Living National Treasures: Pakistan |
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Checklists of Endemics Bird Species 0 Swallowtail & Milkweed Butterfly Species 0 Families & Orders 0 |
Mammals found only in
Pakistan include the Indus River Dolphin (EDGE), the Baluchistan Forest Dormouse (ZFMK pdf file),
and the Pale Gray Shrew (IUCN Red List).
The Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa (Rodent-Info.net)
represents an endemic genus. The Woolly Flying
Squirrel Eupetaurus
cinereus (WWF Pakistan),
the sole member of its genus, may survive only in Pakistan.
Endemic subspecies include the Chiltan Wild Goat Capra aegagrus chialtanensis
(Wildlife
of Pakistan) and the Punjab Urial Ovis orientalis punjabiensis
(WWF
Pakistan). Reptiles unique to Pakistan include the Pakistan Rock Agama Laudakia pakistanica (CalPhotos), the Salt Range Gecko Cyrtopodion montiumsalsorum (CalPhotos), the Battle Plump Gecko Cyrtodactylus battalensis (CalPhotos), the Cholistan Desert Lacerta Eremias cholistanica (CalPhotos), the Thal Skink Eumeces indothalensis (Asiatic Herpetological Research pdf file), Madge’s Blind Snake Typhlops madgemintonai and Ahsan’s Blind Snake Typhlops ahsanai (both at Wildlife of Pakistan pdf file), and the Sind River Snake Enhydris pakistanica (SysTax). Endemic amphibians include the Swat Green Toad Bufo pseudoraddei (AmphibiaWeb) and the Hazara Torrent Frog Paa hazarensis (Wildlife of Pakistan). Freshwater fish known solely from Pakistan include the Indus Catfish Mystus horai (ScotCat), the Asian hillstream catfishes Nangra robusta (ACSI) and Glyptothorax stocki (ACSI), another catfish Ompok sindensis (Wikimedia Commons), the Zhobi Mahseer Naziritor zhobensis (FishBase), a river loach Schistura shadiwalensis (FishBase), and a hill trout Barilius pakistanicus (FishBase). Invertebrates restricted to Pakistan include a silk moth Neoris (or Saturnia) codyi (Saturniidae of the Western Palaearctic), an owlet moth Zekelia monikae (Biologiezentrum pdf file), a longhorned beetle Afghanicenus aulicus (p. 21 of Biologiezentrum 4 MB pdf file), a tortoise beetle Notosacantha pakistanica (Cassidinae of the World), a bee Pseudapis oysterensis (Atlas Hymenoptera), a jumping spider Marpissa carinata (Salticidae of the World), and a scorpion Compsobuthus pakistanus (p. 7 of Euscorpius pdf file). Endemic marine molluscs include a cleft clam Leptaxinus indusarium (Levin Lab pdf file) and the whelks Bullia kurrachensis (Eddie Hardy) and Bullia indusindica (Eddie Hardy). Among about 200 vascular plant species exclusive to Pakistan are Astragalus gilgitensis (WWF Pakistan pdf file), Astragalus clarkeanus (p. 17 of WWF Pakistan pdf file), Androsace russellii (p. 14 of WWF Pakistan pdf file), Haplophyllum gilesii (p. 26 of WWF Pakistan pdf file), Rhodiola saxifragoides (p. 28 of WWF Pakistan pdf file), a tansy Tanacetum baltistanicum (p. 31 of WWF Pakistan pdf file), Sulaimania otostegioides (Flora of Pakistan), Stewartiella baluchistanica (Flora of Pakistan), Pseudomertensia (or Decalepidanthus) sericophylla (Flora of Pakistan), a tamarisk Tamarix pakistanica (Flora of Pakistan), a pink Saponaria subrosularis (Tropicos), Heliotropium remotiflorum (Tropicos), a feather grass Stipa chitralensis (JSTOR), Aegopodium burttii (Flora of Pakistan), Bupleurum constancei (NYBG), Argyrolobium barikotense (Virtual Herbaria), and the mallows Malva qaiseri (Flora of Pakistan), and Hibiscus scindicus (Flora of Pakistan). Part of Pakistan is included in the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots). Important terrestrial ecoregions include the Sulaiman Range Alpine Meadows (WWF) and the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau Alpine Steppe (WWF). |