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Lake Taal is one of the most significant lake ecosystems in tropical East Asia. In 2011, a review paper consolidated all known biodiversity and limno-ecological studies conducted in Lake Taal from the beginning of the 20th century all the way to the late 2000s. It highlighted that insufficient funding, inadequate long-term monitoring data, and the publication culture of that time impeded having a comprehensive understanding of the lake. Since then, much research work has been done in Lake Taal, especially during the past decade. This review paper provides an analysis and summary of the research work conducted in Lake Taal over the past 10 years. The recent decade has seen a steady increase in scientific interest in Lake Taal made evident by more scientists and institutions working on topics involving the lake. Research grants, collaborations, and publications have also significantly increased during the past 10 years. This has led to an improved understanding of the lake's biodiversity, ecology, and impacts of intensive aquaculture and the introduction of non-native species. Taken together, this paper presents a better understanding of Lake Taal, which can be utilized for the design and improvement of conservation, preservation, and management programs for this multi-use freshwater system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred eighty-three individuals of Glossogobius aureus, native to Lake Taal, Philippines, were collected in 2021–2022. Of these, 4 endohelminths were found and identified: Andracantha gravida (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae), Schyzocotyle acheilognathi (Platyhelminthes: Bothriocephalidae), Azygia sp. (Platyhelminthes: Azygiidae), and Opegaster minima (Platyhelminthes: Opecoelidae). These helminths represent new host records for G. aureus and provide novel contributions to the recent Philippine parasite biodiversity listing. Among these 4 helminths, Azygia sp. was the most prevalent, had the highest percent dominance and mean intensity, and had a broader range followed by S. acheilognathi, A. gravida, and O. minima, respectively. These findings highlight the need to further explore Lake Taal's parasitofauna, especially with regard to the invasion of S. acheilognathi, and the transmission specificity of O. minima, which can be utilized as a keystone parasite biomarker and in return aid in the management and conservation efforts in Lake Taal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]