] Bollino, M. Medina, M.N., and Cabras, A. 2020. Three new Metapocyrtus Heller, 1912 (Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini) from Mindanao island, Philippines. Journal of Tropical Coleopterology. 1(1); 26-38.
[1] Bollino, M. Medina, M.N., and Cabras, A. 2020. Three new Metapocyrtus Heller, 1912 (Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini) from Mindanao island, Philippines. Journal of Tropical Coleopterology. 1(1); 26-38.
Comments
Post a Comment