Afghanistan
Among over 1000 species of plants found nowhere else are the irises Iris afghanica (POWO), Iris cabulica (p. 22 of ResearchGate pdf), and Iris cycloglossa (SIGNA WM). Several species of Dionysia endemic to Afghanistan are sometimes grown as rock garden plants including Dionysia freitagii (AGS WM), Dionysia afghanica (AGS WM), and Dionysia viscidula (PlantFiles). Other plants restricted to Afghanistan include Primula edelbergii (Asian Flora WM), Tulipa heweri (flickr), Pedicularis afghanica (p. 59 of ResearchGate pdf), Rhodiola pachyclados (Asian Flora WM), Corydalis afghanica (AGS WM), Salvia pterocalyx (Adw Mainz pdf), Allium mirum (AGS WM), Onosma nuristanica (ResearchGate), Paraquilegia altimurana (fig. 8 at Wiley), Potentilla coelestis (p. 277 of ResearchGate pdf), Cousinia xanthothyrsa (p. 62 of ResearchGate pdf), Onobrychis afghanica (p. 258 of ResearchGate pdf), and Nepeta polyodonta (GBIF).
Endemic
vascular plant genera include Halarchon
(p. 126 of ResearchGate pdf) (Adw
Mainz pdf), Gongylotaxis (GBIF),
Cryptocapnos (JSTOR),
Kandaharia (JSTOR),
Chamaepus (GBIF),
Gladiolimon
(JSTOR),
Gynophorea (p.
100 of ResearchGate
pdf), Ochotonophila
(Internet
Archive),
Pentastemonodiscus
(JSTOR),
Mastigosciadium (GBIF),
Cyphocardamum (GBIF),
and Pyramidoptera (JSTOR).
The
Afghan Snowfinch (Wikipedia)
(ResearchGate)
is a bird that is a breeding endemic.
Only a single specimen of Thomas’ Pygmy Jerboa Salpingotus thomasi (GBIF) (BHL) has ever been collected and it may have originated from Afghanistan. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa Salpingotulus michaelis (Rodent-Info.net WM) (IUCN) found in Pakistan.
Reptiles known solely from Afghanistan include the racerunners Eremias afghanistanica (lacerta.de) (BHL) and Eremias aria (ResearchGate), a gecko Altiphylax levitoni (BHL) (GBIF), the Southwest Thin-toed Gecko Tenuidactylus voraginosus (ResearchGate), and Lindberg's Snake-eyed Skink Ablepharus lindbergi (ZooKeys).
The Paghman Mountain Salamander (CalPhotos) (Rufford) is an endemic amphibian.
Fish
unique to the nation's streams and
rivers include a catfish Glyptosternon
akhtari (p. 8 of CMFRI WM
pdf), the snowtrouts Schizocypris ladigesi (GBIF) and Schizothorax edeniana (GBIF), and several loaches: Triplophysa
kullmanni
(p. 7 of IJI
WM
pdf), Triplophysa akhtari (p. 4 of Fauna of India WM pdf) (GBIF), Triplophysa farwelli
(fig. d on p. 15 of
cypriniformes.org
WM
pdf), and Paracobitis ghazniensis
(GBIF).
The Arian Small Blue Micropsyche
ariana (BHL)
(Harvard)
has the smallest wingspan of any butterfly, only 7 mm. Other
butterflies found only in Afghanistan include the Nangrahar Blue Praephilotes violacea
(Zdeněk
Fric WM), Callophrys
succuba (BOLD),
Superflua
skrylniki (ResearchGate),
Coenonympha
mangeri (BioLib), Hyponephele pagmani
(zobodat
pdf), Melitaea
kuchi (fig. 20 at BHL),
Paralasa danorum
(Facebook),
Pseudochazara
watsoni (Satyrinae
of the W. Palearctic WP), and
Karanasa naumanni
(Semantic
Scholar pdf). Endemic moths include a hawk moth Hyles salangensis (Sphingidae
of the W Palaearctic), a cosmet moth Vulcaniella
kabulensis
(Wikipedia),
a snout moth Ancylosis palianytsia (GBIF), and a forester moth Zygaenoprocris
eberti (BHL).
Other endemic insects include a cicada Klapperichicen dubius (GBIF), the grasshoppers Truxalis afghana (iNaturalist) and Saxetania gorochovi (GBIF), a cantacaderid lace bug Afghanoderus mirabilis (Lech Borowiec WM pdf), a web spinner Paedembia afghanica (BHL), a longhorn beetle Pseudoprionus altimontanus (Prioninae of the World), the ground beetles Notiophilus nuristanensis (p. 6 of BJC WM pdf) and Calosoma mirificum (Calosoma of the World), the darkling beetles Stenerophlina afghanica (ResearchGate) and Medvedevia glebi (ResearchGate), the soft-winged flower beetles Embrocerus klaperrichi (SZMN WM) and Pectotibialis paghmanensis (GBIF), the click beetles Cardiophorus klapperichi (Elateridae) and Lacon kabakovi (Elateridae), a hoverfly Melanogaster raccoon (GBIF), the bees Bombus obtusus (GBIF) and Melitta piersbakeri (p. 59 of IEV WM pdf) and the ants Lepisiota kabulica (AntWeb) and Carebara afghana (AntWiki).
Other endemic invertebrates include a freshwater crab Sodhiana afghaniensis (p. 4 of Raffles Museum pdf), the scorpions Orthochirus afganus (Wirbellosen Zentrum WM) and Mesobuthus mischi (ResearchGate), a jumping spider Aelurillus aghanus (salticidae.pl WM), a trapdoor spider Ummidia mischi (KMK pdf), a huntsman spider Spariolenus lindbergi (PLAZI), a harvestman Homolophus afghanus (digitaltmuseum.org), a cave-dwelling pseudoscorpion Shravana magnifica (BHL), a centipede Lithobius paghmanensis (ChiloBase), and several land snails: Syama cavicula (Field Museum), Pupilla afghanicum (Field Museum), Fruticicola pseudoperlucens (ResearchGate), and Subzebrinus streeti (BHL) (Field Museum).
Endemic
non-vascular plants include the mosses Bryum funckioides (Google Books)
and Dicranoweisia
brevifolia (GBIF).
Fungi known only from Afghanistan include Pleurotus kabulensis
(GBIF).
A
portion of northeastern Afghanistan is included in the Mountains of
Central Asia biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity
Hotspots WM).