Some
species that have been described by science lack adequate information
on where they originally came from. These species names are
often
based on a single specimen, in some cases subsequently lost, which may
or may not be valid species.
Some locality data attached to certain specimens appear to taxonomists
to be almost certainly wrong. The caecilian Caecilia mertensi (Biodiversity
Heritage Library) seems much more likely to have originated
from somewhere in South America instead of the Seychelles.
Jan's Snake Elapotinus
picteti (fig. 1 at Biodiversity
Heritage Library)
is the sole member of its genus, but it is unclear if it originated in
French Guiana or somewhere in Africa. Similar cases are
provided
by Temminck’s Mysterious Bat Nycticeius aenobarbus
(Mammal
Species of the World) and the Dubious Trumpet-eared Bat Phoniscus aerosa (Mammal
Species of the World).
Sharpe's Rail Gallirallus
sharpei (Naturalis)
is known from a single specimen, while Hornby's Storm-petrel Oceanodroma hornbyi
(Wikipedia)
is well known at sea, but its breeding grounds remain a mystery.
Amphibian species of questionable origin include a reed frog Hyperolius thoracotuberculatus
(SysTax),
a caecilian Ichthyophis
humphreyi (Biodiversity
Heritage Library), and the Turkestanian Salamander Hynobius turkestanicus
(IUCN
Red List).
Freshwater fish of unclear origin include a catfish Pimelodella rendahli
(ACSI)
from somewhere in South America and a tetra Hyphessobrycon melasemeion
(FishBase)
that may be from the lower Amazon. Among marine fish of uncertain origin is a ponyfish Leiognathus robustus (p. 6 of AMNH pdf file) known solely from specimens found in a Singapore fish market.
Plant genera of unknown origin include Sericospora crinita
(Botanicus)
from somewhere in the West Indies and Menais topiaria (Real
Jardín Botánico pdf file) from South
America.