Coral Sea Islands

The Coral Sea Islands are a territory of Australia and are the only known home of a several species of marine fish including Bennett's Fairy Basslet Tosanoides bennetti (Fishes of Australia), Bennett's Perchlet Plectranthias bennetti (Fishes of Australia), a goby Pascua readerae (Fishes of Australia), and the Elizabeth Reef Jawfish Opistognathus elizabethensis (Fishes of Australia). Betty's Ocean Sleeper Tempestichthys bettyae (ResearchGate) is an endemic genus.

Endemic invertebrates include a pseudoscorpion Nannochelifer paralius (Internet Archive), an undescribed springtail that probably represents a new genus related to Dicranocentrus (p. 37 of Environment Australia pdf), an undescribed millipede of the genus Lophoturus (p. 48 of Environment Australia pdf), a coral Isopora elizabethensis (Corals of the World WM), a brachiopod Ospreyella depressa (PLAZI), a marine mite Simognathus trachys (BHL), and the marine isopod crustaceans Gnathia coralmaris (GBIF) and Gnathia marionis (GBIF).

More information on the natural history of the Coral Sea Islands can be found in the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve and Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve Management Plan (Environment Australia pdf) and in the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve Management Plan (Environment Australia).