BIODIVERSITAS ISSN: 1412-033X Volume 23, Number 9, September 2022 E-ISSN: 2085-4722 Pages: 4810-4815 DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d230949 Anurans of select green spaces of Davao City, Mindanao Island, Philippines ELSA MAY DELIMA-BARON 1,2, , CYRELL ANN S. RUALES 3 , CHRISTIAN TRIPOLE 4 , MARIAN DARA T. TAGOON 1,5 , TREASEUR B. SUSULAN 6 1 School of Business Management, Education, Arts and Sciences, San Pedro College. Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines. Tel./fax.: +63-933-1908452,  email: elsa_baron@spcdavao.edu.ph 2 Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies, College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Philippines-Mindanao. Davao City, 8000, Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines 3 Graduate, Arts and Sciences Department, San Pedro College. Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines 4 Graduate, Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology. Mati City, 8200 Davao Oriental, Mindanao Island, Philippines 5 Faculty, Department of Biology, Davao Medical School Foundation, Medical School Drive. Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines 6 Faculty, Environmental Studies Department, College of Arts and Science Education, University of Mindanao. Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines Manuscript received: 17 July 2022. Revision accepted: 13 September 2022. Abstract. Delima-Baron EM, Ruales CAS, Tripole C. Tagoon MDT, Susulan TB. 2022. Anurans of select green spaces of Davao City, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Biodiversitas 23: 4810-4815. Data on anurans in green spaces, especially in highly urbanized cities, including Davao, is still very limited. We present for the first time a checklist of anuran species from six green spaces of Davao City previously not surveyed for anuran data. Anurans were documented from January to April 2019 using visual encounter techniques coupled with microhabitat searches on several nocturnal surveys. Eighteen species representing seven families were recorded. Three endemic species: Pelophryne brevipes, Fejervarya moodiei, and F. vittigera, were added to the current list of anurans known from green spaces of Davao City, bringing the total known species for Davao City to 23. Thirteen of the species recorded are endemic. Two species under the Near Threatened category of IUCN, Limnonectes magnus and Sanguirana everetti, were also documented. The study also accounted for four invasive species: Rhinella marina, Eleutherodactylus planirostris, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, and Kaloula pulchra. However, these species were encountered only in sites with artificial structures nearby, prominent noise, and has less heterogeneous vegetation. Data adds to the limited account of anurans in Davao City’s green spaces. Adding more species also implies that the list of anurans from Davao City’s green spaces is far from complete. Exploration of other green spaces available in the city is necessary to fully understand anuran species composition and the value of green spaces to the persistence of this taxon even in highly urbanized areas. Keywords: Ecology, frog inventory, invasive species, urban diversity, urban green landscape INTRODUCTION Green spaces are areas with vegetation, either artificial, secondary, or primary growth, including open spaces, urban parks, hedgerows, and gardens (Haaland and van den Bosch 2015). These areas are set aside for aesthetic, recreational, commercial, or conservation purposes (Irvine et al. 2010; Taylor and Hochuli 2017). Urban green spaces provide a continuum of remnant vegetation patches that could benefit different animal taxa, as revealed in studies (Milanovich et al. 2012; Lepczyk et al. 2017). These green spaces in urbanized areas can also serve as a refuge for native wildlife, including those species groups known to be globally declining (Goulson et al. 2002; Carrier and Beebee 2003; Irvine et al. 2010). The ecological value of interconnected green spaces in urban areas is prominent as it forms part of regional and national efforts on biodiversity conservation actions (Irvine et al. 2010) and thus promotes the persistence of wildlife species even in urban settings (Straka et al. 2016; Hamer et al. 2018). A taxon that can benefit from the green spaces found in urban areas is anurans, as reported in several accounts. Data from the study of Hamer et al. (2011) revealed that interconnected green spaces, even in highly urbanized areas, promote species richness of frogs as it prevents desiccation and direct exposure to predators. Puglis and Boone (2012) reported that Blanchard’s cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi) and green frogs (Rana clamitans) populations from Oxford, Ohio benefitted from green spaces such as buffered golf courses by acting as habitat havens for these species. Simple habitat enhancements in urban settings help keep populations of amphibians in Vietnam intact, as Holzer et al. (2017) reported. Required habitat-associated features include the presence of non-concrete banks, the existence of plants in aquatic areas, vegetated uplands surrounding possible breeding sites, and the occurrence of shallow spots. Increased green spaces were considered influential to the body size of the European Common Frog, Rana temporaria, and can be used to measure the species’ survivability (Niemeier et al. 2020). Populations of the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) persist in urbanized landscapes when terrestrial habitats are found adjacent to breeding sites (Green et al. 2020). Hutto and Barrett (2021) also reported that urban green spaces with a smaller network of roads may harbor reduced watertight surfaces, thus promoting anuran dispersal and sustainability.