Ethiopia

Ethiopia's distinctive mammal fauna includes several genera found nowhere else including the Gelada (ARKive WM), Desmomys (ResearchGate) (iNaturalist), the Chingawa Forest Rat (avcr.cz), and the probably extinct Ethiopian Amphibious Rat (BHL). Other endemic mammals include the Ethiopian Wolf (EWCP), the Mountain Nyala or Gedemsa (ARKive WM), the Walia Ibex (ARKive WM), the Bale Mountains Monkey (iNaturalist), the Ethiopian Highland Hare (iNaturalist), Blick's Grass Rat (iNaturalist), the Black-clawed Brush-furred Rat (iNaturalist), Nikolaus' African Climbing Mouse (Species New to Science), Lovat's African Climbing Mouse (ARKive WM), the White-tailed Ethiopian Rat the Giant Root Rat (ARKive WM), the Ethiopian Long-eared Bat (ResearchGate), and Bailey's White-toothed Shrew (Field Museum pdf). Sometimes considered full species are Swayne's Hartebeest (iNaturalist), the Ethiopian Klipspringer (iNaturalist), and the Ethiopian Highlands Bushbuck (iNaturalist).

Birds unique to Ethiopia include Ruspoli’s Turaco (eBird), the Brown-faced Go-away-bird (ABC), Harwood’s Francolin (eBird), the Moorland Francolin (Coke & Sam Smith), the Yellow-fronted Parrot (WPT), the Nechisar Nightjar (GBIF), the Spot-breasted Lapwing (iNaturalist), the White-tailed Swallow (eBird), the Kafa White-eye (ABC), the Yellow-throated Seed-eater (eBird), Salvadori's Seed-eater (eBird), the Ethiopian Siskin (ABC), the Ankober Serin (eBird), the Red-billed Pytilia (eBird), the Sombre Rockchat (eBird), the Liben Lark (eBird), and the Abyssinian Longclaw (eBird). The Blue-winged Goose (eBird), the Abyssinian Catbird (eBird), and the Ethiopian Bushcrow (ARKive WM) are endemic genera.

Reptiles found only in Ethiopia include the Harenna Forest Chameleon (Chameleon Database WM), the Bale Two-horned Chameleon (p. 86 of lacerta.de WM pdf), and the Ethiopian Highland Chameleon (Herpetology of Ethiopia & Eritrea WM). Other endemic reptiles include the Ethiopian Girdled Lizard (IUCN), the Ethiopian Ridgeback Agama (flickr), Peters' Ridgeback Agama (flickr), the Awash Gecko (iNaturalist), Sabin's Snake-eyed Skink (ResearchGate), Böhme's Ethiopian Mountain Snake (iNaturalist), the Ogaden Racer (iNaturalist), the Ethiopian Mountain Adder (flickr), the Bale Mountains Adder (NHM-London), and the Ethiopian Blind Snake (BioLib). The Ethiopian House Snake (fig. 7b at ResearchGate) is an endemic genus Bofa.

Amphibian genera restricted to Ethiopia include the toads Altiphrynoides (IUCN) (ARKive WM), the Ethiopian Short-headed Frog Balebreviceps (IUCN)), the striped frogs Paracassina (iNaturalist), the Bale Mountains Frog Ericabatrachus (ARKive WM), and the Ethiopian Caecilian Sylvacaecilia (Herpetology of Ethiopia & Eritrea WM). Other endemic amphibians include the Ethiopian Burrowing Tree Frog Leptopelis gramineus (Herpetology of Ethiopia & Eritrea WM), the Ethiopian Shovelnose Frog Hemisus microscaphus (African Amphibians WM), the Ethiopian Banana Frog Afrixalus enseticola (IUCN), the grass frogs Ptychadena beka (GBIF) and Ptychadena amharensis (ZooKeys), and the Bibita Mountain Dwarf Puddle Frog Phrynobatrachus bibita (Species New to Science).

The species of Lake Tana barbs (Wageningen Univ. pdf) are a spectacular example of adaptive radiation and include Enteromius humilis (FishBase), Labeobarbus brevicephalus (ResearchGate), and Enteromius tanapelagius (FishBase). The Ethiopian loaches Afronemacheilus (ResearchGate) represent an endemic genus. Other endemic species include the Small-scaled Ethiopian Barb Labeobarbus ethiopicus (ResearchGate), Enteromius yardiensis (ZooKeys), Garra aethiopica (iNaturalist), Garra makiensis (ZooKeys), Nannaethiops bleheri (Senckenberg WM pdf), a cichlid Danakilia franchettii (ResearchGate), the elephantfishes Marcusenius annamariae (Mormyridae WM) and Mormyrops citernii (Mormyridae WM), the Black Lampeye (iNaturalist), the Lake Afdera Killifish Aphanius stiassnyae (ResearchGate), and the catfishes Chiloglanis modjensis (fig. 3 at BHL) and Amphilius lampei (GBIF).

Butterflies known solely from Ethiopia include Charaxes galawadiwosi (Learn About Butterflies WM), Charaxes phoebus (BOLD), Papilio arnoldiana (iNaturalist), Eicochrysops meryamae (iNaturalist), Acraea oscari (fig. 1 at ResearchGate), Telchinia (or Acraea) necoda (iNaturalist), and Telchinia (or Acraea) safie (iNaturalist). Endemic moths include an emperor moth Heniocha digennaroi (AfroMoths WM), a geometrid moth Odontopera protecta (fig. 4 at ResearchGate), a clearwing moth Jerbeia darkovi (GBIF), and a noctuid moth Rougeotia abyssinica (AfroMoths WM).

Other endemic insects include the dragonflies Atoconeura aethiopica (ADDO WM) and Notogomphus cottarellii (ADDO WM), the damselflies Elattoneura pasquinii (ADDO WM) and Ischnura abyssinica (IUCN), a cicada Pycna antinorii (fig. 1 at BHL), the bees Colletes meneliki (GBIF) and Nomada hararensis (fig. 16 at Sabinet pdf), a digger wasp Sphex abyssinicus (GBIF), an ant Hypoponera exigua (AntWiki), a katydid Peropyrrhicia keffensis (ResearchGate), a grasshopper Dorsthippus baleensis (GBIF), the longhorn beetles Sternotomis caillaudi (flickr) and Strandiata monikae (iNaturalist), a jewel beetle Chalcogenia brandli (GBIF), the ground beetles Trechus mattisi (ResearchGate) and Calosoma gestroi (Calosoma of the World), a predaceous diving beetle Ilybiosoma discicolle (BioLib), and several flower beetles: Hegemus pluto (Flower Beetles), Compsocephalus dmitriewi (Flower Beetles), Pachnoda abyssinica (Flower Beetles WM), and Centrantyx nitidus (Flower Beetles).

Other endemic invertebrates include the land snails Limicolaria pyramidalis (WMSD) and Cecilioides soleilleti (GBIF) and Subulina muzingeri (fig. 17 at NABU WM pdf), the freshwater snails Bulinus octoploidus (Google Books) and Ancylus ashangiensis (fig. 19 at Internet Archive), a freshwater mussel Unio abyssinicus (MUSSELp) (IUCN), the scorpions Buthus awashensis (iNaturalist) and Pandinus trailini (iNaturalist), the spiders Singafrotypa subinermis (ResearchGate) and Acanthinozodium crateriferum (GBIF), the harvestmen Filopalpus joschmidti (GBIF) and Simienatus scotti (fig. 1 at UFRJ pdf), the solifuge genera Blossiana (GBIF) and Bitonota (GBIF), the freshwater crabs Potamonautes kundudo (p. 4 of Naturalis pdf) and Rotundopotamonautes ignestii (iNaturalist), a cace-dwelling isopod crustacean Skotobaena mortoni (figs. 19 & 20 on p. 6 of AToL Decapoda pdf), and a freshwater sponge Makedia tanensis (BHL).

Among the over 500 vascular plant species restricted to Ethiopia (ResearchGate) (EBI WM pdf) are the orchids Holothrix unifolia (Google Books) and Habenaria vollesenii (JSTOR), Kniphofia foliosa (iNaturalist), Lobelia rhynchopetalum (iNaturalist), Cibirhiza spiculata (ResearchGate), Huernia boleana (Huernia.com WM), Amorphophallus gomboczianus (IAS WM), Gladiolus balensis (p. 246 of UiO WM pdf), Euphorbia makallensis (euphorbia.de WM) (IUCN), Aloe welmelensis (POWO), Carduus macracanthus (Botany.cz), Barleria baluganii (IUCN), Pilularia ethiopica (PLAZI), Kalanchoe hypseloleuce (ResearchGate), Impatiens rothii (iNaturalist), Sedum baleensis (flickr), Cineraria sebaldii (Botany.cz), Echinops ellenbeckii (African Plants WM), Senecio nanus (East African Plants WM), Solanecio gigas (African Plants WM), Helichrysum gofense (African Plants WM), Urtica simensis (Famine Food Field Guide), Commicarpus ogadenensis (ResearchGate), and Thunbergia mauginii and Chionothrix latifolia (both on p. 15 of ResearchGate pdf),

Trees known only from Ethiopia include Erythrina brucei (iNaturalist), Millettia ferruginea (ResearchGate), Euphorbia uniglans (fig. 4 at ResearchGate), Vepris dainellii (Semantic Scholar), Indigofera rothii (GBIF), Erythrophysa septentrionalis (POWO), Tetradenia multiflora (POWO), Dombeya longebracteolata (GBIF), Rinorea friisii (GBIF), Sesbania melanocaulis (GBIF), Vachellia (or Acacia) negrii (East African Plants WM), and Senegalia (or Acacia) fumosa (ARKive WM).

Endemic vascular plant genera include Chiliocephalum (Compositae), Afrovivella (iNaturalist) (fig. D on p. 4 of Univ. Wien WM pdf), and the extinct Leptagrostis (Oxford) (GBIF).

Lichens known only from Ethiopia include Anaptychia ethiopica (GBIF) and Caprettia goderei (p. 42 of DNB pdf). Endemic fungi include Ramaria kafaensis (ResearchGate) and Cerinomyces bambusicola (fig. 15 at NABU WM pdf). Endemic non-vascular plants include the mosses Anoectangium schimperi (GBIF) and Brachymenium curvitheca (GBIF) and the liverworts Lejeunea aethiopica (GBIF) and Targionia elongata (GBIF).

Portions of Ethiopia are included in the Eastern Afromontane (Biodiversity Hotspots WM) and the Horn of Africa (Biodiversity Hotspots WM) biodiversity hotspots. Important terrestrial ecoregions include the Ethiopian Montane Moorlands (WWF WM) and the Ethiopian Montane Grasslands and Woodlands (WWF WM). Lake Tana (FEOW WM) is an important freshwater ecoregion.