Mauritius

Birds unique to Mauritius include several species that have been rescued from the very edge of extinction including the Mauritius Kestrel (ARKive WM), the Pink Pigeon (eBird), and the Echo Parakeet (WPT). Other endemic birds include the Mauritius Olive White-eye (ARKive WM), the Mauritius Gray White-eye (iNaturalist), the Mauritius Cuckooshrike (eBird), the Mauritius Bulbul (eBird), the Rodrigues Warbler (eBird), the Mauritius Fody (eBird), and the Rodrigues Fody (ARKive WM). The Mauritius Paradise Flycatcher (iNaturalist) is sometimes considered a distinct species from the one occurring on Reunion.

Recently extinct birds included a number of endemic genera: the Broad-billed Parrot (Wikipedia), the Rodrigues Parrot (Wikipedia), the Rodrigues Rail (Wikipedia), the Red Rail (Wikipedia), the Rodrigues Starling (Wikipedia), the Dodo (Wikipedia), and the Rodrigues Solitaire (Wikipedia) with the last two sometimes considered to be the sole members of an endemic family, the Raphidae. Other recently extinct birds include the Mauritius Blue Pigeon (Wikipedia), the Mauritius Owl (Wikipedia), the Mauritius Night Heron (Google Books), and the Mauritius Shelduck (Wikipedia).

Mammals found nowhere else include the Rodrigues Flying Fox (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist) and the Mauritian Little Mastiff Bat (MbZ) (iNaturalist).

The Round Island Keel-scaled Boa (IUCN) (ResearchGate) is the sole surviving member of the endemic family Bolyeridae, which until about 1975 also included the now extinct Round Island Burrowing Boa (AFC WM) (GBIF). Other surviving endemic reptiles include the Lesser Night Gecko (Reptile Database), the Serpent Island Night Gecko (iNaturalist), the Round Island Day Gecko (ARKive WM), the Blue-tailed Day Gecko (flickr), the Mauritius Upland Day Gecko (Mauritius Reptiles WM), the Mauritius Lowland Day Gecko (Rufford) (IUCN), the Ornate Day Gecko (Reptile Database), the Mauritius Snake-eyed Skink (iNaturalist), and the Round Island Skink (ARKive WM). The Rodrigues Giant Day Gecko (Wikipedia) and four giant tortoises of the genus Cylindrapsis (Wikipedia) are recently extinct. Bojer’s Skink (iNaturalist) and the Macchabe Skink (IUCN) represent an endemic genus.

Fish known solely from Mauritius include the wrasses Pseudojuloides xanthomos (FishBase) and Paracheilinus piscilineatus (FishBase) and Novaculops alvheimi (FishBase), a deepwater dragonet Callionymus mascarenus (fig. 60 at ResearchGate), the Rodrigues Damselfish (aqua WM), the Fody Dottyback (FishBase), Randall's Dottyback (FishBase), the Magnificent Dottyback Pseudochromis magnificus (p. 31 of CORE WM pdf), the Fortune Sardinella (GBIF), the Mascarene Cardinalfish (PLAZI), the Shortfinned Lionfish Pterois brevipectoralis (J-STAGE pdf), the Greater Sweeper (FishBase), the Cargados Jawfish (BHL), the Yellowscarf Triplefin Enneapterygius elaine (GBIF), the Wide Sole Aseraggodes jenny (GBIF), the Cherry Seabream (GBIF), a moray Gymnothorax sagenodeta (fig. 4 at BHL), the Mauritius Flathead Goby (p. 97 of SAIAB pdf), and the Twosaddle Pygmygoby (GBIF). Awaous pallidus (FishBase) (BHL) is a freshwater goby known only from a lost type specimen and is likely the same as Gobius hypselosoma (fig. 6 at BHL) from Madagascar.

Butterflies restricted to Mauritius include Papilio manlius (ARKive WM), Neptis frobenia (iNaturalist), Euploea euphon (flickr), Euploea desjardinsii (bottom right at BHL), Amauris phoedon (iNaturalist), Cyclyrius (or Leptotes) mandersi (fig. 6 on p. 5 of Metamorphosis pdf), and the extinct Libythea cinyras (Tree of Life WM). Endemic moths include Dysauxes florida (Wiley pdf) (iNaturalist), Eucosmocydia macabensis (fig. 16 at ResearchGate), and Phyllonorycter trochetellus (GBIF).

Other endemic insects include the dragonflies Thalassothemis marchali (flickr) and Hemicordulia virens (iNaturalist), a damselfly Coenagriocnemis insularis (iNaturalist), a cicada Distantada thomaseti (Insects on Stamps), a weevil Cratopus virescens (iNaturalist), a dung beetle Nesosisyphus rotundatus (Beetles of Mauritius), the longhorn beetles Mauritiobrium undulatum (iNaturalist) and Batrachorhina griseiventris (Smithsonian WM), a rove beetle Acylophorus mauritianus (GBIF), a tiger beetle Megalomma viridulum (iNaturalist), a soft-winged flower beetle Laius madli (iNaturalist), a bristle fly Pandelleia crosskeyi (iNaturalist), the stick insects Mauritiophasma motalai (iNaturalist) and Epicharmus marchali (ResearchGate), the katydids Rodriguesiophisis spinifera (IUCN) and Holochlora mauritiana (iNaturalist) and Paradecolya briseferi (IUCN), a cricket Metioche superbus (IUCN), the grasshoppers Pyrgacris relictus (IUCN) and Hildegardia mauritiicola (OSF), and the ants Discothyrea berlita (AntWiki) and Tapinoma fragile (AntWiki).

Among the 45 surviving endemic terrestrial snails are Gonospira teres (Femorale WM), Omphalotropis albolabris (iNaturalist), Gonidomus sulcatus (flickr), Pachystyla bicolor (MbZ), Naggsiaconcha mauritianus (fig. 2A at CSIRO pdf), Erepta stylodon (Wikipedia), Hyalimax perlucidus (iNaturalist), Harmogenanina implicata and Tropidophora eugeniae (both at Arno Brosi), Afripupa rodriguezensis (fig. 8 at BHL), Tropidophora fimbriata (ResearchGate), and Tropidophora articulata (jaxshells.org WM). Endemic freshwater snails include Hovorbis rodriguezensis (GBIF) and Gyraulus mauritianus (GBIF).

Other endemic invertebrates include a tarantula Mascaraneus remotus (Birdspiders.com WM), a jumping spider Cynapes baptizatus (iNaturalist), the Dodo Hermit Spider Nephilingis dodo (lower right of fig. 1 at EZ Lab WM pdf), a wolf spider Wadicosa russellsmithi (fig. 1D at BHL), the harvestmen Hinzuanius mauriticus (fig. 12 at UFRJ pdf) and Tryssetus spinarmatus (fig. 1 at UFRJ pdf), a scorpion Lychas serratus (iNaturalist), a millipede Lophoturus porchi (CSIRO pdf), the Serpent Island Centipede Scolopendra abnormis (Wikipedia), a woodlouse Pagana maculosa (iNaturalist), a freshwater shrimp Caridina mauritii (MNHN), a murex Chicoreus cloveri (Eddie Hardy), the cone snails Conus brandonensis (Femorale WM) and Conus marysae (WoRMS), and a sponge Borojevia pirella (GBIF).

Among over 300 vascular plant species found only in Mauritius are an orchid Angraecum baiderae (Species New to Science), Psiadia cataractae (ARKive WM), Pilea cocottei (flickr), Poupartia castanea (flickr), Hibiscus genevei (ARKive WM), Crinum mauritianum (Wikipedia), Senecio lamarckianus (pp. 62-63 at SSRBG WM pdf), Ruizia boutoniana (Wikipedia), Barleria observatrix (iNaturalist), Peperomia reticulata (Wikimedia Commons), Erica brachyphylla (iNaturalist), Cynanchum guehoi (Wikipedia), Helichrysum mauritianum (iNaturalist), Aerva (or Ouret) congesta (fig. 8 at MWF pdf), and Aloe tormentorii (Wikipedia). Endemic genera include Hornea (Claude Barrère WM), Cylindrocline (POWO) (flickr), Roussea (Mongabay), Nesocodon (flickr), Rhamphogyne (POWO) (fig. A at BHL), and Sarcanthemum (Wikimedia Commons).

Endemic trees include the national flower Trochetia boutoniana (iNaturalist), an ebony Diospyros tessellaria (IUCN), Colea colei (ARKive WM), Dracaena concinna (botany.cz), Polyscias mauritiana (ARKive WM), Xylopia lamarckii (ARKive WM), Pandanus heterocarpus (fr.wikipedia), Elaeocarpus bojeri (GTC WM), Badula balfouriana (flickr), Labourdonnaisia glauca (iNaturalist), Cyphostemma mappia (iNaturalist), Coffea macrocarpa (ARKive WM), Pittosporum balfourii (Wikimedia Commons), Poupartia castanea (fr.wikipedia), Eugenia tinifolia (iNaturalist), Syzygium pyneei (PhytoKeys), Hyphorbe lagenicaulis (botany.cz), Zanthoxylum paniculatum (BGCI), and Latania verschaffeltii (ARKive WM). Endemic tree genera include Ramosmania (iNaturalist), Tetrataxis (GardenBreizh WM), Tectiphiala (ARKive WM), Mathurina (Wikimedia Commons) (p. 40 of IRD pdf), Friedmannodendron (Taylor & Francis pdf) (Univ. Reunion WM), and the presumably extinct Astiria (BHL) (GBIF).

Endemic fungi include Rhizopogon rubrocorticeus (GBIF) and Clathrus mauritianus (BHL). Endemic lichens include Baidera mauritiana (ResearchGate), Porina griffithsii (fig. 4 at ResearchGate), and Collemopsidium mauritiae (ResearchGate). Endemic non-vascular plants include the liverworts Bazzania papillosa (GBIF) and Cololejeunea guehoi (MNHN) and the mosses Jaegerina retrosquarrosa (GBIF) and Papillaria renauldii (GBIF).

Mauritius is included in the Mascarene Forests ecoregion (WWF WM), is part of the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM), and is included in the Southern Mascarene Islands coral reef hotspot (Columbia Univ. WM pdf). An overview of the natural history of Mauritius is at (ResearchGate). See also Chagos.