Palau
Birds
found nowhere
else include the Palau Fruit Dove (iNaturalist),
the
Palau Ground-dove (eBird)
(p. 25 of Darwin
Initiative pdf), the Palau
Swiftlet (eBird),
the
Palau Nightjar (eBird) (iNaturalist),
the Palau Kingfisher (PBase)
(eBird),
the Palau Flycatcher (eBird),
the Palau Cicadabird (eBird),
the Dusky White-eye (eBird),
the
Palau Bush-warbler (eBird),
the Palau Fantail or Melimdeleb (palau.biodiv-chm.org
WM)
(eBird),
and the Morningbird (eBird).
The Palau Owl (eBird)
and the
Giant White-eye (eBird)
are endemic genera.
The Palau Fruit Bat Pteropus
pelewensis pelewensis
(iNaturalist)
(PBase)
is sometimes treated as a full species. The Large Palau Flying Fox Pteropus pilosus (IUCN)
(BHL)
is now extinct.
An
endemic amphibian is the Palau Frog (AmphibiaWeb)
(iNaturalist).
Reptiles unique to Palau include the Palau Bevelnosed Boa Candoia
superciliosa (iNaturalist)
(ARKive
WM)
,
the Palau Tree Snake Dendrelaphis
striolatus (iNaturalist),
the Palau Blindsnake Ramphotyphlops
acuticauda (Reptile
Database), the Palau Dog-faced
Mud Snake Cerberus
dunsoni (iNaturalist)
(AquaticSnake.org
WM),
the
Palau Slender
Gecko Hemiphyllodactylus
ganoklonis (p. 54 of Smithsonian
WM
pdf), the Palau Ghost Gecko Gekko
remotus
(iNaturalist) (BHL),
the
Palau Gecko Gehyra
brevipalmata (iNaturalist)
(IUCN),
the Palau Barred Gecko Lepidodactylus
paurolepis (sauria.de)
(ResearchGate),
the
Pandanus Moth
Skink Lipinia leptosoma
(Google
Books) (GBIF),
the Palau Snake-eyed
Skink Cryptoblepharus
rutilus (Reptile
Database) (p.
144 of Mark
O'Shea pdf),
and the Palau Ground Skink Sphenomorphus
scutatus (Reptile
Database).
Marine fishes known only from Palau include the pygmy gobies Trimma tauroculum (Reef Builders) and Trimma kalum (PLAZI) and Trimma burridgeae (iNaturalist), the Dabra Goby Feia dabra (FishBase), the Palau Reef Sole Aseraggodes firmisquamis (ResearchGate), the Invisible Cardinalfish Ostorhinchus aphanes (ResearchGate), the Palauan Deepwater Cardinalfish Epigonus cavaticus (FishBase), the Whiteaxil Damselfish Pomacentrus albiaxillaris (ResearchGate), and a silverside Doboatherina palauensis (Springer). The False Saddled Snake Eel Evips percinctus (GBIF) (Internet Archive) is an endemic genus. The Palauan Primitive Cave Eel Protoanguilla palau (Guardian) (YouTube), known from a single fringing-reef cave, is the sole member of the family Protoanguillidae.
Arthropods restricted to Palau include the longhorn beetles Trirachys inhirsutus (iNaturalist) and Pelargoderus luteosparsus (iNaturalist), a click beetle Melanoxanthus cracens (p. 39 of Bishop Museum WM pdf), a darkling beetle Apterophenus dybasi (p. 53 of Bishop Museum WM pdf), a minute marsh-loving beetle Mexico palauensis (GBIF), a leafroller moth Icelita cirrholepida (Tortricid.net WM), a snout moth Endotricha peterella (figs. 136 & 139 at BHL), the damselflies Pseudagrion palauense (p. 20 of CBD pdf) and Drepanosticta palauensis (iNaturalist) and Teinobasis palauensis (p. 25 of Bishop Museum WM pdf), a dragonfly Agrionoptera cardinalis (iNaturalist), a hover fly Dissoptera palauensis (iNaturalist), a bee Heriades plumosus (GBIF), the ants Camponotus peleliuensis (AntWiki) (iNaturalist) and Romblonella palauensis (AntWiki), a cicada Purana carolettae (iNaturalist), a cricket Cardiodactylus esakii (iNaturalist), the katydids Oceaniphisis kororensis (OSF) and Biroa zimmermani (OSF), a grasshopper Segestes unicolor (OSF), a mantis Acromantis palauana (iNaturalist), and a stick insect Diagoras ephialtes (Phasmida). An undescribed butterfly species in the genus Prosotas (p. 34 of Univ. Guam pdf) has been claimed.
Other endemic arthropods include a jumping spider Sobasina coriacea (BHL), a leaf-curling sac spider Clubiona jaegeri (p. 6 of NMNS pdf), a harvestman Paralomanius longipalpus (figs. 3-4 & 9 at AMNH WM pdf), a whip spider Sarax palau (GBIF), and a millipede Salpidobolus lissior (MilliBase) (BHL).
Among at least 69 endemic land snails (friendsoftobi.org WM pdf) are Palaopartula calypso (ARKive WM), Palaopartula thetis (iNaturalist), Kororia palaensis (iNaturalist), Palaina (or Pseudopalaina) inflatula (Bishogai WM), Palaina albata (p. 27 of Tentacle pdf), Hungerfordia pelewensis (PLAZI), Omphalotropis cheynei (iNaturalist), Georissa zea (BHL), Sphendone insolita (ZooKeys), Palaeohelicina heterochroa (iNaturalist), Palaua minor (iNaturalist), Videna electra (iNaturalist), and Semperdon kororensis (BHL). An endemic subspecies of Golden Jellyfish Mastigias papua etpisoni (CRRF) (iNaturalist), a sea squirt Eudistoma inauratum (p. 29 of CEPF pdf), a sea anemone Entacmaea medusivora (PBase) (iNaturalist), and an undescribed sponge (p. 40 of CRRF pdf) are found in marine lakes.
A
marine flatworm Palaua
tropica (figs. d to f at BHL)
has sometimes been considered the sole member of the endemic family
Palauidae, but is often placed in the more widespread Plehniidae (WoRMS).
Other endemic
marine invertebrates
include the Palau Nautilus Nautilus
belauensis (Wikipedia),
the corals Sinularia
babeldaobensis (p. 10 of Zool.
Med. Leiden WM pdf) and Anozopathes
palauensis (GBIF),
a crab Homola milkolk
(ResearchGate),
the shrimps Pinnotherotonia
rumphiusi
(GBIF)
and Espeleonaushonia
palauensis (ResearchGate),
an amphipod Cyproidea
excavata (Wikispecies),
a sea star Aquilonastra
starmeri (ResearchGate),
the submarine cave-dwelling gastropods Pluviostilla palauensis
(J-STAGE
pdf) and Siaesella
fragilis (GBIF),
and a nudibranch Marionia
bathycarolinensis (BHL).
Among 130 vascular plant species exclusive to Palau (Micronesica
pdf) are many
endemic orchids
(all at Field
Museum pdf): Bulbophyllum hatusimanum,
Cleisostoma porrigens, Dendrobium brachyanthum,
Dipodium freycinetioides,
Liparis dolichostachya,
Oberonia palawensis,
Peristylus palawensis,
Phreatia kanehirae,
and Robiquetia
palawensis.
Other endemic vascular plants include the palms Hydriastele palauensis (botany.cz) and Ponapea palauensis (flickr), the national flower Bikkia palauensis (botany.cz), Astronidium palauense (p. 46 of palaumoe.net WM pdf) (iNaturalist), Pandanus aimiriikensis (botany.cz), Manilkara udoido (botany.cz), Trichospermum ledermannii (flickr), Morinda pedunculata (botany.cz), Horsfieldia palauensis (botany.cz), Casearia hirtella (iNaturalist), Phyllanthus palauensis (iNaturalist), Badusa palauensis (p. 50 of palaumoe.net WM pdf), Osmoxylon ngardokense (PhytoKeys), Fagraea ksid (flickr), Ophiorrhiza palauensis (botany.cz), Parkia parvifoliola (p. 18 of CBD pdf), Timonius corymbosus (p. 17 of CEPF pdf), Hedyotis korrorensis (iNaturalist), Myrsine palauensis (iNaturalist), Manilkara udoido (iNaturalist), and Rauvolfia insularis and Sterculia palauensis (both on p. 15 of CEPF pdf).
Endemic non-vascular plants include a moss Trichostomum minutissimum (Fig. 1 at J-STAGE pdf) and a liverwort Bazzania watanabei (p. 2 of Micronesica pdf).
Palau comprises the Palau Tropical Moist Forests terrestrial ecoregion (EoE) and is part of the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). For an overview of the natural history of Palau see the "National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan" (CBD pdf), for insects see (Terayama), and for marine species see (CRRF pdf).