Malawi

Lake Malawi has the world's richest freshwater fish fauna with many species restricted to the portion of the lake in Malawi. Endemic cichlids include the Sulphurhead Peacock (ARKive WM), Copadichromis mbenjii (ARKive WM), the Chisumulu Pearl (ARKive WM), Tramitichromis lituris (FishBase), the Red Top Cobalt (MalawiCichlids.com), the Golden Sandeater (Hippocampus), Melanochromis chipokae (IUCN), the Lavender Mbuna (IUCN), Mylochromis plagiotaenia (FishBase), the Golden Tropheops (iNaturalist), Mchenga conophoros (IUCN), Nyassachromis breviceps (IUCN), the Likoma Island Clown (IUCN), Petrotilapia genalutea (FishBase), and the Cyan Hap (MalawiCichlids.com). Fish endemic to other portions of Malawi include a killifish Nothobranchius wattersi (WildNothos), Seymour's Barb (ResearchGate), a yellowfish Labeobarbus nthuwa (IUCN), the Dwarf Sanjika (MalawiCichlids.com), and the catfishes Zaireichthys lacustris (MalawiCichlids.com) and Bathyclarias euryodon (GBIF).

Reptiles found only in Malawi include the Mount Mulanje Chameleon (Chameleon Database WM) (iNaturalist), Chapman's Pygmy Chameleon (iNaturalist), the Mount Mulanje Pygmy Chameleon (iNaturalist), Mitchell's Flat Lizard (iNaturalist), the King Dwarf Gecko Lygodactylus rex (ResearchGate), Bons' Dwarf Gecko (iNaturalist), the Nyika Girdled Lizard (Reptile Database), the Mulanje Skink (iNaturalist), and the Nyika Serpentiform Skink (fig. 1 at BHL). A skink Proscelotes mlanjensis (Taylor & Francis) (iNaturalist) is also sometimes considered distinct from Proscolotes arnoldi (which occurs in Zimbabwe).

Endemic amphibians include the Mulanje River Frog Amietia johnstoni (iNaturalist), Broadley's Ridged Frog Ptychadena broadleyi (fig. 3C at GBIF) (Google Books), and Friedemann's Long Reed Frog Hyperolius friedemanni (GBIF). The distribution of the Mulanje Mongrel Frog Nothophryne broadleyi (iNaturalist) (p. 8 of BirdLife WM pdf) has recently been restricted to Malawi.

The Yellow-throated Apalis Apalis flavigularis (eBird) (iNaturalist) is an endemic bird.

Mammals known solely from Malawi include the Nyika Mouse Shrew Myosorex gnoskei (PLAZI) (Field Museum pdf), and Johnston’s African Dormouse Graphiurus johnstoni (GBIF) (BHL). The Kalwe Galago (Dwarf Galagos WM) is a possible undescribed species in the genus Galagoides.

Butterflies restricted to Malawi include Cooksonia aliciae (Namizimu WM), Charaxes martini (BOLD), Charaxes dowsetti (BOLD), Euphaedra murphyi (metafro), Euphaedra ceramica (metafro), Cymothoe zombana (BOLD), Semalea malawi (p. 76 of Univ. Nebraska pdf), and Mimacraea costleyi (iNaturalist). Endemic moths include the Mulanje Tiger Moth Callioratis grandis (p. 45 of Metamorphosis pdf), a silk moth Epiphora murphyi (RBINS), and a tortricid Prophaecasia malawiana (GBIF).

Other endemic insects include the Mulanje Damselfly Oreocnemis phoenix (iNaturalist), a cicada Murphyalna mughessensis (GBIF), a leafhopper Xerophytavorus furcillatus (Sciency Thoughts), a thorny lacewing Rhachiella malawica (Species New to Science), an ant Camponotus lamborni (AntWiki), a stalk-eyed fly Diopsis malawiensis (Semantic Scholar), a vivid metallic ground beetle Chlaenius ruthmuellerae (p. 42 of ZOBODAT pdf), a caterpillar hunter Calosoma nyassicum (Calosoma of the World), the dung beetles Tomogonus chauvetorum (GBIF) and Epidrepanus nyika (GBIF), the longhorn beetles Frea nyassana (iNaturalist) and Afroartelida quentini (ResearchGate), a rove beetle Zuluclavodes minor (GBIF), a tortoise beetle Cassida kantnerorum (GBIF), an ant nest beetle Paussus buettikeri (ResearchGate), several caddisflies of the genus Chimarra (Zootaxa pdf), a mantis Galepsus dudleyi (ZooKeys), the crickets Pseudolebinthus lunipterus (Species New to Science) and Malawitrella sotshivkoi (p. 4 of zin.ru pdf), the grasshoppers Kassongia subfuscata (OSF) and Chokwea malawii (OSF), and several katydids: Enyaliopsis ilala (iNaturalist), Enyaliopsis mulanje (OSF), Eulioptera bilobata (OSF), and Dioncomena bulla (iNaturalist).

Other endemic invertebrates include a baboon spider Ceratogyrus hillyardi (Tarantupedia) (iNaturalist), a daddy long-legs spider Ninetis russellsmithi (ResearchGate), a tree sheet-web spider Umwani anymphos (figs. D-F at BHL), a wolf spider Trabea nigristernis (BHL), the scorpions Uroplectes malawicus (BHL) and Pandinus pantinii (p. 51 of Onychium WM pdf), an earthworm Dichogaster frickei (BHL), a freshwater crab Potamonautes mulanjeensis (iNaturalist), a freshwater shrimp Caridina kaombeflutilis (PLAZI), and several land snails: Austromarconia hamiltoni (Semantic Scholar), Cyathopoma meredithae (fig A at ResearchGate), Dadagulella meredithae (fig. 37 at ResearchGate), Fauxulus grayi (fig. 2 at Google Books), and Gulella systemanaturae (Wikipedia).

Among about 50 endemic vascular plant species are several orchids including Aerangis distincta (IOSPE), Habenaria livingstoniana (JSTOR), Angraecum umbrosum (IOSPE), Cynorkis brevicalcar (Flora of Malawi), Polystachya minima (IOSPE), and Polystachya johnstonii (Flora of Malawi). Mount Mulanje is especially rich in endemic plants (Oxford WM) including Impatiens shirensis (flickr), Kniphofia mulanjeana (iNaturalist), Alloeochaete oreogena (JSTOR), Cleome densifolia (Cape Town Botanist), Isoglossa perdita (ResearchGate), Gladiolus bellus (Flora of Malawi), Geranium mlanjense (JSTOR), Helichrysum whyteanum (JSTOR), Streptocarpus milanjianus (Flora of Malawi), and Streptocarpus nimbicola (Cape Town Botanist). Plants unique to the Nyika Plateau include Brachythrix pawekiae (Flora of Malawi), Cyphia nyikensis (Flora of Malawi), Osteospermum nyikensis (JSTOR), Phyllanthus nyikae (JSTOR), and Vernonia kawoziensis (JSTOR). Aloe canis (Figure 6 at ResearchGate), Brachystelma malawiensis (Flora Africa pdf), and Plectranthus elegans (flickr) (iNaturalist) are also endemic to Malawi.

Trees known only from Malawi include the Mulanje Cedar Widdringtonia whytei (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist), Buxus nyasica (GBIF) (IUCN), Erica nyassana (GBIF) (IUCN), Deinbollia nyasica (GBIF) (IUCN), and Vepris elegantissima (IUCN).

Endemic non-vascular plants include the liverworts Fossombronia nyikaensis (SIU WM) and Sauteria nyikaensis (Internet Archive) and a moss Porotrichum dentatum (GBIF). Fungi known only from Malawi include Gloiocephala mucrocystidiata and Marasmius longicystidiatus (both at FFTA).

Parts of Malawi are included in the South Malawi Montane Forest-grassland Mosaic (WWF WM) and the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). The South East Africa Montane Archipelago ecoregion (Nature) is especially notable for endemism. Lake Malawi (FEOW WM) likely has over 800 fish species found nowhere else and is also rich in endemic invertebrates. Many of the endemic plant species can be found in the Malawi Plant Red Data List (see National Red Lists WM pdf) or at (Flora of Malawi).