Filipino-led biologists from the University of the Philippines Diliman have successfully identified three new species of forest mice endemic to Mindoro Island, following field expeditions conducted from 2013 to 2017 and nearly a decade of meticulous laboratory analysis.
The groundbreaking research was spearheaded by renowned Filipino scientist Danilo S. Balete in collaboration with Lawrence R. Heaney and an international team including Mariano Roy M. Duya, Melizar V. Duya, Christopher C. Kyriazis, Eric A. Rickart, Scott J. Steppan, and Dakota M. Rowsey.
The newly discovered species—Apomys veluzi, Apomys crinitus, and Apomys minor—belong to the Apomys genus and represent members of a unique clade found exclusively on Mindoro Island, as documented in their comprehensive study published in the scientific journal Zootaxa.
This remarkable discovery increases the number of endemic mammals on Mindoro to twelve, establishing the island as the smallest known location where mammal speciation has occurred.
The research demonstrates the extraordinary biodiversity of Philippine forests and highlights the critical importance of continued conservation efforts to protect these fragile ecosystems that harbor undiscovered species with significant evolutionary histories.
