China

In addition to the country's most famous endemic species, the Giant Panda (ARKive), mammals unique to China include the possibly extinct Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin (EDGE), the Hainan Gymnure (EDGE), the Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel (eol), Pere David's Rock Squirrel (Zootierliste), the Ili Pika (flickr), the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (ARKive), the Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey (ARKive), the Tibetan Macaque (ARKive), the Hainan Gibbon (ARKive), the Chinese Mountain Cat (National Geographic), the extinct in the wild Milu or Pere David's Deer (Ultimate Ungulate), the White-lipped Deer (Ultimate Ungulate), the Black Muntjac (ARKive), Przewalski's Gazelle (ARKive), and as a breeding species the Tibetan Antelope or Chiru (ARKive).

China is rich in pheasants found nowhere else including the Chinese Monal (ARKive), Reeves’s Pheasant (ARKive), Cabot's Tragopan (ARKive), and the Brown Eared Pheasant (BirdLife Int'l). The Pink-tailed Bunting (Creagrus) is sometimes considered to belong to a family of its own, the Urocynchramidae. Other endemic birds include the Giant Laughingthrush (OBC), the Slaty Bunting (IBC), the Silver Oriole (BirdLife Int'l), the Chinese Grouse (ARKive), the Tibetan Babax (ARKive), Roborovski's Rosefinch (IBC), Sillem's Mountain Finch (OBC), the Rusty-throated Parrotbill (ARKive), the Emei Shan Liocichla (ARKive), and the Sichuan Jay (IBC)

Reptiles known only from China include the Chinese Alligator (ARKive), the Chinese Crocodile Lizard (ARKive), the Splendid Japalure (Wikipedia), Gail's Eyelid Skink (flickr), the Hongyuan Toad-headed Agama (ADW), Swinhoe's Gecko (flickr), the recently described gecko Goniurosaurus yingdeensis (ms-goniurosaurus.de), the Tibetan Spring Snake (ARKive), the Twin-spotted Ratsnake (ratsnakes.com), the Mangshan Viper (ARKive), the Likiang Pitviper (Reptile Database), and the Golden-headed Box Turtle (Turtles of the World).

Amphibians exclusively found in China include the Shangcheng Stout Salamander (Naturalis), the Chinhai Spiny Newt (EDGE), the paddletail newts Pachytriton (Naturalis), the Hainan Flathead Toad Parapelophryne scalpta (ARKive), the Fujian Frog (ARKive), the Emei Moustache Toad (ARKive), and the toothed toads Oreolalax (ARKive). The Chinese Giant Salamander (EDGE) is the world's largest amphibian and the Concave-eared Torrent Frog Odorrana (or Amolops) tormota (EurekaAlert!) is notable for its ability to emit ultrasonic calls.

China is second only to Brazil in endemic freshwater fish species. Genera unique to China include the critically endangered Chinese Paddlefish Psephurus (Jay Capachi), Pseudexostoma (PlanetCatfish), the Beautiful Hillstream Loach Traccatichthys (Loaches Online), blind cave loaches Protocobitis (Google Books), the Chinese High Fin Sucker Myxocyprinus (James S Koga), the golden-line barbels Sinocyclocheilus (Science Museums of China), Rhinogobio (eol), Anabarilius (eol), Aspiorhynchus (SpringerLink pdf file), Pseudoperilampus (bottom at BHL), and the Slender Mandarinfish Coreosiniperca (Science Museums of China).

Butterflies restricted to China include the Three-tailed Bhutan Glory Bhutanitis thaidina (flickr), the Chinese Gifu Butterfly Luehdorfia chinensis (Science Museums of China), and the endemic genera Mesapia (Markku Savela), Sinonympha (BOLD), Gonerilia (Learn about Butterflies), Tatinga (Learn about Butterflies), and Davidina (SZMN). Other invertebrates unique to China include a land snail Stilpnodiscus stotzneri (Femorale), a freshwater mussel Pseudobaphia biesiana (MUSSELp), a freshwater crab Sinopotamon fukienense (Freshwater Crab Info), a huntsman spider Sinopoda yaojingensis (Endemic Spiders of China), a stag beetle Lucanus hermani (InsectaCulture), a ground beetle Aristochroa splendida (p. 12 of CAS pdf file), and the damselflies Sinosticta ogatai (Asia Dragonfly), Archineura incarnata (Asia Dragonfly), and Philosina buchi (Asia Dragonfly).

China has two endemic families of vascular plants. The Hardy Rubber Tree Eucommia ulmoides (ARKive) is the sole member of the Eucommiaceae and is extinct in the wild. The Maidenhair Tree Ginkgo biloba (Kew) is the sole member not only of an endemic family, the Ginkgoaceae, but also of the order Ginkgoales and the class Ginkgoopsida making it a true living fossil. Three other Chinese plants are sometimes placed in their own families: Acanthochlamys bracteata (Flora of China), the Yellowhorn Xanthoceras sorbifolia (MOBOT), and the Dove Tree Davidia involucrata (Wikipedia).

Additional endemic genera of plants include the Dawn Redwood Metasequoia (Wikipedia), the Jacktree Sinojackia (NCSU), the Tara Wingceltis Pteroceltis (NCSU), the Chinese Pearlbloom Tree Poliothyrsis (Salisbury Univ.), the Golden Larch Pseudolarix (Wikipedia), Paraisometrum (BBC), Pyrgophyllum (Smithsonian), and several orchids: Aceratorchis (asian flora), Nothodoritis (flickr), Ischnogyne (IOPSE), and Changnienia (flickr). Other spectacular plants unique to China include the Regal Lily Lilium regale (Nova), a gentian Gentiana hexaphylla (Flora of China), a primrose Primula blinii (Flora of China) and over 400 endemic Rhododendron species such as Rhododendron wardii (Biodiversity of the Hengduan Mountains).

The richest temperate country for endemics, China is included in several biodiversity hotspots: Mountains of Southwest China (CI), Mountains of Central Asia (CI), Indo-Burma (CI), and Himalaya (CI). Important aquatic areas include the Yangtze River and Lakes (WWF), the Xi Jiang or Pearl River (WWF), and the Southern Japan, Taiwan and Southern China coral reef hotspot (Reef Guardian pdf file).