Northern Mariana Islands
Birds unique to the Northern Marianas include the Mariana Fruit-dove (eBird), the Mariana Crow (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist), the Tinian Monarch (eBird), the Saipan Reed Warbler (eBird), the Saipan White-eye (Joel Sartore), and the Rota White-eye (ARKive WM). The Golden White-eye (eBird) represents an endemic genus. The Mariana Kingfisher (eBird) is often considered a distinct species. The Aguijan Reed Warbler (Yamashina) (ResearchGate) and the Pagan Reed Warbler (Yamashina) are recently extinct.
Deep-sea
fishes known only from the waters of the Northern Marianas include a
bandfish Owstonia ignota
(GBIF),
a cusk-eel Neobythites
marianaensis (p. 53 of
Københavns
Univ. pdf), and several snailfishes: Paraliparis echongpachot,
Paraliparis
kadadakaleguak, and Paraliparis
marianae (all at phys.org
and Springer).
Insects found nowhere else include a katydid Phisis parva (OSF), the ants Camponotus marianensis (AntWiki) and Romblonella townesi (AntWiki), a plant bug Campylomma townesi (Discover Life), the Rota Blue Damselfly Ischnura luta (flickr) (Bishop Museum WM pdf), the longhorn beetles Miaenia boharti (GBIF) and Ceresium saipanicum (Cerambycidae Species WM) and Sybra anatahana (Cerambycidae Species WM), a blister beetle Propalticus saipanensis (fig. 5a on p. 17 of Bishop Museum WM pdf), the jewel beetles Cyphogastra latro and Cyphogastra tinianica (both on p. 15 of INPN pdf), a hister beetle Platysoma anatahanense (ResearchGate), the weevils Liparthrum tinianensis (GBIF) and Trigonops viridis (CORE WM pdf) and Jordanthribus agrihanensis (p. 14 of (coleoptera.sakura.ne.jp pdf), the bees Homalictus vexator (GBIF) and Lasioglossum miyanoi (p. 5 of Kyushu Univ. WM pdf), a cranefly Trentepohlia saipanensis (GBIF), a mosquito Aedes agrihanensis (Monarch), and a leafroller moth Noduliferola phaeostropha (GBIF). The Mariana Wandering Butterfly Vagrans egistina (US FWS WM pdf) (p. 37 of Univ. Guam pdf) formerly occurred also on Guam.
Other
endemic terrestrial invertebrates include Langford’s
Tree Snail Partula
langfordi (Wikipedia),
the Rota Tree Snail Partula
lutaensis (ZooKeys),
Lamprocystis hornbosteli
(HathiTrust),
several undescribed land snails (BHL),
a millipede Phagostrophus
riseri (BHL),
a pseudoscorpion Nesocheiridium
stellatum (ZooKeys),
a
springtail Sira fuscana
(ResearchGate),
and
a
woodlouse Alloniscus
saipanensis (p. 7 of Toyama
Science Museum WM pdf).
Marine
species known only from the Northern Marianas include a sea anemone Neoaiptasia morbilla
(ResearchGate),
an octocoral Neoacis
marianaensis (fig. 7 at MDPI),
the hermit crabs Catapagurus
tenuilamina (GBIF)
and Pseudopaguristes
flavioculus (GBIF),
the dove snails Ascalista
saipanensis (PLAZI)
and Zafra spadicea
(PLAZI),
and a recently
discovered
undescribed species of shrimp is known only from the erupting undersea
volcano NW Rota-1 (nwrota2009.blogspot.com).
Vascular plant species restricted to the Northern Marianas include a
tree fern Cyathea
aramaganensis (GardenBreizh
WM)
(p. 15 of SPREP
WM
pdf),
Nesogenes rotensis
(iNaturalist)
(Micronesica
pdf), Derris
mariannensis (TAI
WM),
Bikkia longicarpa
(JSTOR), Leptecophylla
mariannensis (GBIF)
(fig. 5 at J-STAGE
pdf),
Hedyotis (or Leptopetalum) kanehirae
(BHL),
Premna paulobarbata
(POWO)
(BHL),
Drypetes rotensis
(GBIF) (fig. 4 at J-STAGE
pdf),
Solanum mariannense
(JSTOR), Cyrtandra agrihanensis
(POWO),
and an orchid Malaxis (or Crepidium) alamaganensis
(POWO)
(Tropicos).
Trees known only from the Northern Marianas include Osmoxylon mariannense (iNaturalist) (ARKive WM), Croton saipanensis (GBIF), Terminalia rostrata (BHL) (Wikipedia), and Allophylus laetus (GBIF).
Endemic lichens include Graphis albocolpata (Chiba Pref. Museum) and Porina coarctata (ABRS pdf) (ABRS pdf). Endemic non-vascular plants include a liverwort Bazzania platycnema (GBIF).
The Northern Mariana Islands are part of the Marianas Tropical Dry Forests ecoregion (EoE) and is part of the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). Endemic invertebrates are indicated in bold in (Insects of Guam pdf).