Democratic Republic of the Congo

The DRC has several spectacular mammal species that occur nowhere else including two great apes, the Bonobo (Salonga) and Grauer’s Gorilla (IUCN). Other endemic primates include the Golden-bellied Mangabey (ARKive WM), the Lomami Red Colobus (IUCN), Wolf's Monkey (NEPC), the Dryas Monkey (EurekAlert!), and the Lesula (Mongabay). Other mammals exclusive to the DRC include the Aquatic Genet (ADW) (YouTube), the Upemba Lechwe (Google Books), Simpson's Blue Duiker (flickr), the Itombwe Duiker (GBIF), the Mount Kahuzi African Climbing Mouse (SysTax WM), Willard's Horseshoe Bat (BHL), and Thor's Hero Shrew (Nature). Endemic genera include the Okapi (ARKive WM) and two species of soft-furred mice in the recently recognized Congomys (africamuseum.be) (GBIF).

The Congo Peacock (ARKive WM), an endemic genus, is the only pheasant native to Africa. Other birds restricted to the country include the Congo Bay-owl (EDGE), Prigogine's Nightjar (africamuseum.be), Rockefeller’s Sunbird (Field Museum), Prigogine's Double-collared Sunbird (Google Books), Prigogine's Greenbul (africamuseum.be), Sassi's Olive Greenbul (africamuseum.be), the Yellow-crested Helmetshrike (eBird), the Lendu Crombec (Semantic Scholar), the Yellow-legged Weaver (Weaver Watch), the Lufira Masked Weaver (eBird) (Biodiversité au Katanga pdf), Chapin's Mountain Babbler (africamuseum.be), the Black-lored Waxbill (AMNH WM pdf), Bedford's Paradise-flycatcher (eBird), Grauer's Cuckooshrike (africamuseum.be), the Kabobo Apalis (africamuseum.be), and the Itombwe Flycatcher (Cornell).

Reptiles unique to the DRC include the Circular-scaled Chameleon Kinyongia gyrolepis (ResearchGate), the Mount Nzawa Forest Chameleon Kinyongia mulyai (ResearchGate), the Mount Nzawa Pygmy Chameleon Rhampholeon hattinghi (ResearchGate), the Kivu Blue-headed Tree Agama Acanthocercus kiwuensis (iNaturalist), Asukulu's Grass Lizard Congolacerta asukului (Reptile Database), a rough-scaled lizard Ichnotropis chapini (Google Books), the Marungu Girdled Lizard Cordylus marunguensis (Reptile Database), the Grass-dwelling Tropical Gecko Hemidactylus gramineus (Wilder), the Beautiful Skink Trachylepis pulcherrima (figs. 1-2 on p. 9 of RBINS WM pdf), the Western Congo Worm Lizard Monopeltis guentheri (iNaturalist), the Dwarf Water Cobra Naja nana (Reptile Database), the Upemba Bush Viper Atheris katangensis (Biodiversité au Katanga WM) (p. 77 of RBINS WM pdf), the Upemba Gracile Blindsnake Letheobia kibarae (p. 146 of RBINS WM pdf), Rodhain's Purple-glossed Snake Amblyodipsas rodhaini (p. 34 of RBINS WM pdf), the Congo Centipede-eater Aparallactus moeruensis (p. 115 of RBINS WM pdf), and the Upemba Mud Turtle Pelusios upembae (Turtles of the World).

Endemic amphibians include the Omaniundu Reed Frog Hyperolius sankuruensis (African Amphibians), the Kigulube Reed Frog Hyperolius diaphanus (AmphibiaWeb WM), the Kunungu Reed Frog Hyperolius schoutedeni (CalPhotos), the White-striped Reed Frog Hyperolius leucotaenius (AmphibiaWeb), Hyperolius constellatus (IUCN), the Itombwe River Frog Phrynobatrachus asper (AmphibiaWeb), the Congolian Long-Fingered Frog Cardioglossa congolia (figs. a & b at ResearchGate), the Young Itombwe Forest Tree Frog Leptopelis anebos (AmphibiaWeb), the Kabembe Forest Tree Frog Leptopelis mtoewaate (AmphibiaWeb), the Lendu Plateau Clawed Frog Xenopus lenduensis (AmphibiaWeb), and the Itombwe Massif Clawed Frog Xenopus itombwensis (ARKive WM). Endemic genera include the Itombwe Golden Frog Chrysobatrachus (AmphibiaWeb), the Gembe Reed Frog Congolius (ResearchGate) (ARKive WM), and Parker's Tree Toad Laurentophryne (africamuseum.be).

Endemic genera of freshwater fish include the Congo Blind Barb Caecobarbus (IUCN WM pdf), the Striped Fin-eater Paraphago (BHL), Congocharax (fig. 3 at RBINS WM pdf), the African tetras Clupeocharax (Aqualog) (IRD WM) and Alestion (aqua WM) and Tricuspidalestes (FishBase), a bagrid catfish Gnathobagrus (Google Books), an amphiilid catfish Dolichamphilius (BHL), and the cichlids Schwetzochromis (Cichlid Room Companion) and Cyclopharynx (Hippocampus). Additional cichlids unique to the DRC include Haplochromis brauschi (Behance), Steatocranus mpozoensis (Hippocampus), Neolamprologus nigriventris (Big Sky Cichlids WM), and Nanochromis transvestitus (Seriously Fish). Other endemic species include the elephantfishes Petrocephalus boboto (Mormyridae) and Cyphomyrus lufirae (Mormyridae), a barb Enteromius janssensi (FishBase), Brycinus fwaensis (IRD WM), a mochokid catfish Synodontis robertsi (PlanetCatfish), Parakneria thysi (FishBase), a lampeye Poropanchax pepo (BHL), Distichodus langi (PLAZI), Raiamas salmolucius (iNaturalist), Microctenopoma milleri (BAP), and several killifish: Aphyosemion labarrei (Killifish of West Africa), Nothobranchius ditte (WildNothos), and Hypsopanchax platysternus (Killifish of West Africa).

Butterflies known only from the Democratic Republic of the Congo include Acraea lualabae (Dominique Bernaud), Bebearia luteola (iNaturalist), Charaxes virescens (Albertine Rift Butterflies WM), Euriphene intermixta (iNaturalist), Mylothris celisi (africamuseum.be), Spindasis dufranei (africamuseum.be), Liptena bergeri (africamuseum.be), Euptura ituriensis (africamuseum.be), and Alaena unimaculosa (africamuseum.be). Endemic moths include the saturniids Pselaphelia noellae (AfroMoths WM) and Bunaeopsis lueboensis (africamuseum.be).

Other endemic insects include a dragonfly Hadrothemis vrijdaghi (ADDO WM), a damselfly Platycypha eliseva (ADDO WM), the katydids Pantecphylus helleri and Plastocorypha ituriana (both at ResearchGate), a grasshopper Phymeurus macropterus (OSF), a jewel beetle Steraspis drumonti (RBINS), a stag beetle Nigidius seguyi (RBINS), a longhorn beetle Acutandra hugoi (RBINS), a flower beetle Paranelaphinis cuprea (africamuseum.be), a weevil Allolarinus demeyeri (ResearchGate), a tube-forming spittle-bug Labramachaerota luilaka (PLAZI), a bee Patellapis kahuziensis (GBIF), and the ants Cataulacus cestus (AntWiki) and Pheidole neokohli (AntWiki).

Other endemic invertebrates include the millipedes Ammodesmus congoensis (ZooKeys) and Sphaeroparia hexatricha (BHL), the jumping spiders Myrmarachne
salongensis (fig. 38 at ResearchGate) and Alfenus calamistratus (jumping-spiders.com), an ant spider Palindroma obmoimiombo (ResearchGate), a scorpion Hottentotta lacroixi (ResearchGate), a solifuge Solpuga upembana (africamuseum.be), a harvestman Mabwella wittei (p. 15 of RBINS pdf), the earthworms Dichogaster gasanai (ResearchGate) and Petroscolex centenarius (ResearchGate), a freshwater crab Potamonautes idjiwiensis (p. 8 of NMU pdf), a cave-dwelling shrimp Caridina lovoensis (IUCN), a freshwater snail Bellamya contracta (ARKive WM), and several land snails: Curvella chapini (WMSD), Achatina weynsi (landsnails.org WM), Leptocalina dewittei (africamuseum.be), Gulella dupuisi (fig. 39 at BHL), Trochozonites kempi (fig. 22 at BHL), and Halolimnohelix nyamukubiensis (africamuseum.be). The mite families Omentolaelapidae (Google Books) and Chetochelacaridae (RBINS WM pdf) and the millipede family Atopogestidae (MilliBase) (p. 29 of ZOBODAT pdf) are known only from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Plants unique to the country include the cycads Encephalartos schaijesii (Cycad Pages WM) and Encephalartos ituriensis (ARKive WM), Acalypha cupricola (Copper Flora WM), Streptocarpus malachiticola (Species New to Science), Amorphophallus dumboi (plecevo.eu), Impatiens elwiraurzulae and Impatiens lotteri (both at ResearchGate), Crepidorhopalon perennis (Copper Flora WM), Commelina zigzag (Copper Flora WM), Vigna dolomitica (iNaturalist), Dialium reygaertii (p. 124 of ResearchGate pdf), Aeollanthus saxatilis (Copper Flora WM), Drypetes morocarpa (ResearchGate), Faroa malaissei (Copper Flora WM), Vitex rubroaurantiaca (p. 160 of ResearchGate pdf), Lopholaena deltombei (Copper Flora WM), Barleria lobelioides (Copper Flora WM), Aframomum ngamikkense (WCS), Dorstenia luamensis (PhytoKeys), Drosera katangensis (Drosera of Africa), a fern Asplenium kivuensis (ResearchGate), and several orchids: Tridactyle stipulata (IOPSE WM), Polystachya kathrinae (BIOPAT), Bulbophyllum horridulum (JSTOR), Angraecum mofakoko (JSTOR), and Habenaria katangensis (JSTOR).

Endemic vascular plant genera include Michelsonia (POWO), Schaueriopsis (Ingenta Connect WM pdf), Karina (JSTOR), Nelmesia (JSTOR), Pseudomacrolobium (GBIF), Msuata (GBIF), Lebrunia (JSTOR), Pseudodacryodes (GBIF), Hartliella (JSTOR) (iNaturalist), and Bampsia (GBIF).

Endemic fungi include a truffle Hysterangium bonobo (Species New to Science), a bolete Paxilloboletus latisporus (ResearchGate), and a chanterelle Cantharellus mikemboensis (ResearchGate). Endemic lichens include Microtheliopsis ramazaniana (figs. A-B at ResearchGate) and Synarthonia albopruinosa (figs. A-B at ResearchGate). Endemic non-vascular plants include the mosses Acroporium prionophylax (GBIF) and Brachymenium pachyloma (GBIF) and a liverwort Cololejeunea lobulolineata (GBIF).

The DRC's Albertine Rift region (Albertine Rift Programme WM) is part of the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). The Congo Basin (WWF) is one of the world's richest areas for animals and plants. Important areas in the country include the Northeastern Congolian Lowland Forests (WWF WM) and the Salonga region (CARPE pdf). The Congo River (Google Books) and Lake Tanganyika (SIAL WM) are two of the world's top areas for endemic freshwater species. Congo tributaries such as the Kasai (FEOW WM) are noteworthy for unique faunas in their own right.