"The Philippine Archipelago is home to a spectacular and diverse assemblage of amphibians and reptiles. Situated at the interface between the Oriental and Australian faunal zones, the herpetofauna of this largely oceanic island archipelago has captured the attention and imagination of systematists and biogeographers for nearly 200 years. Previously thought of as having a depauperate herpetofauna, the Philippine archipelago is now being recognized as one of the most important center of herpetofaunal diversity in Southeast Asia.

Information generated from recent field surveys coupled with analyses of available data on diversity, points to overwhelming evidence that the Philippine herpetofauna is far richer, the levels of endemicity are much higher, and the evolutionary history is far more complex than have been assumed."