Seychelles

The amphibian fauna is highly distinctive with one family, the Sooglossidae, entirely restricted to the Seychelles and including the tiny Gardiner's Seychelles Frog (IUCN) (iNaturalist), the Seychelles Palm Frog (IUCN), the Seychelles Frog (IUCN) (iNaturalist), and Thomasset's Frog (iNaturalist). Representatives of other endemic genera include the Seychelles Tree Frog Tachycnemis (iNaturalist), the Indian Ocean Caecilian Grandisonia (iNaturalist) (Granitic Seychelles), the Petit Praslin Caecilian Hypogeophis (GBIF) (iNaturalist), and Cooper's Black Caecilian Praslinia (Seychelles News Agency). Several undescribed cryptic species appear to be present as well (ResearchGate).

Birds found nowhere else include the Seychelles Kestrel (eBird), the Seychelles Scops Owl (ARKive WM), the Seychelles Blue Pigeon (iNaturalist), the Seychelles Swiftlet (eBird), the Seychelles Parrot (eBird), the Aldabra Drongo (Morten Jorgensen), the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher (ARKive WM), the Seychelles Bulbul (eBird), the Seychelles Warbler (Univ. Sheffield), the Seychelles White-eye (Nature Seychelles), the Seychelles Magpie-Robin (ARKive WM), the Seychelles Sunbird (eBird), the Seychelles Fody (ARKive WM), the Aldabra Fody (Morten Jorgensen), and the extinct Seychelles Parakeet (Wikipedia) (GBIF) and Aldabra Brush Warbler (Google Books). Also sometimes considered to be full species are the Aldabra White-eye (flickr), Abbott's Sunbird (Morten Jorgensen), and the Aldabra Rail (iNaturalist).

Endemic mammals include the Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat (EDGE WM) (iNaturalist), the Aldabra Flying Fox (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist), and the Aldabra Trident Bat Paratriaenops pauliani (twitter WM) (ResearchGate). The Seychelles Free-tailed Bat Chaerephon pusillus is considered restricted to Aldabra and the Amirantes by some (BioOne), although it is considered conspecific with bats on Mayotte by others (p. 17 of Ecologie Acoustique pdf).

Reptiles known only from the Seychelles include the Aldabra Giant Tortoise (ARKive WM), the Seychelles Wolf Snake (iNaturalist), the Seychelles House Snake (iNaturalist), the Tiger Chameleon (ARKive WM), the Seychelles Giant Day Gecko (flickr), the Giant Bronze Gecko (IUCN), the Seychelles Surprise Gecko (iNaturalist), Brauer's Burrowing Skink (ARKive WM), Gardiner’s Burrowing Skink (IUCN), Wright's Skink (iNaturalist), and the Aldabra Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus aldabrae (p. 7 of BHS pdf). Arnold's Giant Tortoise (IUCN pdf) and the Seychelles Giant Tortoise (IUCN pdf), both surviving only in captivity, are sometimes considered full species distinct from the Aldabra Giant Tortoise.

Freshwater fish unique to the Seychelles are the Golden Panchax (iNaturalist) (FishBase) and the Seychelles Dartfish (ResearchGate).

Endemic marine fish include the Seychelles Anemonefish (iNaturalist), the Amirante Dwarfgoby (OSF WM pdf), another goby Caffrogobius dubius (GBIF), the Bigeye Sweeper (FishBase), an eel Myroconger seychellensis (FishBase), the Tyro Seahorse (IUCN), the Wedgejaw Goatfish Parupeneus angulatus (BHL), the Seychelles Flounder Engyprosopon sechellensis (fig. 5 at BHL), the Vityaz Lizardfish Synodus vityazi (GBIF), the Seychelles Spiny Dragonet Callionymus spiniceps (fig. 4 at BHL), the Seychelles Perchlet Plectranthias gardineri (FishBase), the Seychelles Gulper Shark (FishBase), and the Seychelles Spurdog (FishBase). Endemic genera include the Olive Clingfish Aspasmodes (p. 442 of SAIAB pdf) and the Goateed Scorpionfish Pogonoscorpius (BHL).

Butterflies confined to the Seychelles include the Seychelles Crow Euploea mitra (GBIF), Phalanta philiberti (colnect) (Harvard), and Belenois aldabrensis (BOLD). Endemic moths include the Seychelles Bee-hawkmoth (iNaturalist), Cirrhochrista muelleralis (fig. 9 at ResearchGate), Zebronia mahensis (AfroMoths WM), and Glyphodes duponti (iNaturalist).

Other endemic insects include the damselfies Allolestes maclachlanii (iNaturalist) and Leptocnemis cyanops (iNaturalist), the Giant Fregate Beetle (ARKive WM), Father Philibert's Beetle (iNaturalist), the longhorn beetles Pterolophia instabilis (iNaturalist) and Iresioides aldabrensis (Smithsonian WM), a scarab Perissosoma aenescens (iNaturalist), a jewel beetle Iridotaenia mahena (iNaturalist), a click beetle Calais mahenus (iNaturalist), the weevils Cryptorrhynchidius graniger (iNaturalist) and Cratopus griseovestitus (iNaturalist), a leaf insect Pulchriphyllium crurifolium (iNaturalist), the stick insects Carausius sechellensis (IUCN) and Graeffea seychellensis (iNaturalist), the Seychelles Mantis (iNaturalist), the crickets Zarceomorpha abdita (iNaturalist) and Phalangacris alluaudi (IUCN), the katydids Pelerinus rostratus (iNaturalist) and Seselphisis visenda (IUCN), the grasshoppers Enoplotettix gardineri (ARKive WM) and Euschmidtia cruciformis (iNaturalist) and Conipoda aldabrae (OSF), a cicada Orientafroinsularis seychellica (GBIF), an earwig Antisolabis seychellensis (IslandLife), the Seychelles Potter Wasp (iNaturalist), an ant Solenopsis seychellensis (AntWiki), and a caddisfly Hughscottiella auricalla (p. 3 of Island Biodiversity pdf).

Endemic land snails include Nesiocerastus fregatensis (ARKive WM), Glabrennea thomasseti (IUCN), Stylodonta unidentata (ARKive WM), Priodiscus serratus (IUCN), Pachnodus niger (iNaturalist), Nesokaliella minuta (IUCN), Edentulina moreleti (IUCN), Careoradula perelegans (ARKive WM), Acanthennea erinacea (IUCN), Rachistia aldabrae (Mongabay), Imperturbatia constans (IUCN), Cyathopoma blandfordi (IUCN), Moominia willii (IUCN), and Silhouettia silhouettae (ARKive WM).

Other endemic invertebrates include the world's largest millipede Seychelleptus seychellarum (iNaturalist), a centipede Seychellonema gerlachi (IUCN), a family of woodlice Irmaosidae (Google Books) (africamuseum.be), a trapdoor spider Conothele truncicola (IUCN), a tarantula Nesiergus insulanus (birdspiders.com WM), a pholcid spider Cenemus culiculus (ASP), a huntsman spider Damastes validus (iNaturalist), a scorpion Lychas braueri (IUCN), a whip spider Charinus seychellarum (iNaturalist), a harvestman Ibalonius flavopictus (BHL), the freshwater crabs Seychellum alluaudi (iNaturalist) and Australocarcinus insperatus (ZooKeys), a freshwater shrimp Caridina similis (iNaturalist), an amphipod crustacean Ceradocus greeni (BHL), an earthworm Maheina braueri (ResearchGate), a marine snail Demissa fusulina (GBIF), and a coral Fasciclia ofwegeni (Semantic Scholar).

Other endemic vascular plants include the Seychelles Pepper (ARKive WM), the Seychelles Pitcher Plant (Nature Seychelles), Impatiens gordonii (Plant Talk), Colea seychellarum (ARKive WM), Aloe aldabrensis (iNaturalist), Ptisana laboudalloniana (iNaturalist), Angiopteris chongsengiana (flickr), Alsophila sechellarum (POWO), Costularia xipholepis and Lastreopsis (or Parapolystichum) hornei (both at fig. 9 at ResearchGate pdf), Begonia seychellensis (iNaturalist), Mapania floribunda (iNaturalist), and the orchids Malaxis seychellarum (iNaturalist) and Hederorkis seychellensis (iNaturalist) and Vanilla phalaenopsis (iNaturalist). Endemic vascular plant genera include Hypoxidia (iNaturalist), Protarum (iNaturalist), Xyroschoenus (IUCN), and sometimes Friedmannia (p. 18 of PCA WM pdf) (iNaturalist).

Endemic trees include Wright's Gardenia (ARKive WM), the Bwa Klate (ARKive WM), the Bwa Sagay (Pl@ntNet), Pandanus aldabraensis (IUCN), the Bwa Rouz (iNaturalist), Campnosperma seychellarum (Seychelles Plant Gallery WM), the Bwa Pom (iNaturalist), Erythroxylum sechellarum (iNaturalist), Excoecaria benthamiana (iNaturalist), Memecylon elaeagni (iNaturalist), Ficus bojeri (iNaturalist), Drypetes riseleyi (Seychelles News Agency WM), Allophylus aldabricus (iNaturalist), Soulamea terminalioides (iNaturalist), Grisollea thomassetii (iNaturalist), and Polyscias crassa (iNaturalist).

The Jellyfish Tree (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist) is sometimes considered to be the sole member of an endemic family, the Medusagynaceae. The Coco-de-mer (ARKive WM) has the largest seed of any plant. Other endemic palm genera include Verschaffeltia (iNaturalist), Roscheria (ARKive WM), Nephrosperma (Palm Pedia), Deckenia (iNaturalist), and Phoenicophorium (botany.cz). Other endemic tree genera include the Kapisen Northia (ARKive WM), Glionnetia (ARKive WM), Paragenipa (botany.cz), Seychellea (iNaturalist), and Vateriopsis (IUCN) (iNaturalist).

Fungi known only from the Seychelles includes Entoloma maheense and Entoloma gibbosporum (both on Plate 1 at Internet Archive). Endemic lichens include Bacidina sorediata (100 New Lichens WM) and Sarcographa praslinensis (fig. 15 at lichenology.info pdf). Endemic non-vascular plants include the liverworts Xylolejeunea muricella (p. 11 of annbot.net pdf) and Bazzania approximata (GBIF) and the mosses Calymperes norkettii (GBIF) and Fissidens jeffreyi (GBIF).

The Seychelles are part of the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). They comprise the Granitic Seychelles Forests (WWF WM) and the Aldabra Island Xeric Scrub (WWF WM) terrestrial ecoregions and the Seychelles freshwater ecoregion (FEOW WM). For an overview of the endemic plants (76 species on the granitic Seychelles and 42 species on Aldabra) see A Fragile Eden (Google Books). Many endemic species are indicated on the lists beginning on p. 34 of (ResearchGate pdf). A list of endemic mosses is on (p. 19 of CORE WM pdf).