CaBO Verde

Birds found exclusively in Cabo Verde include the critically endangered Raso Lark (eBird), the Cape Verde Swamp Warbler (eBird), the Cape Verde Sparrow (iNaturalist), and Alexander's Swift (eBird). The Cape Verde Shearwater (Dick's Birds WM) and the Cape Verde Petrel (birdfinding.info) are breeding endemics. Several additional species have sometimes been recognized (BirdLife Int'l WM) including Alexander's Kestrel (Richard Ek), the Neglected Kestrel (flickr), the Cape Verde Buzzard (iNaturalist), the Cape Verde Barn Owl (Sound Approach) (Richard Ek), Bourne's Heron (flickr), and Boyd's Shearwater (eBird).

Cabo Verde's skinks are now all placed in the endemic genus Chioninia and include six living species (iNaturalist) and the extinct Cape Verde Giant Skink Chioninia coctei (Wikipedia) (caboverde.com WM). Other reptiles unique to Cabo Verde include the Cape Verde Leaf-toed Gecko (biosfera), the Sao Nicolau Leaf-toed Gecko (TROPIBIO), the Boa Vista Wall Gecko (iNaturalist), the Giant Wall Gecko (iNaturalist), and the wall geckos Tarentola fogoensis and Tarentola bocagei (both at ResearchGate).

Endemic marine fish include Lubbock’s Chromis (iNaturalist), the Cape Verde Damsel (iNaturalist), the Cape Verde Skate (FishBase), the Twobanded Seabream (iNaturalist), the White SeaBream (iNaturalist), the Blackfish Drummer Girella stuebeli (fig. D at ResearchGate) (iNaturalist), the combtooth blennies Scartella caboverdiana (FishBase) and Parablennius salensis (iNaturalist) and Microlipophrys caboverdensis (FishBase), a labrisomid blenny Malacoctenus carrowi (ResearchGate), the Cape Verde Codling (GBIF), the Barbel Clingfish (FishBase), the Cape Verde Mullet (iNaturalist), the Cape Verde Sandperch (FishBase), a sole Pegusa cadenati (iNaturalist), a needlefish Platybelone lovii (iNaturalist), and several gobies: Gobius salamansa (Species New to Science), Gobius tetrophthalmus (iNaturalist), and Didogobius janetorum (ResearchGate). The Bulldog Dentex Virididentex acromegalus (fig. B at ResearchGate) is an endemic genus.

By one count there are 369 endemic species and 15 endemic genera of insects. These include a butterfly Chilades evorae (SCVZ pdf), the moths Scopula paneliusi (iNaturalist) and Coleophora creola (GBIF), the grasshoppers Eyprepocprifas insularis (iNaturalist) and Sphingonotus atlanticus (OSF), the mayflies Cloeon morna and Cloeon sidadi (ResearchGate), a ground beetle Cymindis alutacea (SCVZ pdf), a longhorn beetle Macrospina caboverdiana (p. 52 of IEV WM pdf), an enigmatic scarab beetle Glaresis hespericula (ZooKeys), a skin beetle Trogoderma caboverdiana (Andreas Herrmann WM), the weevils Pselactus strakai (GBIF) and Dinas (AEMNP pdf) and Auletobius euphorbiae (iNaturalist), a hoverfly Ischiodon feae (ResearchGate) (iNaturalist), a seed bug Serranegra petrophila (p. 59 of PBI pdf), the ants Monomorium boltoni (AntWiki) and Cardiocondyla verdensis (GBIF), and several bees: Amegilla godofredi (iNaturalist), Thyreus batelkai (iNaturalist), and Ceylalictus capverdensis (Atlas Hymenoptera WM) (iNaturalist).

Among 58 endemic spider species is a jumping spider Wesolowskana lymphatica (iNaturalist). Hottentotta caboverdensis (ResearchGate) is a parthenogenetic scorpion. Endemic land snails include Gastrocopta acarus (GBIF), Leptaxis bollei (MNHN pdf), and Eremina advena (figs. 84 & 85 at BHL).

Marine molluscs known solely from Cape Verde include Tambja fantasmalis (Sea Slug Forum WM), Tyrannodoris caboverdensis (iNaturalist), Tritia caboverdensis (Eddie Hardy), Euthria fiadeiroi (ResearchGate), Fissurella gaillardi (Eddie Hardy), Phorcus mariae (iNaturalist), and Favartia burnayi (Eddie Hardy). About 48 species of cone snails are restricted to Cabo Verde (ResearchGate) including Conus cuneolus (iNaturalist), Conus josephinae (IUCN), Africonus perrineae (ResearchGate), Conus crotchii (IUCN), and Conus boavistensis (Eddie Hardy).

Other endemic marine invertebrates include the Cape Verde Spiny Lobster Palinurus charlestoni (SeaLifeBase), the shrimps Typton anaramosae (GBIF) and Bresilia scintilla (MDPI), a pea crab Nepinnotheres viridis (fig. c at ResearchGate), a coral Balanosammia wirtzi (BHL), a barnacle Pollicipes caboverdensis (GBIF), a brittle star Ophiarachnella semicincta (BOLD), and a sponge Amphilectus strepsichelifer (GBIF). Families known only from Cape Verde include deep sea planktonic copepods Paralubbockiidae (ResearchGate) and the nudibranchs Magallanidae (ResearchGate) and Forjacellidae (fig. 17 at ResearchGate).

Vascular plants unique to Cabo Verde (Plantas de mi Tierra) include Aeonium gorgoneum (Flora Iberica), the Cape Verde Island Date Palm Phoenix atlantica (Wikipedia), Campanula cochleromena (GBIF), Nauplius (or Asteriscus) smithii (IWÖ WM), Globularia amygdalifolia (iNaturalist), Helianthemum gorgoneum (iNaturalist), Artemisia gorgonum (Botany.cz), Sideroxylon marginata (IWÖ), Lotus jacobeus (Plantas de mi Tierra), Lavandula rotundifolia (iNaturalist), Micromeria forbesii (iNaturalist), Diplotaxis hirta (iNaturalist), Cynanchum daltonii (Botany.cz), Acacia caboverdeana (fig. 2b at MDPI), Periploca chevalieri (iNaturalist), Echium stenosiphon (Botany.cz), Campylanthus glaber (iNaturalist), Euphorbia tuckeyana (iNaturalist), Arthrocnemum franzii (ResearchGate), Polycarpaea caboverdeana (fig. 65 at EditAEFA pdf), Limonium jovibarba (iNaturalist), and Erysimum caboverdeanum (Plantas de mi Tierra). Tornabenea (Botany.cz) is sometimes recognized as an endemic genus distinct from Daucus.

Endemic fungi include Cyathus lignilantanae (ResearchGate) and Scleroderma capeverdeanum (Fungal Planet WM pdf). Endemic lichens include Rinodina capeverdeana (fig. 1 at ResearchGate) and Gorgadesia mira (tropicallichens.net). Endemic non-vascular plants include a liverwort Exormotheca martins-loussaoae (ResearchGate) (twitter WM) and the mosses Bryum anomodon (GBIF) and Perssonia sanguinea (GBIF). Endemic marine macroalgae include Ectocarpus hamulosus (macroalgae.org), Plocamium concinnum (p. 125 of ResearchGate pdf), and Lithophyllum aninae (GBIF).

The nation comprises the Cape Verde Islands Dry Forests ecoregion (WWF WM) which is part of the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). The Cape Verde Islands are also considered one of the world's top ten coral reef hotspots (Columbia Univ. WM pdf). A complete list of Cabo Verde's plants and terrestrial animals with endemic species and genera indicated is included in the "Lista Preliminar de Especies Silvestres de Cabo Verde" (ResearchGate). A 2015 list of endemic vascular plants is at (Table 1 of ResearchGate).