Bahamas

Several birds are found only in the Bahamas including the Bahama Yellowthroat (eBird), the Bahama Swallow (eBird), the Bahama Lizard-Cuckoo (birdfinding.info WM), the Bahama Nuthatch (birdfinding.info WM), the Bahama Warbler (eBird), the Bahama Oriole (eBird), the Northern Red-legged Thrush (birdfinding.info WM), and an extinct hummingbird, Brace’s Emerald (Smithsonian pdf). Another hummingbird, the Inagua Woodstar (birdfinding.info WM), has recently also been recognized as a distinct species. The Bahama Parrot (BirdsCaribbean) is a high profile endemic subspecies.

The nation's unique mammals are the Bahamian Lesser Funnel-eared Bat (iNaturalist) (fig. A at ResearchGate) and a large rodent, the Bahamian Hutia (ASM WM) (Rolling Harbour Abaco).

An amphibian restricted to the islands is the Bahamas Flathead Frog Eleutherodactylus rogersi (iNaturalist).

Snakes known solely from the Bahamas include the Abaco Island Boa (iNaturalist), the Bahamian Silver Boa (Guardian), the Crooked-Acklins Boa (Species New to Science), the Bahamian Threadsnake Epictia columbi (fig. F at ResearchGate), the Inagua Dwarf Boa Tropidophis canus (flickr), and the Bahaman Brown Racer Cubophis vudii (iNaturalist). Among the endemic lizards are spectacular species such as the North Bahamian Rock Iguana (ARKive WM) and the San Salvador Iguana (ARKive WM). Additional lizards unique to the nation include the San Salvador Curlytail Leiocephalus loxogrammus (iNaturalist), the Inagua Gecko Aristelliger barbouri (flickr), the Inagua Least Gecko Sphaerodactylus corticola (flickr), the Inagua Ameiva (Reptile Database), and the Bahamian Green Anole Anolis smaragdinus (iNaturalist).

Endemic freshwater fish include the Bahama Pupfish Cyprinodon laciniatus (fig. 3 at PLOS), the Scale-eating Pupfish Cyprinodon desquamator (iNaturalist) (Seriously Fish) and the Durophage Pupfish Cyprinodon brontotheroides (iNaturalist) (UC Davis WM pdf), and a mosquitofish Gambusia hubbsi (ResearchGate). Two other mosquitofishes are sometimes recognized as distinct: Gambusia manni (STRI WM) (iNaturalist) and an undescribed species (fig. 1a on p. 4 of NCSU WM pdf).

Endemic marine fish include the New Providence Cusk-eel (ARKive WM), the Lucayan Cave Brotula (STRI WM) (ResearchGate), the Blacknose Goby (STRI WM), the Lizardfish Goby (STRI WM), the Banded Splitfin Goby (STRI WM), the Dwarf Clingfish (STRI WM), and a hagfish Eptatretus fudgei (ResearchGate). Catesby's False Moray (STRI WM) is an endemic genus.

Endemic butterflies include Calisto apollinis (Butterflies of America), Calisto sybilla (Butterflies of America), Richmond's Skipper Choranthus richmondi (Digital Commons pdf), and Carter's Skipper Atalopedes carteri (Butterflies of America WM). Endemic moths include the sphinx moths Cautethia gossi (figs. 22-25 at ResearchGate) and Cautethia exuma (sphingidae.myspecies.info) and a tortricid moth Megalota bahamana (GBIF).

Other endemic insects include a jewel beetle Lampetis bahamica (iNaturalist), the longhorn beetles Elaphidion manni (GBIF) and Styloleptus pilosellus (GBIF), a flea beetle Argopistes turnbowi (GBIF), a masked chafer Cyclocephala dolichotarsa (p. 7 of Digital Commons pdf), a flightless darkling beetle Branchus geraceorum (p. 4 of Gerace Research Centre pdf), a false metallic wood-boring beetle Aulonothroscus inawa (Digital Commons pdf), a click beetle Ignelater inaguensis (ResearchGate), the weevils Apodrosus empherefasciatus (GBIF) and Sibinia furfurosa (GBIF), a katydid Erechthis levyi (Leon Levy) (iNaturalist), the grasshoppers Schistocerca magnifica (OSF) and Choriphyllum bahamensis (ResearchGate), a field cricket Gryllus bryanti (Wikipedia), a stick insect Malacomorpha androsensis (iNaturalist) (PLAZI), a termite Anoplotermes bahamensis (ResearchGate), the wasps Cerceris watlingensis (GBIF) and Zethus islandicus (GBIF), the bees Mesoplia bahamensis (PLAZI) and Agapostemon ochromops (GBIF), and the ants Solenopsis lucayensis (AntWiki) and Crematogaster lucayana (AntWiki).

Other endemic terrestrial arthropods include a tarantula Cyrtopholis bonhotei (iNaturalist), an orb-weaver Metazygia bahama (figs. 8-14 at BHL), a harvestman Erginulus castaneus (GBIF), and a millipede Docodesmus sculpturatus (fig. 1 at BHL).

The Bahamas has 68 species of cave-dwelling invertebrates (cavebiology.com WM) found nowhere else including the shrimps Typhlatya kakuki (cavebiology.com WM) and Macromaxillocaris bahamaensis (cavebiology.com WM pdf), an amphipod Bahadzia williamsi (cavebiology.com WM), an isopod Bahalana geracei (Subterranean Biology), the remipedes Speleonectes tanumekes (cavebiology.com WM) and Godzillius louriei (GBIF), and a hirsutiid crustacean Thetispelecaris remex (crustacea.net WM). The remipedes Pleomothridae (cavebiology.com WM pdf) are an endemic family.

Endemic land snails include Cerion watlingense (flickr), Cerion rodrigoi (WMSDB), Colonella mariguanensis (flickr), Eutrochatella acklinsensis and Plagioptycha scotti (both at BHL), Plagioptycha gregoriana (Bishogai), and Opisthosiphon simpsoni (femorale WM). Marine molluscs known only from the Bahamas include Conus lucaya (jaxshells.orgWM), Conus richardbinghami (jaxshells.org WM), Modulus honkerorum (Google Books), and Chicoreus dunni (Eddie Hardy) (iNaturalist).

The Bahamas have about 50 endemic species of plants (see NCSU WM pdf) including the orchids Encyclia androsiana (IOSPE WM) and Tolumnia sasseri (Leon Levy), Agave nashii (IUCN), a cactus Harrisia brookii (Leon Levy), a cycad Zamia lucayana (ARKive WM), Passiflora bahamensis (Leon Levy), a sedge Cyperus correllii (IUCN), Euphorbia inaguaensis (Malpighiales), Thouinia discolor (Leon Levy), Portulaca minuta (Leon Levy), Waltheria bahamensis (Leon Levy), Ernodea gigantea (IUCN), Spermacoce felis-insulae (IUCN), Spathelia bahamensis (Leon Levy), Symphyotrichum lucayanum (Leon Levy), Lantana demutata (Leon Levy), Caesalpinia murifructa (Leon Levy), Linum bahamense (Leon Levy), and Clematis plukenetii (Leon Levy). Endemic trees include Bursera frenningiae (Leon Levy), Ateleia popenoi (IUCN), a guava Psidium (or Mosiera) androsianum (USF WM), and Guettarda nashii (Leon Levy).

Fungi known only from the Bahamas includes Polyporus multilobatus (GBIF). Marine macroalgae known only from the Bahamas includes Botryocladia bahamense (ResearchGate) and Peyssonnelia abyssica (figs. 1-6 at ResearchGate).

Most of the country is part of the Bahamian Dry Forests ecoregion (EoE) and is included in the Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). Walsingham Cave (Diversity) is one of the world's top hotspots of underground biodiversity.