The Philippines is measured differently across national and specialist biodiversity datasets. The national environment-statistics series records 4,928 endemic known flora species and 781 endemic known fauna species for 2025 [S1], while the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2040 gives a broader national statement of more than 25,000 endemic species [S2]. These figures describe different source scopes and are not added together.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Recorded endemic known flora | 4,928 species [S1] |
| Recorded endemic known fauna | 781 species [S1] |
| Wild flora documented | 11,435 species [S1] |
| Wild fauna documented | 22,480 species [S1] |
| Broad national endemic-species statement | >25,000 species [S2] |
| Bird checklist total | 761 species [S3] |
| Endemic birds | 274 species [S3] |
| Non-endemic resident birds | 202 species [S3] |
| Migrants | 285 species [S3] |
| Endemic share of bird checklist | ≈36.0% [S3] |
| Native terrestrial mammals | At least 214 species [S4] |
| Endemic native terrestrial mammals | 125 species [S4] |
| Endemic share of native terrestrial mammals | 58% [S4] |
| Non-flying native mammals | 111 species [S4] |
| Endemic non-flying native mammals | 101 species [S4] |
| Endemic share of non-flying native mammals | 91% [S4] |
| Philippine Nepenthes listed | 63 species [S5] |
| Philippine-endemic Nepenthes | 62 species [S5] |
| Endemic share of listed Nepenthes | ≈98.4% [S5] |
{"type":"donut","title":"Philippine bird checklist by range status, 2025","description":"The 2025 WBCP checklist contains 761 species: 274 Philippine endemics, 202 non-endemic residents and 285 migrants.","unit":"species","data":[{"label":"Philippine endemics","value":274},{"label":"Non-endemic residents","value":202},{"label":"Migrants","value":285}],"source":"[S3] Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, 2025 checklist"}How the national counts differ
The 2025 environment-statistics values are recorded known endemic flora and fauna in the national statistical series [S1]. The biodiversity action plan uses a broader statement of more than 25,000 endemic species [S2]. They are not interchangeable inventories, so no all-taxa total is calculated from them.
The mammal figures cover terrestrial and non-flying native subsets [S4]; the bird figures describe the categories used in the 2025 national bird checklist [S3]; and the pitcher-plant figures come from a current family treatment [S5]. Each dataset is kept within its own taxonomic universe.
Endemism across major biogeographic regions
The national biodiversity action plan illustrates Philippine endemism through species tied to major biogeographic regions, from Batanes and Luzon to the Sulu–Tawi-Tawi region [S2]. The table preserves those regional examples rather than treating every island group as biologically equivalent.
| Biogeographic region | Illustrated endemic species | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Batanes | Trimeresurus mcgregori | Reptile |
| Luzon | Crateromys schadenbergi | Mammal |
| Mindoro | Bubalus mindorensis | Mammal |
| Romblon | Dicrurus menagei | Bird |
| Palawan | Acerodon leucotis | Mammal |
| Negros–Panay | Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus | Bird |
| Mindanao–Samar–Leyte–Bohol | Pithecophaga jefferyi | Bird |
| Dinagat | Nepenthes truncata | Plant |
| Sulu–Tawi-Tawi | Anthracoceros montani | Bird |
Verified species-level reference set
Species-level checklist records shown: 94
Philippine endemic Apomys
Field Museum research places Apomys within a Philippine-only branch of the murid radiation that also includes Archboldomys, Chrotomys, Soricomys and Rhynchomys [S6]. The current Mammal Diversity Database Philippines page lists 22 living Apomys species [S7].
| Scientific name | Endemic scope |
|---|---|
| Apomys abrae | Philippines |
| Apomys aurorae | Philippines |
| Apomys banahao | Philippines |
| Apomys brownorum | Philippines |
| Apomys camiguinensis | Philippines |
| Apomys crinitus | Philippines |
| Apomys datae | Philippines |
| Apomys gracilirostris | Philippines |
| Apomys hylocoetes | Philippines |
| Apomys insignis | Philippines |
| Apomys iridensis | Philippines |
| Apomys littoralis | Philippines |
| Apomys lubangensis | Philippines |
| Apomys magnus | Philippines |
| Apomys microdon | Philippines |
| Apomys minganensis | Philippines |
| Apomys minor | Philippines |
| Apomys musculus | Philippines |
| Apomys sacobianus | Philippines |
| Apomys sierrae | Philippines |
| Apomys veluzi | Philippines |
| Apomys zambalensis | Philippines |
Endemic birds added through recent taxonomic splits
The 2025 Philippine bird checklist recognizes newly split endemic cuckooshrikes, island thrushes and crows within its total of 274 Philippine-endemic birds [S3]. The WBCP article misspells one genus as “Turdis”; the current IOC species-update record uses the accepted combination Turdus nigrorum [S8].
| Scientific name | Native endemic range |
|---|---|
| Coracina mindorensis | Mindoro, Tablas and Romblon |
| Coracina panayensis | Panay, Negros, Masbate, Guimaras and Ticao |
| Coracina kochii | Bohol, Samar, Leyte, Mindanao and Basilan |
| Coracina guillemardi | Sulu Archipelago |
| Turdus thomassoni | Montane Luzon |
| Turdus nigrorum | Negros, Panay, Mindanao and Sibuyan |
| Turdus mindorensis | Mindoro |
| Corvus sierramadrensis | Northern and central Luzon |
| Corvus samarensis | Samar and Mindanao |
Species-rank endemics in the 2026 Butuan inventory
A 2026 survey in Butuan City recorded 43 amphibian and reptile species, of which 24 were classified as Philippine endemics and 13 as endemics of the Mindanao Faunal Region [S9]. For the species-rank table below, the uncertain Gonocephalus cf. interruptus record, two subspecies entries and the frog presented under conflicting genus treatment in the article are excluded.
The paper reports Ptychozoon intermedium; the current Reptile Database accepts Gekko intermedium and lists Ptychozoon intermedium as a synonym [S10].
| Scientific name | Group | Endemic scope in the survey |
|---|---|---|
| Platymantis dorsalis | Amphibian | Philippines |
| Fejervarya vittigera | Amphibian | Philippines |
| Limnonectes leytensis | Amphibian | Philippines |
| Limnonectes magnus | Amphibian | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Occidozyga laevis | Amphibian | Philippines |
| Pelobatrachus stejnegeri | Amphibian | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Kaloula picta | Amphibian | Philippines |
| Kalophrynus sinensis | Amphibian | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Draco bimaculatus | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Hydrosaurus pustulatus | Reptile | Philippines |
| Cyrtodactylus agusanensis | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Gekko intermedium | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Brachymeles orientalis | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Eutropis multicarinata | Reptile | Philippines |
| Tropidophorus misaminius | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Varanus cumingi | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Naja samarensis | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Oxyrhabdium modestum | Reptile | Mindanao Faunal Region |
| Trimeresurus flavomaculatus | Reptile | Philippines |
| Cuora philippinensis | Reptile | Philippines |
{"type":"donut","title":"Butuan herpetofauna by Philippine endemic status","description":"The 2026 survey recorded 43 species, including 24 Philippine endemics. The other 19 records were not classified as Philippine endemics in the study.","unit":"species","data":[{"label":"Philippine endemics","value":24},{"label":"Other recorded species","value":19}],"source":"[S9] BIOTROPIA, 2026"}Lake and river-basin endemic fishes
Freshwater endemism can be restricted to a single lake or drainage. The following FishBase records retain narrow Philippine native ranges; two Lake Lanao species in this source set are assessed as extinct.
| Scientific name | Native endemic range | Current status |
|---|---|---|
| Sardinella tawilis [S11] | Lake Taal, Luzon | Endangered |
| Mistichthys luzonensis [S12] | Lakes Buhi, Bato, Katugday and Manapao; Bicol River system | Vulnerable |
| Barbodes lindog [S13] | Lake Lanao, Mindanao | Critically Endangered |
| Barbodes baoulan [S14] | Lake Lanao, Mindanao | Extinct |
| Barbodes lanaoensis [S15] | Lake Lanao, Mindanao | Extinct |
| Barbodes sirang [S16] | Lake Lanao, Mindanao | Critically Endangered |
Narrow-range pitcher plants in the current flora
Co’s Digital Flora currently lists 63 Philippine Nepenthes species, with 62 marked endemic; Nepenthes mirabilis has a wider native range [S5]. The table isolates species whose listed native distribution is confined to Sibuyan, Palawan, Davao Oriental, Bukidnon or Dinagat.
| Scientific name | Source-listed endemic range |
|---|---|
| Nepenthes argentii | Sibuyan |
| Nepenthes armin | Sibuyan |
| Nepenthes sibuyanensis | Sibuyan |
| Nepenthes attenboroughii | Palawan |
| Nepenthes deaniana | Palawan |
| Nepenthes gantungensis | Palawan |
| Nepenthes leonardoi | Palawan |
| Nepenthes mantalingajanensis | Palawan |
| Nepenthes megastoma | Palawan |
| Nepenthes mira | Palawan |
| Nepenthes palawanensis | Palawan |
| Nepenthes alfredoi | Davao Oriental |
| Nepenthes hamiguitanensis | Davao Oriental |
| Nepenthes justinae | Davao Oriental |
| Nepenthes micramphora | Davao Oriental |
| Nepenthes nebularum | Davao Oriental |
| Nepenthes peltata | Davao Oriental |
| Nepenthes ceciliae | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes cid | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes cornuta | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes kitanglad | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes maagnawense | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes malimumuensis | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes pantaronensis | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes pulchra | Bukidnon |
| Nepenthes erucoides | Dinagat |
{"type":"donut","title":"Endemic share of the Philippine Nepenthes list","description":"Co's Digital Flora lists 63 Nepenthes species in the Philippines. Sixty-two are marked endemic; N. mirabilis has a wider native range.","unit":"species","data":[{"label":"Philippine endemic","value":62},{"label":"Wider native range","value":1}],"source":"[S5] Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines — Nepenthaceae"}Current Begonia records across island endemism centers
Co’s current Begoniaceae treatment contains a larger Philippine genus list; this block is a geographically distributed reference subset of accepted species explicitly marked endemic in the source [S17].
| Scientific name | Source-listed endemic range |
|---|---|
| Begonia titoevangelistae | Catanduanes |
| Begonia collisiae | Panay |
| Begonia cabanillasii | Palawan |
| Begonia butuanensis | Agusan del Norte, Mindanao |
| Begonia camugao | Bohol |
| Begonia alba | Ifugao, Luzon |
Mindanao-endemic freshwater crabs
A 2025 specialist paper identifies Isolapotamon as a freshwater-crab genus endemic to Mindanao and states that it currently comprises five known species [S18].
| Scientific name | Endemic scope |
|---|---|
| Isolapotamon mindanaoense | Mindanao |
| Isolapotamon sinuatifrons | Mindanao |
| Isolapotamon spatha | Mindanao |
| Isolapotamon danielae | Mindanao |
| Isolapotamon maranao | Mindanao |
Counts from national environment statistics, annual bird checklists, mammal syntheses, family floras and local inventories use different taxonomic and geographic universes. Changes in accepted species limits can alter endemic totals without changing the organisms’ native ranges.
Sources
[S1] ↩ Philippine Statistics Authority — Highlights of the Compendium of Philippine Environment Statistics 2016–2025, Component 1: Environmental Conditions and Quality. National 2025 wild-flora, wild-fauna and recorded endemic-known-species statistics.
[S2] ↩ Department of Environment and Natural Resources — Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2040. National endemic-species statement and biogeographic-region examples adopted through DAO 2025-23.
[S3] ↩ Wild Bird Club of the Philippines — 2025 Checklist of Philippine Birds. National bird totals, endemic count and recent Philippine-endemic taxonomic splits.
[S4] ↩ Field Museum — Synopsis of Philippine Mammals. Native terrestrial-mammal and non-flying-mammal endemicity totals.
[S5] ↩ Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines — Nepenthaceae. Current Philippine pitcher-plant taxonomy, endemism labels and distributions.
[S6] ↩ Field Museum — Lawrence Heaney. Philippine Mammal Project overview identifying the Philippine-only earthworm-mouse radiation.
[S7] ↩ Mammal Diversity Database — Philippines Mammal Diversity Statistics. Current Philippines country listing used for the 22 living Apomys species.
[S8] ↩ IOC World Bird List — Species Updates. Current accepted island-thrush combinations used to normalize Turdus nigrorum.
[S9] ↩ BIOTROPIA — Herpetofaunal Communities in Butuan City, Philippines: A Satoyama-Satoumi Approach to Biodiversity Assessment. 2026 Butuan amphibian and reptile inventory and endemicity classifications.
[S10] ↩ The Reptile Database — Gekko intermedium. Current accepted name and synonymy for the species reported as Ptychozoon intermedium in the Butuan inventory.
[S11] ↩ FishBase — Sardinella tawilis. Native range and current Red List status for the Lake Taal endemic.
[S12] ↩ FishBase — Mistichthys luzonensis. Native range and current Red List status for the Bicol-region endemic.
[S13] ↩ FishBase — Barbodes lindog. Native range and current Red List status for the Lake Lanao endemic.
[S14] ↩ FishBase — Barbodes baoulan. Native range and current Red List status for the Lake Lanao endemic.
[S15] ↩ FishBase — Barbodes lanaoensis. Native range and current Red List status for the Lake Lanao endemic.
[S16] ↩ FishBase — Barbodes sirang. Native range and current Red List status for the Lake Lanao endemic.
[S17] ↩ Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines — Begoniaceae. Current accepted names, endemicity labels and distributions for the Begonia reference subset.
[S18] ↩ Parasitologia — First Report of Isolapotamon sp. as a Potential Intermediate Host of Paragonimus westermani in Davao Oriental, Philippines. 2025 source defining Isolapotamon as a Mindanao-endemic genus with five known species.