Living National Treasures: Laos |
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Checklists of Endemics Bird Species 0 Marine Fish Species 0 Swallowtail & Milkweed Butterfly Species 0 |
The most distinctive
endemic animal in Laos is the Laotian Rock Rat Laonastes aenigmamus
(FSU)
which is the sole surviving species of the family Diatomyidae.
A second recently discovered genus of rodent unique to Laos
is the Lao Limestone Rat Saxatilomys
paulinae
(AMNH
Digital Library pdf file). Other endemic mammals
include the Lao Langur (p. 15 of Primate SG pdf file),
the Annamite Roundleaf Bat (Planet' Mammiferes),
the recently discovered Khaokhouay Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros khaokhouayensis
(BioOne),
and the Large-eared Gymnure (IUCN Red
List). Roosevelt’s Muntjac (Biodiversity
Heritage Library) has been recently rediscovered and is known with
certainty only from Laos (IUCN Red List). A recently discovered bird is the Bare-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus hualon (BirdLife Int'l). Among recently described species of frogs known solely from Laos are Rana (or Odorrana) bolavensis (p. 4 of Field Museum pdf file), Leptobrachium buchardi (Raffles Museum pdf file), Rana (or Amolops) vitrea (BioOne), Amolops akhaorum (p. 10 of HL pdf file), and Philautus petilus (Asiatic Herpetological Research pdf file). Other endemic amphibians include the Laos Warty Newt Paramesotriton laoensis (Naturalis) and the Upper Laos Caecilian Ichthyophis laosensis (Internet Archive). Endemic reptiles include the Laotian False Bloodsucker Pseudocalotes poilani (p. 8 of Alexandre Teynié pdf file), a rock gecko Cnemaspis laoensis (Zootaxa pdf file), and a bow-fingered gecko Cyrtodactylus buchardi (SHNAO). Among the numerous freshwater fish species found only in Laos are several loaches including Pangio longimanus (NHM - London), Schistura kaysonei (Loaches Online), Schistura obeini (Loaches Online), Serpenticobitis octozona (FishBase), Sewellia speciosa (p. 10 of Raffles Museum pdf file), Yasuhikotakia (or Botia) splendida (Loaches Online), and Troglocyclocheilus khammouanensis (FishBase). Other endemic fish include Tor ater (p. 8 of Raffles Museum pdf file), Poropuntius bolovenensis (FishBase), a hillstream catfish Pseudecheneis sympelvicus (Raffles Museum pdf file), and several gobies: Rhinogobius milleri, Rhinogobius nammaensis, and Rhinogobius vermiculatus (all at Raffles Museum pdf file). Insects restricted to Laos include a cave-dwelling ant Leptogenys khammouanensis (Antbase pdf file), a long-horned beetle Paranandra strandiella (Smithsonian), a stag beetle Neolucanus guiardi (Lucanes du Monde), a scarab beetle Onthophagus streltsovi (p. 3 of Zootaxa pdf file), a broad-shouldered water strider Baptista hoedli (Biologiezentrum pdf file), an ambush bug Glossopelta laotica (Biologiezentrum pdf file), and a lace bug Elasmognathus laosensis (p. 4 of Zootaxa pdf file). Other endemic invertebrates include the world's largest huntsman spider Heteropoda maxima (p. 10 of WWF 7 MB pdf file), a scorpion Euscorpiops kubani (František Kovarík), a millipede Eutrichodesmus multilobatus (ZooKeys), a cave-dwelling crab Erebusa calobates (p. 2 of Raffles Museum pdf file), and a freshwater crab Esanthelphusa nimoafi (Raffles Museum pdf file). Orchids unique to Laos include Bulbophyllum sanguineopunctatum (orchidspecies.com), Coelogyne sudora (orchidspecies.com), and Liparis brunneolobata (Harvard). Other endemic plants include an oak Quercus brevicalyx (Site Les Chênes), Rhododendron laoticum (Nationaal Herbarium Nederland), a mint Isodon colaniae (MNHN), an aroid Amorphophallus laoticus (Int'l Aroid Soc.), Dischidia cornuta (Tropicos), Gentiana khammouanensis and Aeschynanthus medumiae (both on p. 13 of WWF 7 MB pdf file), Epigynum graciliflorum (p. 6 of MNHN pdf file), and Sonerila vatphouensis (MNHN pdf file). Laosanthus (botany.hawaii.edu) is an endemic genus of ginger. Laos is included in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots). The Annamite Forests (WWF) are especially notable for endemic species. Important freshwater ecoregions include the Lower Lancang (FEOW) and the Khorat Plateau (FEOW). |