CURCULIONIDAE FAUNA IN THE FOREST OF GUPITAN, KAPALONG, DAVAO DEL

NORTE

A Research Proposal Presented to the Institute of Advanced Studies

Davao del Norte State College

New Visayas, Panabo City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in STB 602 Course

Master of Science Teaching

Major in Biology

DANILO E. BOTE
MYLYN M. JULIO
FATIMA M. LIMBAGA

November 13, 2023

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RATIONALE

Mindanao is the Philippines' second-largest island. It is famous for having a wide range

of landscapes, from thick tropical rainforests to high mountain ranges and coastal ecosystems.

This diversity in the environment creates a special place for a wide range of plants and animals

to live. Mindanao is home to many kinds of insects, but the Curculionidae, or weevils, are likely

to be the most varied and ecologically important.

According to Hespenheide 2001, Weevils (superfamily Curculionoidea) are one of the

most speciose and diverse groups in the order Coleoptera, with approximately 62,000 species

accounting for some are wood borers, wood-boring frugivores, and a few feeds on dung of

macropods. Due to their high adaptation and general feeding habits, they are found in almost

every terrestrial ecosystem.

Weevil diversity is highest in tropical rainforests like those in the Philippines, which can

still be considered a taxonomic blank spot due to the limited knowledge and scarcity of weevil

studies in these areas. Among the fascinating weevils is the tribe Pachyrhynchini in the

subfamily Entiminae. This subfamily is one of the largest groups of weevils, with more than

14,000 described species (Yunakov 2021).

The characteristics of Entimine weevils include: “short, broad rostrum with

adelognathous mouthparts (the prementum closing the buccal cavity from beneath), mandibles

bearing deciduous cusps that assist the teneral weevil to escape from its earthen pupal cell but

then break off, and, in the larva, a cushion-like antennal sensorium” (Oberprieler et al. 2007:

506).

The tribe Pachyrhynchini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) are among the most

conspicuous weevils in the world due to their colorful integuments and unique and iridescent

elytral patterns. It is characterized by mandibles without a scar or long-lasting appendage on the

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outer surface and that are uniformly arcuate on the edges, elytra with rounded humeri, hind

coxae narrowly parallel with elytra on the sides, and antennal funicle laterally curving out in front

of the eyes at the sides of the rostrum (Schultze 1923; Morimoto et al.2015).

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

Administrative Order No. 2019-09 Philippine Assessment, the combination of a strong

preference for forested habitats, limited geographic range, food plant specificity, and the

unabated loss of the Philippine Forest has made most of the endemic and rare pachyrhynchine

species to be categorized as vulnerable. Since then, Philippines is known for its high

biodiversity, and understanding the species richness of Curculionidae contributes to broader

conservation efforts. Documenting and preserving the diversity of weevils is essential for

maintaining overall ecosystem health.

In this study, the researchers draw inspiration from recent existing research on species

richness of family Curculionoidea have already been conducted on Mt. Apo, Davao, Natural

Park, Philippines City by Cabras, et.al 2016, Baganihan, Marilog Forest Reserve, Marilog

District, Davao City by Mohagan, et.al 2018 and a research conducted by Rukmane-Bārbale, A.,

& Cabras, A. A. 2021 on the Updated Distribution Records of Pachyrhynchus Germar, 1824

(Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) from the Philippines with Biogeographic Affinities. This

research would focus on the Curculionidae fauna in the forest of Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao Del

Norte.

According to Philippine Atlas, Gupitan is a barangay in the municipality of Kapalong, in

the province of Davao del Norte. Gupitan, a rural area, is situated at approximately 7.7781,

125.6417, in the island of Mindanao. Elevation at these coordinates is estimated at 52.3 meters

or 171.6 feet above mean sea level. According to Global Forest Watch, in 2010, the municipality

of Kapalong had 64.8 kha of natural forest, extending over 86% of its land area. With this, the

researchers would like to explore the species richness of Curculionidae in the vast area of
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Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte since no existing studies have been made in this locale.

Objectives of the Study

Generally, the study aims to assess the Curculionidae Fauna in the forest of Gupitan,

Kapalong, Davao Del Norte.

Specifically, it aims to:

1. To systematically document and catalog the species of Curculionidae present in the

forest of Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte.

2.

Methods:

Transect walk, visual encounter and opportunistic sampling will be conducted across vegetation

types in Southern Pantaron Range. Pachyrhynchini will be collected using a beating sheet,

handpicking, and shaking of small trees and shrubs. Specimens will be killed in vials with cotton

soaked in ethyl acetate. Specimens will be examined using Luxeo 4D stereoscopic microscope

and identified by Analyn Cabras of the Philippine National Museum of Natural History. As for

plant preference, plants where the Pachyrhynchini weevils are feeding on will be documented

using GPS readings and photo-documentation respectively. Food plants of Pachyrhynchini will

be photographed using Nikon D5300 following the protocol of LaFrankie & Chua (2015) and

identified using taxonomic keys, monographs and photograph and plant illustrations of the

holotypes and isotypes provided by JSTOR Global Plants, Natural History Museum and

Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., U.S.A through plant illustration.org

(http://plantgenera.org/illustration.php). Specimen identifications will be verified by Danilo

Tandang of the Philippine National Museum of Natural History.

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Literatures

Cabras A, Bollino M, Medina MN (2018). A new species of the subgenus Orthocyrtus, genus
Metapocyrtus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini) from Mindanao, with
notes on its ecology. Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 18(1): 39–46

Cabras AA, Medina MND, Donato J, Van Dam M (2021b) Pachyrhynchus obumanuvu sp. nov.,
a new species of easter egg weevil (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini)
from Mindanao Island, Philippines. Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 21 (1):43–4

Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Administrative Order 2019-09 (2019)

Updated national list of threatened Philippine fauna and their categories. Available at
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Hangay G, Zborowski P (2010) A guide to the beetles of Australia.CSIRO Publishing,

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Cabras, A. A., Medina, M. N. D., Torrejos, C., Pajota, E. L., Pepito, M. J., Ceballos, R., &
Rukmane, A. (2022). Annotated list of Pachyrhynchini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae) in
Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines. Check List, 18(4).

Mohagan, A. B., Patano Jr, R. P., Hongco, A. L., Lagunday, N. E., Coritico, F., & Amoroso, V. B.
(2018). Species occurrence of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Baganihan, Marilog
Forest Reserve, Marilog District, Davao City, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and
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Rukmane-Bārbale, A., & Cabras, A. A. (2021). Updated Distribution Records of Pachyrhynchus

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LaFrankie & Chua (2015) Application of Digital Field Photographs As Documents for Tropical
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1668: 491–520.

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