Living National Treasures: Kiribati

Checklists of  Endemics

Mammal Species 0

Bird Species 2

Reptile Species 0

Amphibian Species 0

Freshwater Fish Species 0

Marine Fish Species 12

Vertebrate Genera 0

Swallowtail & Milkweed Butterfly Species 0

Vascular Plant Genera 0

Families & Orders 0


Taxonomic Sources & Caveats

Contact

Home

Birds found nowhere else than Kiribati include the Bokikokiko or Christmas Island Warbler (Theme Birds on Stamps) and the extinct Kiritimati Sandpiper (NHM - London).

Marine fish known only from Kiribati include the Golden Anthias Pseudanthias aurulentus (eol), the Y-barred Sandperch Parapercis lata (Morphbank), the Candy Scale Pygmy Goby Trimma squamicana (FishBase),
a wrasse Coris centralis (eol), a damselfish Chrysiptera albata (p. 8 of SPREP 5 MB pdf file), a goby Amblyeleotris harrisorum (eol), a gurnard Lepidotrigla jimjoebob (FishBase), and a cardinalfish Neamia xenica (BioOne).

Insects unique to Kiribati include the weevils Rhyncogonus fosbergi and Rhyncogonus vagus (p. 31 of Bishop Museum pdf file),
a dance fly Drapetis kraussi (p. 5 of Bishop Museum 6 MB pdf file), a blowfly Calliphora bryani (Bishop Museum pdf file), and a biting midge Dasyhelea dupliforceps (Catalogue of Life).  Endemic marine molluscs include a murex snail Muricopsis leonardi (CiNii).

Vascular plants restricted to Kiribati are the Starbuck Island Daisy Bidens kiribatiensis (PBIF) and a screw pine Pandanus fanningensis (ScholarSpace 8 MB pdf file).  A second endemic screw pine Pandanus hermsianus (UCJEPS) may not be distinct from the widespread Pandanus tectorius (Wikipedia).

Kiribati is part of the Central Polynesian Moist Tropical Forests ecoregion (WWF).