An annotated checklist of fish species described from the Philippines

By

Balisco, Rodulf Anthony
Liao, Teyu

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-7-21

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1246

Pages

1--287

Subjects

Biodiversity , endemic species , Fish diversity , museum collection , museum collection , museum collection , taxonomy , type specimen

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1246.145752

 

Abstract

A comprehensive list of fish species collected from Philippine waters and taxonomically described from 1770 to 2024 is herein compiled and presented. A total of 1212 species from 156 families were described, of which 828 from 135 families are currently considered valid, 349 invalid, and 34 with unknown or uncertain status. There are also 228 species currently recorded only in Philippine waters, with 85 species found only in estuarine and freshwater areas, and 143 species in the marine habitats. The type information of these species is also listed together with their current valid names and authorships. The checklist also includes approximately 3842 lots containing 12549 specimens scattered in different museums, including 966 holotypes/lectotypes, 2654 lots of paratypes/paralectotypes, 216 lots of syntypes, and 15 lots of neotypes. Forty-five lots were un-cataloged, while approximately 324 lots were believed to have been lost or destroyed during World War II.