Maria Celia (Machel) Malay

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of the Philippines

The diversity on coral reefs has long captivated observers. We examine the mechanisms of speciation, role of ecology in speciation, and patterns of species distribution in a typical reef-associated clade-the diverse and colorful Calcinus hermit crabs-to address the origin of tropical marine diversity. We sequenced COI, 16S, and H3 gene regions for...

Effective conservation requires rigorous baselines of pristine conditions to assess the impacts of human activities and to evaluate the efficacy of management. Most coral reefs are moderately to severely degraded by local human activities such as fishing and pollution as well as global change, hence it is difficult to separate local from global eff...

We document the current status of the enigmatic bright-red anchialine shrimps in Tiniguiban Islet in the western Visayas region of the Philippines. A second epigeal anchialine pool was discovered in nearby Hinlaran Islet, and two shrimp species were recorded in the pools, the large barbouriid Parhippolyte uveae Borradaile, 1900 as previously report...

The Mariana Islands consist of two volcanic island arc chains, one volcanically inactive frontal arc in the Southern Marianas and a younger, volcanically active arc in the Northern Marianas. Given their extreme remoteness, the hermit crab fauna of the uninhabited northern islands are little-known. In this study we collected and examined hermit crab...

Pyrgomatid barnacles are a family of balanomorphs uniquely adapted to symbiosis on corals. The evolution of the coral-dwelling barnacles is explored using a multi-gene phylogeny (COI, 16S, 12S, 18S, and H3) and phenotypic trait-mapping. We found that the hydrocoral associate Wanella should be excluded, while some archaeobalanids in the genus Armato...

This annotated checklist documents the diversity of cartilaginous fishes, including sharks, batoids (rays and skates), and chimaeras, from Panay and Guimaras islands, Western Visayas, Philippines, through surveys at fish markets and ports. A total of fourteen species were sampled and identified, including one chimaera, six sharks, and seven batoids...

The Visayan Spotted Deer (VSD), or Rusa alfredi, is an endangered and endemic species in the Philippines. Despite its status, genomic information on R. alfredi, and the genus Rusa in general, is missing. This study presents the first draft genome assembly of the VSD using the Illumina short-read sequencing technology. The resulting RusAlf_1.1 assem...

The Visayan Spotted Deer ( Rusa alfredi ) is an endangered and endemic species in the Philippines facing significant threats from habitat loss and hunting. It is considered as the world’s most threatened deer species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) thus its conservation has been a top priority. Despite its status, there...

A new species of lizardfish, Saurida weijeni sp. nov., from deep water of the outer slope of the North Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha), South China Sea, and Guimaras Island, Western Visayas region of the Philippines, is described and figured. The new species is distinguished by the following combination of characteristics: dorsal fin with 11-12 rays;...

In this study, we report the collection of moray eel species Gymnothorax nudivomer (Günther, 1867) and Strophidon dorsalis (Seale, 1917) from the Western Visayas region, Philippines. Both represent new records for the country. A single specimen of G. nudivomer measuring 619 mm total length (TL) was collected from Iloilo Fish Port Complex, Iloilo an...

Two species of land hermit crabs, Coenobita longitarsis De Man, 1902 and C. pseudorugosus Nakasone, 1988 were described based on female specimens from Maluku, Indonesia and specimens from Cebu, the Philippines, respectively. However, no confirmed records of either species have been reported since their original descriptions. In this study, we exami...

Genome size is a fundamental biological trait that is known to exhibit high diversity among eukaryotic species, but its intraspecific diversity has only scarcely been studied to date. In scleractinian corals, genome size data are only available for a few species. In this study, intra- and interspecific variations in genome size of the coral genus A...

A new record of the diogenid hermit crab Dardanus callichela Cook 1989 is described from the Visayan Sea, Central Philippines. Four specimens of D. callichela were caught in fish traps deployed at depths of about 30–40 m adjacent to islands to the north (Nagarao Island, Masbate) and south (Baliguian Island, Iloilo) of the Visayan Sea. The morpholog...

A single specimen of Plectranthias yamakawai Yoshino, 1972, 168.86 mm SL, obtained in a fish market in Zambales, Philippines, represents the first report in the country. Currently, the fish is only known to occur in Japan, Taiwan, and Samoa Islands. This anthiadine fish varies from other species of genus Plectranthias by having 30–33 lateral-line s...

A single specimen of Plectranthias yamakawai Yoshino, 1972, 168.86 mm SL, obtained in a fish market in Zambales, Philippines, represents the first report in the country. Currently, the fish is only known to occur in Japan, Taiwan, and Samoa Islands. This anthiadine fish varies from other species of genus Plectranthias by having 30–33 lateral-line s...

The diogenid hermit crab genus Pseudopaguristes McLaughlin, 2002 is currently represented by 15 species worldwide. In this study, we describe a new species of the genus, P. flavioculus, based on a unique male holotype from off Sarigan, Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, at depth of 131–133 m. The new species appears similar to the type species o...

We report the occurrence of Habenaria gibsonii var. foetida Blatt. & McCann on Panay Island in the Philippines. Our new records represent the easternmost distribution of this species, and also the first in the Malesian region. We present a full description, photographs, updated distribution map, and notes on allied taxa, ecology, and conservation s...

We describe three new species of hermit crab of the pagurid genera, Catapagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, Nematopagurus A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1892 and Pagurixus Melin, 1939, on the basis of material collected during the scientific cruise to the Northern Mariana Islands conducted by the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration...

We report the semi-terrestrial shrimp Merguia oligodon (De Man, 1888) (Merguiidae Christofferson, 1987) from surveys of the mangrove forests fringing Taklong Island, Guimaras, Western Visayas, Philippines. This remarkable species is capable of walking and even jumping on dry land. We found that the Taklong Island population is fully nocturnal, and...

Echinometra mathaei is a species complex with its constituent reproductively-isolated species informally called A, B, C and D based on studies done in Okinawa and the Red Sea. Little research has been done on this genus, and to our knowledge no studies have been done on the E. mathaei complex in the Philippines. To help clarify species delineations...

Echinometra mathaei is a species complex with its constituent reproductively-isolated species informally called A, B, C and D based on studies done in Okinawa and the Red Sea. Little research has been done on this genus, and to our knowledge no studies have been done on the E. mathaei complex in the Philippines. To help clarify species delineations...

Echinometra mathaei is a species complex with its constituent reproductively-isolated species informally called A, B, C and D based on studies done in Okinawa and the Red Sea. Little research has been done on this genus, and to our knowledge no studies have been done on the E. mathaei complex in the Philippines. To help clarify species delineations...

Sea urchins are keystone herbivores that greatly influence primary productivity, algal abundance and scleractinian coral recruitment. The long-spined black sea urchin Diadema setosum is widespread and abundant in reef flats throughout the Philippines. Prior studies regarding the feeding preference of D. setosum have been conducted overseas, but lit...

Sea urchins are keystone herbivores that greatly influence primary productivity, algal abundance and scleractinian coral recruitment. The long-spined black sea urchin Diadema setosum is widespread and abundant in reef flats throughout the Philippines. Prior studies regarding the feeding preference of D. setosum have been conducted overseas, but lit...

The PANGLAO 2004 expedition in the central Visayas region of the Philippines revealed the occurrence of 43 species of diogenid hermit crabs of the genera Calcinus, Clibanarius, and Dardanus in the Philippines. Using morphological, colour pattern, and mitochondrial DNA evidence, the Dardanus lagopodes (Forskål, 1775) complex is revised with the vali...

Coral-dwelling pyrgomatid barnacles (subfamily Ceratoconchinae) were widely dispersed throughout the Paratethys and Mediterranean seas as well as the Atlantic Ocean during the Neogene, but today are limited to the Western Atlantic. Herein, the paleobiogeographic origin and dispersal of the genus Ceratoconcha is studied based on a combination of fie...

In March 2012, the authors met at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, North Carolina, USA, to discuss approaches and cooperative ventures in Indo-Pacific phylogeography. The group emerged with a series of findings: (1) Marine population structure is complex, but single locus mtDNA studies continue to provide powerful fir...

Abstract—An inventory of the Decapoda was compiled during a Biodiversité, Ressources et Conservation des Récifs Coralliens des Iles Eparses (BIORECIE) expedition to Europa Island in 7-12 November 2011 and incorporated in a checklist with previous records. In total, 176 decapods have been collected at Europa Island, including 62 new records. The Dec...

A new species of Calcinus is described from western Pacific material, including specimens previously identified as Cal-cinus anani Poupin & McLaughlin, 1998. The new species C. fuscus n. sp. differs from C. anani in the colouration in life, and their specific distinction is genetically supported by the barcoding gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI). The...

A new species of Calcinus is described from western Pacific material, including specimens previously identified as Calcinus anani Poupin & McLaughlin, 1998. The new species C. fuscus n. sp. differs from C. anani in the colouration in life, and their specific distinction is genetically supported by the barcoding gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI). The...

Reconnaissance d'espèces jumelles proches de Ciliopagurus strigatus (Herbst, 1804), avec la description d'une nouvelle espèce de Polynésie française (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae). Quatre Bernard-l'ermite du genre Ciliopagurus sont identifiés comme appartenant à un complexe d'espèces nommé «complexe strigatus». Ils sont récoltés dans le...

Grow-out culture of sea urchins in sea cages was developed as a means to enhance the recovery of depleted natural populations and to provide a supplemental source of income for fisherfolk. To improve reproductive output and commercial value of hatchery-produced sea urchins, the effects of food type, stocking density and grow-out site on test diamet...

Historical accounts of shark abundance in the Line Islands. (0.05 MB DOC)

Annual Fish Catch for Export on Kiritimati (0.66 MB TIF)

Aquarium reef fish catch for export at Kiritimati (April–December, 2005). (0.03 MB DOC)

Non-coral invertebrate abundance on the northern Line Islands. (0.12 MB DOC)

Non-coral invertebrate data analysis: Median test for comparison of species abundance between atolls. (0.05 MB DOC)

Map of the central Pacific, including atolls of the Line and Phoenix Islands. Colors reflect mean sea surface temperatures for August 2005. Note the latitudinal gradient of temperature determined by meeting of the equatorial current and countercurrent (3.43 MB TIF)

The gradient of human disturbance in the northern Line Islands: Population, fishing, and waste. (0.05 MB DOC)

Population data for the northern Line Islands (0.05 MB TIF)

Total annual reef fish catch at Kiritimati (0.68 MB TIF)

Grow-out culture in sea cages and restocking were undertaken to help rebuild the spawning population of Tripneustes gratilla in Bolinao, Philippines. Higher population densities and incidence of recruits in 2004–2006, as well as steady increase in the catch per unit effort of gatherers, indicate that the sea urchin population is recovering. Growth...

A preliminary study was conducted on the environmental impact of sea urchin (Tripneustes gratilla Linnaeas) grow-out culture in Lucero, Bolinao, Pangasinan. It was hypothesized that the feces generated by the caged urchins (~6,000 individuals at any one time) might cause localised sediment organic enrichment and subsequent shifts in benthic faunal...

The genetic structure of the sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla was investigated for six wild populations in western Luzon and eastern Philippines and one batch of hatchery-reared sea urchins. Analysis of six polymorphic allozyme loci revealed low levels of genetic differentiation (Nei's unbiased D = 0.0 - 0.014, overall FST =0.0122), implying extensi...