Japan

Mammals found exclusively in Japan include the Japanese Macaque (ARKive WM), the Japanese Serow (caprinae world), the Japanese Badger (iNaturalist), the Japanese Weasel (iNaturalist), the Japanese Raccoon Dog (iNaturalist), the Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel (Takao Museum) (iNaturalist), the Japanese Flying Squirrel (Kumamoto Eco WM), the Japanese Squirrel (iNaturalist), Yaeyama Horseshoe Bat (fruitbat.jp), and the Bonin Flying Fox (Fruit Bat World), the Lesser Ryukyu White-toothed Shrew (Wildlife Okinawa WM), and the Japanese Water Shrew (pref.kyoto.jp). Endemic genera include the Amami Rabbit (iNaturalist), the Japanese Dormouse (glirarium.org WM), the Ryukyu Islands Tree Rat (IUCN), the Okinawa Spiny Rat (EDGE), the Japanese Mountain Mole (Kyoto Univ. pdf) (Wikipedia), the Lesser Japanese Shrew Mole (RDB Ehime), and the Greater Japanese Shrew Mole (Takao Museum).

Birds unique to Japan include the Okinawa Woodpecker (eBird), the Japanese Woodpecker (eBird), the Bonin White-eye (eBird), the Amami Jay (eBird), the Okinawa Rail (eBird), the Copper Pheasant (eBird), the Green Pheasant (birdfinding.info WM), the Izu Thrush (eBird), the Izu Tit (eBird), the Amami Thrush (eBird), the Ryukyu Robin (eBird), the Ryukyu Minivet (eBird), the Ryukyu Flycatcher (eBird), the Ryukyu Green Pigeon (Cornell), the Amami Woodcock (eBird), and the Bonin Greenfinch (Lars Petersson). Breeding endemics include Ijima’s Leaf Warbler (eBird), the Yellow Bunting (avesphoto.com WM), the Short-tailed Albatross (ARKive WM), Matsudaira's Storm-petrel (Seabirding Japan), and Bannerman's Shearwater (Seabirding Japan).

Reptiles found only in Japan include the Yaku Gecko (iNaturalist), the Tokashiki Ground Gecko (IUCN), the Green Grass Lizard (iNaturalist), the Ryukyu Short-legged Skink (iNaturalist), Kishinoue’s Giant Skink (IUCN), the Japanese Coral Snake (Okinawa Nature Photography), the Tokara Habu (Reptile Database), the Tsushima Mamushi (iNaturalist), the Himehabu (iNaturalist), the Amami Odd-scaled Snake (ARKive WM), Iwasaki's Slug Snake (Wildlife Okinawa), Pryer’s Keelback (Wildlife Okinawa WM), Pfeffer's Reed Snake (IUCN), the Ryukyu Green Snake (iNaturalist), the Ryukyu Odd-tooth Snake (iNaturalist), Kikuzato’s Stream Snake (twitter WM), the Japanese Pond Turtle (iNaturalist), and the Ryukyu Black-breasted Leaf Turtle (iNaturalist), .

Amphibians restricted to Japan include the Japanese Giant Salamander (ARKive WM), the Oki Salamander (IUCN), the Japanese Clawed Salamander (AmphibiaWeb), the Japanese Fire-bellied Newt (CalPhotos), the Japanese Stream Toad (AmphibiaWeb), Hallowell’s Tree Frog (Japanese Frogs WM), the Okinawa Rice Frog (iNaturalist), Namie’s Frog (iNaturalist), the Amami Oshima Frog (Okinawa Nature Photography), Ishikawa's Frog (ARKive WM), the Kajika Frog (Japanese Frogs), and the Forest Green Tree Frog (iNaturalist).

Endemic freshwater fish genera include the Tokyo Bitterling Pseudorhodeus (tansuigyo.net), the Golden Venus Chub Hemigrammocypris (IUCN), the Lakeweed Chub Ischikauia (memobird), and the Ishikawa Icefish Neosalangichthys (tansuigyo.net). Other endemic freshwater fish include the Kunimasu Trout (Wikipedia), the Japanese Lates (Wikipedia), the Secret Loach (FIMSEA), the Kissing Loach (IUCN), the Japanese Eight-barbeled Loach (iNaturalist), the Lake Biwa Catfish (FishBase), the Stumpy Bullhead (ARKive WM), the Northern Medaka (FishBase), the Biwa Gudgeon (IUCN), the gobies Rhinogobius biwaensis (IUCN) and Luciogobius fonticola (ResearchGate), a sleeper Odontobutis hikimius (ffish.asia) the Biwa Sculpin (tansuigyo.net), the Kakure Ninespine Stickleback (PLAZI), and the Japanese Brook Lamprey (ZooKeys).

Endemic marine fish include the Japanese Wedgefish (Species New to Science), the Cinder Cloudy Catshark (tonysharks.com), the Orange Pipefish (Izuzuki Diver), the Whitebar Anthias (Izuzuki Diver), the Izu Islands Triplefin (Izuzuki Diver), Takeuchi's Angelfish (FishBase), the Wrought Iron Butterflyfish (Churaumi), the Yellowtail Parrotfish (FishBase), the Paradise Pencil Wrasse (ResearchGate), a puffer Takifugu chrysops (colorbeach.exblog.jp), a cardinalfish Siphamia senoui (okinawa-zukan.com WM), the Moonstone Chromis (ResearchGate), the Ogasawara Leaping Blenny (ZooChat), the Izu Velvetfish (diving.tank.jp), and a soldierfish Myripristis kochiensis (Reef Life Survey).

Butterflies known solely from Japan include the Japanese Luehdorfia (iNaturalist), the Japanese Treebrown (iNaturalist), the Honshu White Admiral (iNaturalist), the Fujisan Green Hairstreak (Aomori's Butterflies), the Ogasawara Blue (ikilog.biodic.go.jp WM), the Golden Hairstreak (Aomori's Butterflies), the Jezo Green Hairstreak (Field), and a skipper Parnara ogasawarensis (chou-album.sakura.ne.jp WM). Endemic moths include the Japanese Owl Moth (Japanese Moths WM), Smerinthus tokyonis (iNaturalist), and Loepa sakaei (iNaturalist).

Other endemic insects include the Genji Firefly (Yoshihito Furukawa), the dragonflies Epiophlebia superstes (Odonata of Kobe) and Boninthemis insularis (Odonata on Stamps WM), a damselfly Coeliccia ryukyuensis (iNaturalist), a cicada Platypleura yayeyamana (Cicadae in Japan WM), a grasshopper Epacromius japonicus (Ehime Red Data Book), a katydid Psyrana amaiensis (iNaturalist), a raspy cricket Neanias ogasawarensis (iNaturalist), a tiger beetle Cicindela bonina (tigerbeetle.world.coocan.jp WM), the ground beetles Carabus insulicola (iNaturalist) and Ishikawatrechus intermedius (Living With Insects) and the cave-dwelling Ryukyuaphaenops pulcherrimus (Species New to Science), a riffle beetle Podonychus gyobu (GBIF), the longhorn beetles Rosalia batesi (iNaturalist) and Anoplophora oshimana (iNaturalist), the stag beetles Prismognathus tokui (A.L.F. WM) and Neolucanus okinawanus (biodiversity.okinawa), the Yanbaru Long-armed Beetle (IUCN), an ant Camponotus hemichlaena (iNaturalist), a bumblebee Bombus honshuensis (Hanamaru Project WM), a mantis Acromantis satsumensis (iNaturalist), a stick insect Entoria miyakoensis (iNaturalist), and the mayfly family Dipteromimidae (iNaturalist).

Endemic molluscs include the Japanese Flapjack Octopus (Wikipedia), Semisulcospira freshwater snails (Bishogai), a freshwater mussel Obovalis omiensis (pref.kyoto.jp), and several land snails: Ezohelix gainesi (EurekAlert!), Hirasea operculina (Ogasawara WM), Euhadra peliomphala (iNaturalist), Japonia sadoensis (iNaturalist), and Plectotropis vulgivaga (iNaturalist). Other endemic invertebrates include a land crab Geothelphusa tenuimana (Wildlife Okinawa WM), a freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium shokitai (ffish.asia), a crayfish Cambaroides japonicus (iNaturalist), the spiders Coelotes eharai (Ehime Red Data Book) and Mendoza ibarakiensis (pontaxx.blog WM), the Ryukyu Rabbit Tick (twitter WM), the millipedes Parafontaria laminata (Royal Soc.) and Spirobolus akamma (ResearchGate), a cave-dwelling centipede Arrup akiyoshiensis (ZooKeys), a land planarian Bipalium kisoense (iNaturalist), an earthworm Metaphire sieboldi (IUCN), a sea slug Melibe minuta (Sea Slug Forum WM), the Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt (Wikipedia), and the corals Porites okinawensis (Corals of the World WM) and Sympodium subtilis (GBIF).

Endemic invertebrate families include worms Biwadrilidae (fig. 1 on p. 5 of Opuscula Zoologica pdf) and Limpluvidae (fig. 9 at Oxford) and Ohtakianidae (fig. 7 at Oxford), the amphipods Luciobliviidae (PLAZI) and Protodulichiidae (GBIF), copepods Protolatiremidae (p. 58 of HUSCAP pdf), harvestmen Nippononychidae (iNaturalist), a tardigrade Thermozodiidae (BioOne), a sea slug Showajidaiidae (iNaturalist) (ResearchGate), the bryozoans Labiostomellidae (figs. D-E at Google Books) and Pseudolepraliidae (bryozoa.net), a hydrothermal vent inhabiting barnacle Probathylepadidae (GBIF), a sea anemone Spongiactinidae (Actiniaria.com WM), a ribbon worm Eopilididae (GBIF), and a hemichordate Atubaridae (J-STAGE pdf) (kahaku.go.jp).

Trees known only from Japan include the Star Magnolia (IUCN), the Amami Maple (World Plants), the Sasanqua Camellia (iNaturalist), the Japanese Holly (iNaturalist), Ficus boninsimae (iNaturalist), the Oshima Cherry (iNaturalist), the Japanese Beech (iNaturalist), the Okinawa Oak (Monumental Trees), the Japanese Stone Oak (iNaturalist), the Magnificent Katsura (IDS), the Japanese Hornbeam (iNaturalist), the Pillar Apple (iNaturalist), Hibiscus glaber (iNaturalist), the Tall Stewartia (IDS), Koyama's Spruce (RBGE), the Amami Pine (RBGE), and the Japanese Douglas Fir (RBGE). Endemic tree genera include the Satake Palm (PACSOA WM) and the Asunaro (Wikipedia). The Japanese Umbrella Pine (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist) is the sole member of the endemic family Sciadopityaceae.

Other vascular plants unique to Japan include Callianthemum miyabeanum (flickr), Chrysanthemum japonense (iNaturalist), Allium inutile and Oreocharis primuloides (both at pref.kyoto.jp), Asarum monodoriflorum (iNaturalist), Arisaema limbatum (iNaturalist), Arachniodes dimorphophylla (iNaturalist), the Golden-rayed Lily (iNaturalist), Rhododendron kaempferi (iNaturalist), Viola utchinensis (IUCN), Gardenia boninensis (Mano Nomoto), Aquilegia buergeriana (iNaturalist), Primula nipponica (iNaturalist), the Garden Weigela (iNaturalist), Paris japonica (POWO), Hosta kiyosumiensis (Hosta Library pdf), Silene miqueliana (iNaturalist), a fern Lepisorus boninensis (Wiley), Ophiorrhiza yamashitae (Tsukuba BG), and the orchids Calanthe izu-insularis (Biglobe) and Galearis fauriei (Biglobe).

Other endemic vascular plant genera include the Nippon Daisy (iNaturalist), the Japanese Forest Grass (iNaturalist), Dupontiopsis (iNaturalist), Sasaella (Pl@ntNet), Dendrocacalia (ogasawara-syokubutusi WM), Ranzania (wildplants.sakura.ne.jp WM), Ancistrocarya (hanamist.sakura.ne.jp WM), Spuriomitella (Wikispecies), Glaucidium (iNaturalist), Pteridophyllum (botanic.jp), Perillula (Masao Takeno), Japonolirion (Hokkaido Univ.), Miricacalia (Japanese Wild Flowers), Anemonopsis (alpine-plants-jp.com WM), Relictithismia (ResearchGate), Daphnimorpha (env.go.jp), Apodicarpum (arakawasaitama.com), and Comospermum (Asian Flora WM).

Endemic fungi include Boninogaster phalloides (IUCN), Rhizopogon togasawarensis (IUCN), and Echinodontium japonicum (IUCN). Endemic lichens include Anisomeridium yoshimurae (Chiba Pref. Museum) and Gyalidea izuensis (ResearchGate). Endemic non-vascular plants include the liverworts Cavicularia densa (Hiroshima Univ.) and Riccia oryzicola (kokemusuzukan.jimdofree) and the mosses Rhachithecium nipponicum (p. 1 of J-STAGE pdf) and Gollania splendens (GBIF). Endemic marine algae include Sargassum spathulophyllum (TBG WM) and Setoutiphycus delamareoides (ResearchGate).

Japan is its own biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). Japan has exceptional marine endemism and portions of the country are included in the Southern Japan, Taiwan and Southern China coral reef hotspot (Columbia Univ. WM pdf). Lake Biwa (LBM WM) (ResearchGate pdf) is one ot the world's most ancient lakes and has many unique species.