Saint Helena

Saint Helena is a British overseas territory (see United Kingdom) and includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. They comprise the following terrestrial ecoregions: the Tristan Da Cunha - Gough Islands Shrub and Grasslands (EoE), the St. Helena Scrub and Woodlands (EoE), and the Ascension Scrub and Grasslands (EoE). Overviews of the biotas of each area is provided by the JNCC: Ascension (JNCC pdf file), Tristan da Cunha (JNCC pdf file), and Saint Helena (JNCC pdf file). The marine fauna of Saint Helena and Ascension is considered one of the world's most important marine centers of endemism (Science).

Tristan da Cunha has four genera of birds found nowhere else including the Inaccessible Rail (ARKive), the Tristan Thrush or Starchy (p. 26 of UKOTCF pdf file), the Gough Bunting (ARKive), and the Tristan Bunting (ARKive). The Atlantic Petrel (ARKive) and Spectacled Petrel (ARKive) are breeding endemics and the Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena (ARKive), the Nightingale Bunting Nesospiza questi (ARKive), and the Gough Moorhen Gallinula comeri (ARKive) are sometimes recognized as distinct species. Ascension has a breeding endemic in the Ascension Frigatebird (ARKive), while the Ascension Crake Mundia elpenor (Wikipedia) is extinct. The St Helena Plover or Wirebird (ARKive) is confined to Saint Helena.

Endemic marine fish include the Klipfish (Above and Below), the Ascension Goby (reeflex), the White Hawksfish (Ascension Heritage Soc.), the Marmalade Razorfish (reeflex), Lubbock's Yellowtail Damselfish (eol), the Resplendent Pygmy Angelfish (ARKive), the Saint Helena Butterflyfish (FishBase), the Bicolor Butterflyfish (reeflex), the Saint Helena Flounder (Ascension Heritage Soc.), the Saint Helena Sharpnose Pufferfish (reeflex), the Saint Helena Wrasse (eol), the Strigate Parrotfish (eol), the Mottled Blenny (Ascension Heritage Soc.), and the Axillary-spot Cardinalfish (eol).

Insects restricted to Tristan da Cunha include a flightless owlet moth Dimorphinoctua cunhaensis, the pomace flies Tristanomyia frustulifera and Trogloscaptomyza brevilamellata, and a predaceous diving beetle Senilites tristanicola (all at Insects on Stamps). Invertebrates endemic to Ascension include the world's largest pseudoscorpion Garypus titanius (kidstonmill.org.uk), a booklouse Troglotroctes ashmolerum (p. 2 of Docstoc file), a shrimp Procaris ascensionis (ARKive), and a snapping shrimp Alpheus cedrici (Species-ID).

About 300 known invertebrate species are unique to Saint Helena including the Blushing Snail Succinea sanctaehelenae (ARKive), a snail Nesopupa turtoni (kidstonmill.org.uk), the Spiky Yellow Woodlouse Pseudolaureola atlantica (Banzai Chicken), the Golden Sail Spider Argyrodes mellissii (ARKive), a wolf spider Hogna nefasta (flickr), an ant mimic jumping spider Myrmarachne isolata (flickr), the Saint Helena Giant Earwig Labidura herculeana (Earwig Research Centre), a snout moth snout moth Hypena helenae (flickr), an owlet moth Aletia ptyonophora (p. 28 of Biologiezentrum pdf file), a hoverfly Loveridgeana beattiei (flickr), the grasshoppers Tinaria calcarata (flickr) and Primnia sanctaehelenae (flickr), a bush cricket Phaneracra bartletti (OSF), Burchell's Giant Ground Beetle Aplothorax burchelli (Ausgerottete Arten), the Jellico Flea Beetle Longitarsus melissi (flickr), a weevil Nesiotes squamosus (fig. 7 at Internet Archive), and the chafers Mellissius adumbratus (flickr) and Heteronychus sanctaehelenae (flickr).

About 50 vascular plant species are exclusive to Saint Helena including a remarkable 10 endemic genera: the Saint Helena Gumwood (Global Trees Campaign), the Saint Helena Boxwood (Kew), the Saint Helena Ebony (Kew), the Saint Helena Lobelia (John Ekwall), the She Cabbage (Picasa), the Black Cabbage (ARKive), the He Cabbage (Picasa), the Saint Helena Dogwood (ARKive), the Saint Helena Whitewood (Google Books), and the extinct Saint Helena Olive (ARKive). Other endemic species include the Old Father Live Forever (ARKive), the Boneseed (ARKive), the Large Bellflower (ARKive), Babies' Toes (ARKive), the Dwarf Jellico (ARKive), Hypertelis acida (ARKive), and the recently rediscovered Neglected Tuft Sedge (ARKive).

Ascension’s seven surviving endemic plants include a spurge Euphorbia origanoides (ARKive), a grass Sporobolus caespitosus (ARKive), and five ferns: Asplenium ascensionis (ARKive), Xiphopteris ascensionense (ARKive), Marattia purpurascens (ARKive), Pteris adscensionis (ARKive), and the recently rediscovered Anogramma ascensionis (Kew). Among the 54 vascular plant species known only from the Tristan da Cunha group are a fern Blechnum palmiforme (Oxford), a bentgrass Agrostis trachychlaena (ARKive), a hair-grass Deschampsia mejlandii (Kew), a buttonweed Cotula goughensis (Internet Archive), a buttercup Ranunculus carolii (Oxford), a goosefoot Chenopodium tomentosum (JSTOR), a sedge Carex thouarsii (JSTOR), and a rush Rostkovia tristanensis (JSTOR).