Pollination, Mating System, Phenology and Characterisation of Medinilla multiflora Merr. (Melastomataceae) on Mt Makiling, Philippines

An investigation into the reproductive biology of Medinilla multiflora Merr. (Melastomataceae) from Mt Makiling, Luzon, is presented. This includes a morphological and distributional examination of the population on the mountain, the documentation of reproductive phenological patterns, a study of the mating system and observations of biotic interactions. Measurements were made of trait variability, reproductive phenology was characterised from field and herbarium observations, stigmatic receptivity was tested by counting pollen germination, insect exclusion and hand-pollination experiments helped determine the mating system and field observations recorded the identity and behaviour of floral visitors. Significant reproductive morphological differences were found between described populations. This identified a need for the recognition of this diversity and further delimitation of the Medinilla multiflora species complex. Although Medinilla multiflora produced flowers and fruit year-round, the population also exhibited cycles of increased reproduction most likely initiated by seasonal low temperatures. Medinilla multiflora was found to require pollination but not cross-pollination. Two major peaks in stigmatic receptivity occurred throughout the day and the majority of pollen was found to be viable. Generalist bees proved to be the primary pollinators of the study population and were most active in the morning depending on weather conditions. Generalist pollinators and self-compatibility are advantageous traits for establishment and persistence in isolated mountain habitats; however, losses of this habitat due to climate change could have profound consequences for the future success of Medinilla multiflora

Fall and Winter Movements of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Chukchi Sea and Within a Potential Petroleum Development Area

Working with subsistence whale hunters, we tagged 19 mostly immature bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) with satellite-linked transmitters between May 2006 and September 2008 and documented their movements in the Chukchi Sea from late August through December. From Point Barrow, Alaska, most whales moved west through the Chukchi Sea between 71˚ and 74˚ N latitude; nine whales crossed in six to nine days. Three whales returned to Point Barrow for 13 to 33 days, two after traveling 300 km west and one after traveling ~725 km west to Wrangel Island, Russia; two then crossed the Chukchi Sea again while the other was the only whale to travel south along the Alaskan side of the Chukchi Sea. Seven whales spent from one to 21 days near Wrangel Island before moving south to northern Chukotka. Whales spent an average of 59 days following the Chukotka coast southeastward. Kernel density analysis identified Point Barrow, Wrangel Island, and the northern coast of Chukotka as areas of greater use by bowhead whales that might be important for feeding. All whales traveled through a potential petroleum development area at least once. Most whales crossed the development area in less than a week; however, one whale remained there for 30 days.De concert avec les pêcheurs de baleines de subsistance, nous avons apposé des transmetteurs satellitaires sur 19 baleines boréales (Balaena mysticetus) pour la plupart immatures entre les mois de mai 2006 et septembre 2008, puis nous avons tenu compte de leurs mouvements dans la mer de Tchoukotka de la fin août jusqu'au mois de décembre. À partir de Point Barrow, en Alaska, la plupart des baleines se déplaçaient vers l'ouest dans la mer de Tchoukotka entre 71˚ et 74˚ N de latitude; neuf baleines ont fait la traversée en six à neuf jours. Trois baleines ont regagné Point Barrow pendant 13 à 33 jours, dont deux après avoir franchi 300 kilomètres en direction ouest et une après avoir franchi environ 725 kilomètres en direction ouest jusqu'à l'île Wrangel, en Russie; ensuite, deux baleines ont traversé la mer de Tchoukotka de nouveau tandis que l'autre était la seule baleine à se déplacer vers le sud le long du côté de la mer de Tchoukotka situé en Alaska. Sept baleines ont passé de un à 21 jours près de l'île Wrangel avant d'aller au sud du côté nord de Tchoukotka. Les baleines ont passé, en moyenne, 59 jours à suivre la côte de Tchoukotka vers le sud-est. L'analyse de la densité des noyaux a permis de déterminer que Point Barrow, l'île Wrangel et la côte nord de Tchoukotka sont des régions plus grandement utilisées par les baleines boréales, régions qui peuvent être importantes aux fins de l'alimentation. Toutes les baleines ont traversé une zone de mise en valeur éventuelle du pétrole au moins une fois. La plupart des baleines ont traversé la zone de mise en valeur en moins d'une semaine. Cela dit, une baleine est restée à cet endroit pendant 30 jours

Winter Movements of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Bering Sea

Working with subsistence whale hunters, we tagged bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) with satellite-linked transmitters and documented their movements in the Bering Sea during two winters. We followed 11 whales through the winter of 2008 – 09 and 10 whales in 2009 – 10. The average date that bowhead whales entered the Bering Sea was 14 December in 2008 and 26 November in 2009. All but one tagged whale entered the Bering Sea west of Big Diomede Island. In the winter of 2008 – 09, whales were distributed in a line extending from the Bering Strait to Cape Navarin, whereas in 2009 – 10, the distribution shifted south of St. Lawrence Island, extending from Cape Navarin to St. Matthew Island. Bowhead whales were most likely to be found in areas with 90% – 100% sea-ice concentration and were generally located far from the ice edge and polynyas. The average date whales left the Bering Sea was 12 April in 2009 and 22 April in 2010. During the spring migration, all whales but one traveled north along the Alaska coast to summering grounds in the Canadian Beaufort. The remaining whale migrated a month later and traveled up the northern coast of Chukotka, where it was located when the tag stopped transmitting in August. It is unlikely that this whale migrated to the Beaufort Sea before returning south to winter within the Bering Sea, indicating the movements of bowhead whales are more complex than generally believed. Declining sea ice in the Bering Sea may result in the expansion of commercial fisheries and shipping; areas where such activities may overlap the winter range of bowhead whales include the Bering and Anadyr straits, the eastern edge of Anadyr Bay, and St. Matthew Island.Avec l’aide de pêcheurs de baleine de subsistance, nous avons marqué des baleines boréales (Balaena mysticetus) au moyen de transmetteurs en liaison avec un satellite et répertorié leurs mouvements au cours de deux hivers dans la mer de Béring. Nous avons suivi 11 baleines pendant l’hiver 2008-2009 et dix baleines en 2009-2010. En 2008, les baleines boréales sont entrées dans la mer de Béring le 14 décembre en moyenne, tandis qu’en 2009, elles sont arrivées le 26 novembre. À l’exception d’une baleine, toutes les baleines marquées ayant pénétré dans la mer de Béring sont passées par l’ouest de la grande île Diomède. À l’hiver 2008-2009, le parcours des baleines s’étendait en ligne depuis le détroit de Béring jusqu’au cap Navarin, tandis qu’en 2009-2010, le parcours s’est déplacé vers le sud de l’île Saint-Laurent, s’étendant ainsi du cap Navarin jusqu’à l’île Saint-Mathieu. Les baleines boréales étaient plus susceptibles de se retrouver dans les endroits dont la glace de mer a une concentration allant de 90 à 100 %. Généralement, elles se tiennent loin des lisières de glace et des polynies. En 2009, la date moyenne à laquelle les baleines ont quitté la mer de Beaufort était le 12 avril, tandis qu’en 2010, cette date était le 22 avril. Pendant la migration printanière, toutes les baleines, sauf une, se sont déplacées vers le nord le long de la côte de l’Alaska pour se rendre à leur aire d’estivage dans la partie canadienne de Beaufort. L’autre baleine a fait sa migration un mois plus tard et s’est déplacée le long de la côte nord de Tchoukotka, là où elle avait été repérée lorsque son marqueur a cessé ses transmissions en août. Il est improbable que cette baleine ait migré dans la mer de Beaufort avant de revenir vers le sud pour passer l’hiver dans la mer de Béring, ce qui indique que les mouvements des baleines boréales sont plus complexes qu’on ne le croyait antérieurement. La perte de glace de mer dans la mer de Béring pourrait se traduire par l’intensification des activités de pêche commerciale et d’expédition de marchandises. Les endroits où ces activités pourraient chevaucher le parcours d’hiver des baleines boréales comprennent les détroits de Béring et d’Anadyr, le côté est de la baie d’Anadyr et l’île Saint-Mathieu

The Northwest Passage opens for bowhead whales

The loss of Arctic sea ice is predicted to open up the Northwest Passage, shortening shipping routes and facilitating the exchange of marine organisms between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Here, we present the first observations of distribution overlap of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the two oceans in the Northwest Passage, demonstrating this route is already connecting whales from two populations that have been assumed to be separated by sea ice. Previous satellite tracking has demonstrated that bowhead whales from West Greenland and Alaska enter the ice-infested channels of the Canadian High Arctic during summer. In August 2010, two bowhead whales from West Greenland and Alaska entered the Northwest Passage from opposite directions and spent approximately 10 days in the same area, documenting overlap between the two populations

Use of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea by Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) Tagged with Satellite Transmitters, 2006 – 18

We used satellite telemetry to examine bowhead whale movement behavior, residence times, and dive behavior in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, 2006 – 18. We explored the timing and duration of use of three subregions (western, central, eastern) within the Alaskan Beaufort Sea and applied a two-state switching state-space model to infer bowhead whale behavior state as either transiting or lingering. Transiting whales made direct movements whereas lingering whales changed direction frequently and were presumably feeding. In spring, whales migrated across the Alaskan Beaufort Sea in 7.17 ± 0.41 days, primarily off the continental shelf over deep water. During the autumn migration, whales spent over twice as much time crossing the Alaskan Beaufort Sea than in spring, averaging 18.66 ± 2.30 days, spending 10.05 ± 1.22 days in the western subregion near Point Barrow. Most whales remained on the shelf during the autumn migration and frequently dove to the seafloor, where they spent 45% of their time regardless of behavioral state. Consistent dive behavior in autumn suggests that the whales were looking for food while migrating, and the identification of lingering locations likely reflects feeding. The lack of lingering locations in the eastern and central subregions suggests that prey densities are rarely sufficient to warrant whales pausing their migration for multiple days, unlike in the western subregion near Point Barrow, where bowhead whales regularly lingered for long periods of time.À l’aide de la télémétrie satellitaire, nous avons examiné les comportements de déplacement des baleines boréales, leurs temps de séjour et leurs comportements de plongée dans les eaux alaskiennes de la mer de Beaufort entre 2006 et 2018. Nous avons exploré le moment et la durée d’utilisation de trois sous-régions (ouest, centre et est) des eaux alaskiennes de la mer de Beaufort et appliqué un modèle à changement binaire espace-état afin de déduire l’état du comportement des baleines boréales comme étant soit en mode transit, soit en mode flânerie. Les baleines en mode transit se déplaçaient de manière directe, tandis que celles en mode flânerie changeaient souvent de direction et étaient probablement en train de se nourrir. Au printemps, les baleines migraient dans les eaux alaskiennes de la mer de Beaufort en 7,17 ± 0,41 jours, principalement au large du plateau continental, dans les profondeurs. Durant la migration automnale, les baleines passaient plus de deux fois plus de temps à traverser les eaux alaskiennes de la mer de Beaufort qu’au printemps, en moyenne 18,66 ± 2,30 jours, passant 10,05 ± 1,22 jours dans la sous-région de l’ouest, près de Point Barrow. Pendant la migration automnale, la plupart des baleines restaient dans le plateau continental et plongeaient souvent jusqu’au plancher océanique, où elles passaient 45 % de leur temps, peu importe leur état de comportement. À l’automne, le comportement de plongée régulier suggère que les baleines étaient à la recherche de nourriture pendant leur migration, et les lieux où elles flânaient étaient vraisemblablement indicateurs d’un mode d’alimentation. L’absence de lieux de flânerie dans les sous-régions de l’est et du centre suggère que la densité des proies est rarement suffisante pour que les baleines justifient d’interrompre leur migration pendant plusieurs jours, contrairement à la sous-région de l’ouest, près de Point Barrow, où les baleines boréales flânaient régulièrement pendant de longues périodes

Movements and Inferred Foraging by Bowhead Whales in the Canadian Beaufort Sea during August and September, 2006–12

Each spring, most bowhead whales of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) population migrate to the southeast Beaufort Sea and summer in Canadian waters. In August and September, they form aggregations, which are known to occur mainly in the shallow, shelf waters when oceanographic conditions promote concentration of their zooplankton prey. The movements of individual bowheads while they occupy these late summer habitats are less well known; our knowledge is based on photographic evidence and limited tagging studies conducted from 1982 to 2000. In this study, 85% (17) of the 20 satellite-tagged whales that could have spent some time in the Canadian portion of the Beaufort Sea during late summer 2006 to 2012 spent all or part of August and September there. We analyzed location data for 16 whales, using a two-state switching correlated random walk (CRW) behavioural model, and classified locations in the Canadian waters as associated with lingering behaviour (inferred foraging) or directed travel. We found that these whales spent the greatest proportion of their time lingering (59%), followed by traveling (22%), and transitioning between lingering and traveling (19%). Using only lingering locations for these tagged whales in all study years pooled, we calculated kernel densities and defined five areas within the 75% density contour as aggregation areas. Together, the five aggregation areas we defined comprised 25 341 km2, 14.1% of the total area used by these tagged whales in Canadian waters during August and September of the deployment years. Three aggregation areas were located in shallow waters of the Beaufort Sea Shelf and were used almost exclusively by immature tagged whales in our sample. Two other aggregation areas were observed, one in Darnley Bay and one in Viscount Melville Sound in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Each of these was used by one mature whale. Tagged whales were observed to use one or two aggregation areas in a single season, and rarely more. The proportion of lingering time spent in each aggregation area was highly variable among individuals. The largest aggregation area (10 877 km2), located over the Beaufort Shelf north of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula (5 – 52 m depth), was used by 13 of the 16 tagged whales, almost exclusively by the immature whales, including three of four that were tracked in two consecutive summers. The Beaufort Shelf overall (and possibly the Tuktoyaktuk Shelf, including the Outer Shelf, in particular) was especially important for immature bowhead whales, while mature whales used habitats beyond the Beaufort Shelf during late summer. Findings may be important to inform both decisions on management and mitigative actions relating to bowhead whale use of the Beaufort Shelf and studies that aim to improve our understanding of the prey base of BCB bowhead whales in the Canadian Beaufort Sea region.Tous les printemps, la plupart des baleines boréales de la population de Béring-Tchouktches-Beaufort (BCB) migrent vers le sud-est de la mer de Beaufort et passent l’été dans les eaux canadiennes. En août et en septembre, elles forment des agrégations, principalement dans les eaux de plateau peu profondes lorsque les conditions océanographiques favorisent la concentration du zooplancton, qui leur sert de proie. Individuellement, les déplacements des baleines boréales qui occupent ces habitats en fin d’été sont moins connus. Nos connaissances sont fondées sur des preuves photographiques ainsi que sur des études de marquage restreint réalisées entre 1982 et 2000. Dans le cadre de la présente étude, 85 % (17) des 20 baleines pistées par satellite qui auraient pu passer du temps dans la partie canadienne de la mer de Beaufort vers la fin de l’été de 2006 à 2012 y ont passé les mois d’août et de septembre, en totalité ou en partie. Nous avons analysé les données de localisation de16 baleines à l’aide d’un modèle de comportement de marche aléatoire corrélée à commutation binaire, et classé les localisations dans les eaux canadiennes comme relevant d’un comportement de traînage (présupposition de comportement d’alimentation) ou comme relevant de déplacements orientés. Nous avons constaté que ces baleines passaient la plus grande partie de leur temps à traîner (59 %), à se déplacer (22 %), et à faire la transition entre traîner et se déplacer (19 %). En n’utilisant que les localisations de traînage des baleines pistées pour toutes les années à l’étude, nous avons calculé les noyaux de densité et défini cinq zones à l’intérieur du contour de la densité de 75 % à titre de zones d’agrégation. Ensemble, les cinq zones d’agrégation que nous avons définies s’étendent sur 25 341 km2, soit 14,1 % de la zone totale utilisée par ces baleines pistées dans les eaux canadiennes en août et en septembre des années de déploiement. Trois zones d’agrégation étaient situées dans les eaux peu profondes du plateau de la mer de Beaufort, et ces zones étaient principalement utilisées par les baleines immatures pistées dans notre échantillon. Deux autres agrégations ont été observées, une dans la baie Darnley et l’autre dans le détroit du Vicomte de Melville situés dans la partie canadienne de l’archipel Arctique. Chacun de ces endroits était utilisé par une baleine adulte. Des baleines pistées ont été aperçues dans une ou deux zones d’agrégation au cours d’une même saison, rarement plus. La proportion du temps passé à traîner dans chaque zone d’agrégation variait beaucoup d’un individu à l’autre. La plus grande zone d’agrégation (10 877 km2), située sur le plateau de la mer de Beaufort au nord de la péninsule de Tuktoyaktuk (d’une profondeur de 5 à 52 m), était utilisée par 13 des 16 baleines pistées, presque toujours des baleines immatures, dont trois sur quatre ont été repérées pendant deux étés consécutifs. Dans l’ensemble, le plateau de la mer de Beaufort (et peut-être le plateau de Tuktoyaktuk, y compris la zone externe du plateau, en particulier) revêtait une importance particulière pour les baleines boréales immatures, tandis que les baleines adultes se servaient des habitats situés au-delà du plateau de la mer de Beaufort vers la fin de l’été. Ces constatations pourraient jouer un rôle important quand vient le temps d’éclairer tant les décisions en matière de gestion et de mesures d’atténuation se rapportant à l’utilisation que fait la baleine boréale du plateau de la mer de Beaufort que les études visant à améliorer notre compréhension de la composition des proies des baleines boréales de BCB dans la région canadienne de la mer de Beaufort

Ecological characteristics of core-use areas used by Bering–Chukchi–Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whales, 2006–2012

© The Author(s), 2014]. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Progress in Oceanography 136 (2015): 201-222, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2014.08.012.The Bering–Chukchi–Beaufort (BCB) population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) ranges across the seasonally ice-covered waters of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. We used locations from 54 bowhead whales, obtained by satellite telemetry between 2006 and 2012, to define areas of concentrated use, termed “core-use areas”. We identified six primary core-use areas and describe the timing of use and physical characteristics (oceanography, sea ice, and winds) associated with these areas. In spring, most whales migrated from wintering grounds in the Bering Sea to the Cape Bathurst polynya, Canada (Area 1), and spent the most time in the vicinity of the halocline at depths <75 m, which are within the euphotic zone, where calanoid copepods ascend following winter diapause. Peak use of the polynya occurred between 7 May and 5 July; whales generally left in July, when copepods are expected to descend to deeper depths. Between 12 July and 25 September, most tagged whales were located in shallow shelf waters adjacent to the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Canada (Area 2), where wind-driven upwelling promotes the concentration of calanoid copepods. Between 22 August and 2 November, whales also congregated near Point Barrow, Alaska (Area 3), where east winds promote upwelling that moves zooplankton onto the Beaufort shelf, and subsequent relaxation of these winds promoted zooplankton aggregations. Between 27 October and 8 January, whales congregated along the northern shore of Chukotka, Russia (Area 4), where zooplankton likely concentrated along a coastal front between the southeastward-flowing Siberian Coastal Current and northward-flowing Bering Sea waters. The two remaining core-use areas occurred in the Bering Sea: Anadyr Strait (Area 5), where peak use occurred between 29 November and 20 April, and the Gulf of Anadyr (Area 6), where peak use occurred between 4 December and 1 April; both areas exhibited highly fractured sea ice. Whales near the Gulf of Anadyr spent almost half of their time at depths between 75 and 100 m, usually near the seafloor, where a subsurface front between cold Anadyr Water and warmer Bering Shelf Water presumably aggregates zooplankton. The amount of time whales spent near the seafloor in the Gulf of Anadyr, where copepods (in diapause) and, possibly, euphausiids are expected to aggregate provides strong evidence that bowhead whales are feeding in winter. The timing of bowhead spring migration corresponds with when zooplankton are expected to begin their spring ascent in April. The core-use areas we identified are also generally known from other studies to have high densities of whales and we are confident these areas represent the majority of important feeding areas during the study (2006–2012). Other feeding areas, that we did not detect, likely existed during the study and we expect core-use area boundaries to shift in response to changing hydrographic conditions.This study is part of the Synthesis of Arctic Research (SOAR) and was funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program through Interagency Agreement No. M11PG00034 with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). Funding for this research was mainly provided by U.S. Minerals Management Service (now Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) under contracts M12PC00005, M10PS00192, and 01-05-CT39268, with the support and assistance from Charles Monnett and Jeffery Denton, and under Interagency Agreement No. M08PG20021 with NOAA-NMFS and Contract No. M10PC00085 with ADF&G. Work in Canada was also funded by the Fisheries Joint Management Committee, Ecosystem Research Initiative (DFO), and Panel for Energy Research and Development

Projecting marine mammal distribution in a changing climate

Climate-related shifts in marine mammal range and distribution have been observed in some populations; however, the nature and magnitude of future responses are uncertain in novel environments projected under climate change. This poses a challenge for agencies charged with management and conservation of these species. Specialized diets, restricted ranges, or reliance on specific substrates or sites (e.g., for pupping) make many marine mammal populations particularly vulnerable to climate change. High-latitude, predominantly ice-obligate, species have experienced some of the largest changes in habitat and distribution and these are expected to continue. Efforts to predict and project marine mammal distributions to date have emphasized data-driven statistical habitat models. These have proven successful for short time-scale (e.g., seasonal) management activities, but confidence that such relationships will hold for multi-decade projections and novel environments is limited. Recent advances in mechanistic modeling of marine mammals (i.e., models that rely on robust physiological and ecological principles expected to hold under climate change) may address this limitation. The success of such approaches rests on continued advances in marine mammal ecology, behavior, and physiology together with improved regional climate projections. The broad scope of this challenge suggests initial priorities be placed on vulnerable species or populations (those already experiencing declines or projected to undergo ecological shifts resulting from climate changes that are consistent across climate projections) and species or populations for which ample data already exist (with the hope that these may inform climate change sensitivities in less well observed species or populations elsewhere). The sustained monitoring networks, novel observations, and modeling advances required to more confidently project marine mammal distributions in a changing climate will ultimately benefit management decisions across time-scales, further promoting the resilience of marine mammal populations

Marine mammal hotspots across the circumpolar Arctic

Aim: Identify hotspots and areas of high species richness for Arctic marine mammals. Location: Circumpolar Arctic. Methods: A total of 2115 biologging devices were deployed on marine mammals from 13 species in the Arctic from 2005 to 2019. Getis-Ord Gi* hotspots were calculated based on the number of individuals in grid cells for each species and for phyloge-netic groups (nine pinnipeds, three cetaceans, all species) and areas with high spe-cies richness were identified for summer (Jun-Nov), winter (Dec-May) and the entire year. Seasonal habitat differences among species’ hotspots were investigated using Principal Component Analysis. Results: Hotspots and areas with high species richness occurred within the Arctic continental-shelf seas and within the marginal ice zone, particularly in the “Arctic gateways” of the north Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Summer hotspots were generally found further north than winter hotspots, but there were exceptions to this pattern, including bowhead whales in the Greenland-Barents Seas and species with coastal distributions in Svalbard, Norway and East Greenland. Areas with high species rich-ness generally overlapped high-density hotspots. Large regional and seasonal dif-ferences in habitat features of hotspots were found among species but also within species from different regions. Gap analysis (discrepancy between hotspots and IUCN ranges) identified species and regions where more research is required. Main conclusions: This study identified important areas (and habitat types) for Arctic marine mammals using available biotelemetry data. The results herein serve as a benchmark to measure future distributional shifts. Expanded monitoring and teleme-try studies are needed on Arctic species to understand the impacts of climate change and concomitant ecosystem changes (synergistic effects of multiple stressors). While efforts should be made to fill knowledge gaps, including regional gaps and more com-plete sex and age coverage, hotspots identified herein can inform management ef-forts to mitigate the impacts of human activities and ecological changes, including creation of protected areas

Medinilla theresae (Melastomataceae), a new species from ultramafic soils in the Philippines

A new species, Medinilla theresae Fernando, from ultramafic soils on Dinagat and Mindanao Islands, Philippines is described and illustrated. The species is characterized by its terrestrial erect habit, non-setose nodes, 3-plinerved, lanceolate and coriaceous leaves arranged in whorls, cauline or axillary and pendulous inflorescences, rounded flower buds, 4-merous flowers, and straight anthers. It is compared with other similar species in the Medinilla pendula Merr. complex