Living National Treasures: Indonesia

Checklists of Endemics

Indonesia has more unique species of mammals, birds, and butterflies than any other country in the world and is one of the main contenders (along with Australia and Brazil) for most species of endemic life. Much of Indonesia is included in the Sundaland (Biodiversity Hotspots) and Wallacea (Biodiversity Hotspots) biodiversity hotspots. Less immediately threatened, but similarly rich in endemic species, is Papua in New Guinea (WWF). Indonesia also includes most of the Sunda Islands coral reef hotspot (Reef Guardian pdf file), while the Bird's Head Peninsula of Papua is possibly the world’s richest area for marine species (Check List pdf file). Important freshwater ecoregions include the Kapuas (FEOW), Eastern Borneo (FEOW), and the Central Sulawesi Lakes (WWF).

Among two dozen species of primates found nowhere else are the Sumatran Orangutan (ARKive), the Javan Gibbon (ARKive), Kloss’s Gibbon (gibbons.de), the Sulawesi Crested Macaque (ARKive), the Simakobu (IPPL), the Javan Langur (ARKive), and the Spectral Tarsier (Ecology Asia). Other endemic mammals include the Babirusa (ARKive), the Lowland Anoa (Ultimate Ungulate), the Bawean Deer (Ultimate Ungulate), the Sulawesi Palm Civet (Camera Trap Codger), the Sumatran Rabbit (EDGE), the Dingiso (PapuaWeb), the Bear Cuscus (EDGE), and Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna (BBC).

Birds found exclusively in Indonesia include many spectacular birds of paradise: Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise (PBase), the Western Parotia (Konrad Wothe), the Red Bird-of-Paradise (Wikipedia), and Berlepsch’s Six-wired Bird-of-Paradise (National Geographic). Other endemic birds include the Maleo (ARKive), Salvadori’s Pheasant (ARKive), the Javan Hawk-eagle (ARKive), the Moluccan Cockatoo (Parrot Trust), the Red-and-blue Lory (ARKive), the Snoring Rail (BirdLife Int'l), the Western Crowned Pigeon (ARKive), the Sumba Hornbill (Oriental Bird Images), the Sumatran Ground Cuckoo (BirdLife Int'l), the Bali Myna (ARKive), the Wattled Smoky Honeyeater (CI), the Vogelkop Bowerbird (BBC), the Golden-fronted Bowerbird (Telegraph), and the Caerulean Paradise-flycatcher (BirdLife Int'l).

Reptiles known only from Indonesia include the Komodo Dragon (ARKive), Boulenger’s Tree Agama (Reptile Database), Weber’s Sailfin Lizard (Reptilis), the Sumatra Nose-horned Lizard (AG-Agamen), the color changing Kapuas Mud Snake (BBC), the Moluccan Flying Snake Chrysopelea rhodopleuron (flickr), the Moluccan Python (acreptiles.com), the Javan Spitting Cobra (Wolfgang Wüster), the Banded Pit Viper (CalPhotos), and the Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina).

Endemic amphibians include the Bornean Flat-headed Frog (AmphibiaWeb), the Sulawesi Toad (Ecology Asia), the Javan Horned Frog (AmphibiaWeb), Hylophorbus nigrinus (Bishop Museum), the Sabang Tree Frog (AmphibiaWeb), the Rough-backed Frog (Frogs of Borneo), the Javan Chorus Frog (Wikipedia), and two flying frogs Rhacophorus edentulus and Rhacophorus margaritifer (p. 10 of geo-bio.fr pdf file).

The fish family Telmatherinidae is found solely in Indonesia and includes the Celebes Rainbowfish (jjphoto.dk) and the Marine Sailfin Silversides (p. 5 of FAO pdf file). Endemic freshwater fish include the Sarasin’s Minnow (Northern Tropical News), a stream catfish Breitensteinia insignis (Akysidae), the Redfin Dwarf Rasbora (jjphoto.dk), the Redfin River Barb (jjphoto.dk), the Lake Kurumoi Rainbowfish (Rainbowfish), and Betta burdigala (AquaWorld). Endemic marine fish include the Banggai Cardinalfish (Wikipedia), the Indonesian Coelacanth (Smithsonian), Satomi's Pygmy Seahorse (IISE), a goby Platygobiopsis akihito (eol), Cross' Damsel (eol), and the Psychedelic Frogfish Histiophryne psychedelica (Wikipedia).

Butterflies restricted to Indonesia include Wallace's Golden Birdwing (ARKive), Rothschild's Birdwing (CalPhotos), the Buru Opalescent Birdwing (Tony Nagypal), Idea blanchardii (SE Asian Butterflies), and Lohora dexamenus (SE Asian Butterflies). Other endemic insects include a stag beetle Cyclommatus elaphus (BeetleSpace), the Long-armed Chafer Beetle (God of Insects), a longhorned beetle Batocera celebiana (SE Asian Beetles), a scarab Chalcothea resplendens (Käfer der Welt), a weevil Eupholus cuvieri (Käfer der Welt), and Wallace’s Giant Bee (Natuurinformatie). Other endemic invertebrates include a freshwater snail Miratesta celebensis (b-cabinet), a freshwater shrimp Caridina spongicola (Raffles Museum pdf file), an endemic family of marine shrimp Pseudochelidae (COREMAP pdf file), a coral Acropora suharsonoi (ARKive), a cone snail Conus filicinctus (Conus Biodiversity) and the Golden-mouth Volute (Eddie Hardy).

Among about 10,000 species of vascular plants found solely in Indonesia is an endemic family, the Pentastemonaceae, consisting of two species of Pentastemona (PhytoImages). Endemic genera include the orchids Gynoglottis (Malesian Orchid Genera) and Ceratochilus (Malesian Orchid Genera), a palm Siphokentia (PACSOA), and a fern Thysanosoria (Kew). Other endemic plants include the world's largest compound flower, the Titan Arum (Kew), Rafflesia micropylora (Parasitic Plant Connection), a pitcher plant Nepenthes spathulata (Wikipedia), the Clove (Spice Pages), the Java Ginger (Botanischer Garten Bochum), the Javanese Edelweiss (Flickr), Aglaonema pictum (Int'l Aroid Soc.), and the orchids Dendrobium tobaense (Bryan Ramsay), Paphiopedilum tonsum (Paphs.net), and Phalaenopsis amboinensis (phals.net).