Sao Tome and Principe

Birds unique to Sao Tome include the Dwarf Ibis (IUCN) (eBird), the Sao Tome Olive Pigeon (eBird), the Sao Tome Green Pigeon (eBird), the Sao Tome Scops-owl (ARKive WM), the Sao Tome Spinetail (eBird), the Sao Tome Prinia (eBird), the Sao Tome Grosbeak (ABC) (IUCN), Newton's Fiscal (eBird), the Sao Tome Oriole (ARKive WM), the Sao Tome Paradise Flycatcher (iNaturalist), and two endemic genera: the Giant Sunbird (ABC) (eBird) and the Sao Tome Short-tail (ARKive WM). Birds endemic to Principe include the Principe Kingfisher (iNaturalist), the Principe Scops-owl (ZooKeys), the Principe Sunbird (ABC), the Principe Starling (iNaturalist), the Principe Golden Weaver (eBird), the Principe Thrush (ABC), the Principe Speirops (iNaturalist), the Principe White-eye (eBird), the Principe Seedeater (eBird), and Dohrn's Warbler (eBird).

Reptiles found nowhere else include the Sao Tome Cobra Naja peroescobari (ResearchGate) (iNaturalist), the Sao Tome Green Snake Philothamnus thomensis (iNaturalist), the Principe Green Snake Hapsidophrys principis (iNaturalist), the Elegant Worm Snake Afrotyphlops elegans (iNaturalist), the Principe House Snake Boaedon mendesi (ResearchGate), the worm snakes Letheobia feae and Letheobia newtoni (both at CAS), the geckos Hemidactylus greefi (iNaturalist) and Hemidactylus principensis (ResearchGate), the Sao Tome Leaf Litter Skink Panaspis thomensis (iNaturalist), the Guinea Lidless Skink Panaspis africanus (ResearchGate), the Principe Burrowing Skink Feylinia polylepis (flickr), and the skinks Trachylepis adamastor (Wilder WM) (iNaturalist) and Trachylepis thomensis (iNaturalist). The dwarf geckos Lygodactylus thomensis (iNaturalist) and Lygodactylus delicatus (iNaturalist) are sometimes recognized as full species distinct from the day geckos on Annobon in Equatorial Guinea.

Endemic mammals include the Sao Tome White-toothed Shrew Crocidura thomensis (ARKive WM), the Principe White-toothed Shrew Crocidura fingui (ResearchGate) (Wilder WM), the Sao Tome Leaf-nosed Bat Macronycteris thomensis (iNaturalist), Newton's Leaf-nosed Bat Miniopterus newtoni (iNaturalist), the Sao Tome Free-tailed Bat Chaerephon tomensis (twitter WM) (CSIC pdf), the Principe Pipistrelle Pseudoromicia principis (Species New to Science), and the Sao Tome Collared Fruit Bat Myonycteris brachycephala (GBIF).

Amphibians restricted to Sao Tome and Principe include the Sao Tome Giant Tree Frog Hyperolius thomensis (ARKive WM), the Ocean Tree Frog Hyperolius molleri (AmphibiaWeb), Drewes' Tree Frog Hyperolius drewesi (iNaturalist), the Principe Giant Tree Frog Leptopelis palmatus (iNaturalist) (IUCN), Newton’s Grassland Frog Ptychadena newtoni (IUCN), the Sao Tome Puddle Frog Phrynobatrachus leveleve (AmphibiaWeb), the Principe Puddle Frog Phrynobatrachus dispar (CalPhotos), and the Sao Tome Caecilian Schistometopum thomense (iNaturalist).

Marine fish known solely from Sao Tome and Principe include a sea bass Serranus drewesi (BHL), the clingfishes Lecanogaster gorgoniphila (ResearchGate) and Diplecogaster roseioculus (ResearchGate), an undescribed electric ray of the genus Torpedo (p. 3 of LBMM WM pdf), and the gobies Gorogobius stevcici (FishBase) (iNaturalist) and Didogobius amicuscaridis (FishBase).

Butterflies exclusive to Sao Tome and Principe include Papilio nerminae (fig. 18 at SEA WM pdf), Coeliades bocagei (p. 5 of SEA WM pdf), Charaxes thomasius (iNaturalist), Charaxes lemosi (BOLD), Rubraea niobe (iNaturalist), Rubraea medea (iNaturalist), Neptis larseni (iNaturalist), Leptotes pyrczi and Leptotes sanctithomae (both on p. 13 of Michel Libert WM pdf), Artitropa principetome (Metamorphosis pdf), and Dixeia piscicollis (iNaturalist) (IICT WM). Endemic moths include a hawk moth Pseudoclanis tomensis (iNaturalist), a silk moth Bunaea oremansi (iNaturalist), and an erebid moth Disparctia thomensis (iNaturalist).

Other endemic insects includea dragonfly Trithemis nigra (ADDO WM), the longhorn beetles Sternotomis ducalis (iNaturalist) and Macrotoma hayesii (fig. 12.2 at Springer pdf) and Ceratocentrus oremansi (BioLib), a scarab beetle Stenosternus costatus (ZooKeys), a rhinoceros beetle Oryctes latecavatus (iNaturalist), a stag beetle Prosopocoilus downesii (iNaturalist), the flower beetles Leucocelis feana (Wikipedia) and Pachnoda canui (p. 58 of Les Coleopteres du Monde WM pdf), a tumbling flower beetle Ophthalmoglipa leblanci (iNaturalist), a ground beetle Straneoa seligmani (BHL), a rove beetle Reichentomica tasani (GBIF), a flea beetle Notomela joliveti (Sciency Thoughts), a weevil Titilayo turneri (fig. 16 at Semantic Scholar pdf), the katydids Adapantus excavatus (GBIF) and Brachyamytta bombomensis (GBIF) and Mangomaloba angustipennis (OSF), a cricket Sciobia viettei (GBIF), a seed bug Dieuches gracilicrus (GBIF), a caddisfly Chimarra tamsi (iNaturalist), and several ants: Camponotus aurofasciatus (iNaturalist), Strumigenys sibyna (AntWiki) and Plectroctena gestroi (AntWiki).

The Sao Tome Door Snail Thyrophorella thomensis (iNaturalist) (fig. 16.1 at Springer pdf) is the sole member of the endemic family Thyrophorellidae. Other endemic land snails include Atopocochlis exaratus (iNaturalist), the Obo Snail Archachatina bicarinata (Forest Giants) (iNaturalist), Apothapsia thomensis (iNaturalist), Bocageia massoni (Femorale WM), Columna columna (Femorale WM), Pseudoveronicella forcarti (figs. 12D at zenodo pdf), Dendrolimax greeffi (iNaturalist), Lignus alabaster (b-cabinet), Rhysotina hepatizon (iNaturalist), Thomitrochoidea trindadensis (iNaturalist), Principicochlea tenuitesta (figs. 12F-G at zenodo pdf), and Trochonanina moreletti (b-cabinet). Endemic marine molluscs include an abalone Haliotis geigeri (IUCN), Coralliophila raramaculata (Eddie Hardy), Cyrillia zamponorum (Wikipedia), Muricopsis gorii (Eddie Hardy), and Gibberula thomensis (Eddie Hardy).

Other endemic invertebrates include a spiny orb-weaver Gasteracantha thomasinsulae (iNaturalist), the tarantulas Hysterocrates apostolicus (Birdspiders.com WM) and Phoneyusa principium (p. 99 of MIGA pdf), a jumping spider Pochyta insulana (jumping-spiders.com), a pholcid spider Leptopholcus obo (figs. 215-216 at BHL), a harvestman Palmanella tigrina (Opiliones Wiki), the freshwater crabs Nesonautes saotome (iNaturalist) and Potamonautes principe (ResearchGate), the woodlice Venezillo crassus (iNaturalist) and Metaperiscyphops insulanus (p. 63 of Taylor & Francis pdf), a centipede Otostigmus coltellus (CAS), a millipede Globanus drewesi (ZooKeys), a marine cleaner shrimp Hippolyte cedrici (GBIF), an opossum shrimp Ischiomysis proincisa (ZSE), a land planarian Othelosoma duplamaculosum (GBIF), a marine flatworm Pseudobiceros principensis (ResearchGate), and a lace coral Stylaster blatteus (reeflex.net).

Among over 100 endemic vascular plants (ABC WM pdf) are many orchids including Bulbophyllum lizae (IOPSE WM), Orestias stelidostachya (flickr), Rhipidoglossum brevifolium (iNaturalist), Afropectinariella (or Angraecum) doratophylla (IUCN), Tridactyle thomensis (IOSPE WM), Chamaeangis thomensis (IOSPE WM), and Polystachya setifera (IUCN). Other endemic plants include Begonia baccata (iNaturalist), Erica thomensis (IUCN), Brachystephanus occidentalis (flickr), Heteradelphia paulowilhelmia (iNaturalist), Impatiens manteroana (iNaturalist), Rinorea thomensis (ARKive WM), Bertiera pedicellata (p. 88 of MIGA pdf), Alsophila welwitschii (fr.wikipedia), Calvoa confertifolia (fr.wikipedia), Renealmia sancti-thomae (iNaturalist), Dicranolepis thomensis (iNaturalist), Elatostema thomense (iNaturalist), and Lobelia barnsii (GBIF). Principina grandis (GBIF) (ResearchGate) is an endemic genus of sedge.

Endemic trees include Afrocarpus mannii (ARKive WM) (RBGE), Anisophyllea cabole (IUCN), Staudtia pterocarpa (GTC WM), Balthasaria mannii (fig. 19.4 at Springer pdf), Homalium henriquesii (flickr), Pandanus thomensis (iNaturalist), Craterispermum montanum (ARKive WM), Santiria balsamifera (iNaturalist), Discoclaoxylon occidentale (iNaturalist), Leea tinctoria (iNaturalist), Trichilia grandifolia (fr.wikipedia), Hernandia beninensis (fr.wikipedia), Tabernaemontana stenosiphon (iNaturalist), Erythrococca molleri (iNaturalist), Grossera elongata (iNaturalist), Carapa gogo (GBIF), Dichapetalum bocageanum (GBIF), Drypetes glabra (GBIF), Pauridiantha insularis (GBIF), Tarenna nituloides (iNaturalist), Psychotria grumilia (GBIF), Chytranthus mannii (p. 285 of ResearchGate pdf), and Croton stellulifer (fr.wikipedia).

Endemic fungi include Pluteus hirtellus (ResearchGate), Gymnopus irresolutus (ResearchGate), Phallus drewsii (iNaturalist) (fig. 5 at Springer pdf), and Marasmius segregatus (ResearchGate). Endemic non-vascular plants include the liverworts Marchesinia principensis (Semantic Scholar) and Prionolejeunea principensis (GBIF), a hornwort Dendroceros paivae (fig. 9.7 at Springer pdf), and the mosses Callicostella chionophylla (GBIF) and Porotrichum saotomense (ResearchGate).

The nation is part of the Sao Tome, Principe and Annobon Moist Lowland Forests (WWF WM), the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM), and the Gulf of Guinea Islands coral reef hotspot (Columbia Univ. WM pdf). For an overview of the biota see the “National Report on the Status of Biodiversity in S.Tome and Principe” (CBD pdf) and (ResearchGate pdf). A checklist of land molluscs indicating endemic species is at (p. 4 of zenodo pdf).