Saint Helena

Saint Helena is a British overseas territory (see United Kingdom) and includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. They comprise the following terrestrial ecoregions: the Tristan Da Cunha - Gough Islands Shrub and Grasslands (EoE), the Saint Helena Scrub and Woodlands (EoE), and the Ascension Scrub and Grasslands (EoE). For overviews of the biotas of each area see: Ascension (JNCC WM pdf) (RSPB WM pdf) (Cambridge), Tristan da Cunha (JNCC WM pdf) (UKOTCF WM pdf) (Pew pdf), and Saint Helena (JNCC WM pdf). Many endemics are listed at (beginning on p. 231 of EC pdf). The marine fauna of Saint Helena and Ascension is considered one of the world's most important marine centers of endemism (Columbia Univ. WM pdf).

Tristan da Cunha has three genera of birds found nowhere else including the Inaccessible Rail (ARKive WM) (iNaturalist), the Gough Finch (ARKive WM) (eBird), and the Nightingale Finch (eBird). Other endemic land birds include the Tristan Thrush (eBird) and the Gough Moorhen (ARKive WM). Breeding endemics include the Atlantic Petrel (ARKive WM), the Spectacled Petrel (eBird), the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (eBird), and the Tristan Albatross (ARKive WM). Ascension has a breeding endemic in the Ascension Frigatebird (ascension.gov.ac WM) (ARKive WM), while the Ascension Crake (Wikipedia) is an extinct endemic genus. Birds confined to Saint Helena include the Saint Helena Plover (ARKive WM) (eBird) and several recently extinct species such as the Saint Helena Cuckoo (Google Books), the Saint Helena Hoopoe (Google Books) (BHL), and the Saint Helena Crake (IUCN).

Endemic marine fish include the Tristan Klipfish (flickr), the Ascension Goby (ascensionmpa.ac), the White Hawkfish (flickr), the Marmalade Razorfish (FishBase), Lubbock's Gregory (FishBase), the Saint Helena Gregory (FishBase), the Resplendent Angelfish (ARKive WM), the Saint Helena Chromis (FishBase), the Saint Helena Butterflyfish (iNaturalist), the Bicolor Butterflyfish (FishBase), the Saint Helena Flounder (Ascension Heritage Soc. WM), the Reticulated Tonguefish (p. 32 of St. Helena Conf. 2020 pdf), the Saint Helena Sharpnose Pufferfish (FishBase), the Saint Helena Wrasse (FishBase) (iNaturalist), the Greenfish (FishBase), the Strigate Parrotfish (iNaturalist), the Saint Helena White Seabream (FishBase), the Ascension Seabream (FishBase), the Mottled Blenny (Ascension Heritage Soc. WM), Springer's Blenny (FishBase), the Saint Helena Needlefish (FishBase), the Silver Eel (FishBase), Melliss' Scorpionfish (Dive), the Axillaryspot Cardinalfish (FishBase), the Closefin Pearlfish (Semantic Scholar), and the Ascension Snake Eel (BHL). The Saint Helena Seaperch Holanthias (FishBase) represents an endemic genus.

Invertebrates restricted to Tristan da Cunha include a flightless owlet moth Dimorphinoctua cunhaensis, the pomace flies Tristanomyia frustulifera and Trogloscaptomyza brevilamellata, a predaceous diving beetle Senilites tristanicola (all at Insects on Stamps), a crambid moth Udea hageni (GBIF), a land snail Balea tristensis (fig. B at ResearchGate), a sandhopper Gondwanorchestia tristanensis (GBIF), a whelk Argobuccinum tristanense (p. 186 of Pew pdf), a bat star Sphaeriodiscus mirabilis (p. 48 of Pew pdf), and a sea urchin Arbacia crassispina (flickr). Gough also has an endemic flightless moth Dimorphinoctua goughensis (Tristan da Cunha).

Invertebrates endemic to Ascension include the world's largest pseudoscorpion Garypus titanius (IUCN), a cave-dwelling spider Catonetria caeca (BAS WM pdf), a flightless moth Erechthias grayi (twitter WM), a geometrid moth Scopula ascensionis (GBIF), a cricket Discophallus ascension (p. 3 of zin.ru WM pdf), a booklouse Troglotroctes ashmolerum (ResearchGate), a shrimp Procaris ascensionis (ARKive WM), a snapping shrimp Alpheus cedrici (ResearchGate), the sea slugs Felimida atlantica (medslugs.de) and Phidiana mimica (ResearchGate), and a cockle Americardia lindamaesae (ResearchGate).

More than 450 invertebrate species are unique to Saint Helena including the Spiky Yellow Woodlouse (Banzai Chicken), the Blushing Snail (iNaturalist), the snails Nesopupa turtoni (kidstonmill.org.uk WM) and Helenoconcha relicta (p. 2 of sainthelenaisland.info pdf), the Golden Sail Spider (flickr), the Prowling Wolf Spider (IUCN), an ant mimic jumping spider Myrmarachne isolata (IUCN), a crab spider Bonapruncinia sanctaehelena (p. 24 of sainthelena.gov.sh pdf), the Saint Helena Giant Earwig (Earwig Research Centre), the owlet moths Chrysodexis dalei (flickr) and Aletia ptyonophora (p. 28 of Biologiezentrum WM pdf), a plume moth Agdistis marionae (IUCN), a crambid moth Helenoscoparia scintillulalis (IUCN), the Saint Helena Dragonfly (NHM-London), a cranefly Dicranomyia basilewskyana (Telegraph WM), a hoverfly Loveridgeana beattiei (flickr), a lacewing Micromus atlanticus (IUCN), the grasshoppers Tinaria calcarata (flickr) and Primnia sanctaehelenae (IUCN), a bush cricket Phaneracra bartletti (kidstonmill WM), Burchell's Giant Ground Beetle (flickr), the Jellico Flea Beetle (IUCN), the Bronzy Fungus Weevil (IUCN), Leleup's Darkling Beetle (IUCN), the Shadowy Chafer (BBC WM), the Napolean Bug (IUCN), Edith's Leafhopper (IUCN), the Scrubwood Leafhopper (p. 46 of SHNT pdf), a slipper lobster Scyllarides obtusus (AToL Decapoda pdf), the corals Balanophyllia helenae (iNaturalist) and Sclerhelia hirtella (figs. 4I-J at ZooKeys), and the marine snail Conus jourdani (IUCN).

About 45 vascular plant species are exclusive to Saint Helena including a remarkable 10 endemic genera: Commidendrum (iNaturalist), the Saint Helena Boxwood (IUCN), the Saint Helena Ebony (iNaturalist), the Saint Helena Lobelia (IUCN), the She Cabbage (flickr) (IUCN), the Black Cabbage (ARKive WM), the He Cabbage (IUCN), the Saint Helena Dogwood (IUCN), the Saint Helena Whitewood (IUCN), and the extinct Saint Helena Olive (ARKive WM). Other endemic species include the Old Father Live Forever (ARKive WM), the Saint Helena Boneseed (ARKive WM), the Salad Plant (IUCN), Babies' Toes (ARKive WM), the Dwarf Jellico (ARKive WM), the Large Bellflower (IUCN), the French Grass (IUCN), the Hair Grass (IUCN), the Saint Helena Tea Plant (iNaturalist), the Saint Helena Plantain (IUCN), the Saint Helena Rosemary (iNaturalist), the Saint Helena Tree Fern (IUCN), the Veined Tongue-fern (IUCN), the Barn Fern (IUCN), the Rock Millet (IUCN), Diana's Peak Grass (IUCN), and the Neglected Tuft Sedge (ARKive WM).

Ascension’s eight surviving endemic plants include a spurge Euphorbia origanoides (ARKive WM), a grass Sporobolus caespitosus (ARKive WM), a sedge Cyperus stroudii (ResearchGate), and five ferns: Asplenium ascensionis (ARKive WM), Xiphopteris ascensionense (ARKive WM), Ptisana purpurascens (ARKive WM), Pteris adscensionis (ARKive WM), and Gastoniella ascensionis (POWO).

Among the 54 vascular plant species known only from the Tristan da Cunha group are a fern Lomariocycas palmiformis (iNaturalist), the Bootlace Fern Radiovittaria ruiziana (Tristan Travels), a bentgrass Agrostis trachychlaena (ARKive WM), a mannagrass Glyceria insularis (BHL), the grasses Scirpus bicolor and Deschampsia mejlandii (both at tristandc.com), a brass button Cotula goughensis (Tristan da Cunha), a buttercup Ranunculus caroli (Kew), the sedges Carex insularis (Tristan Travels) and Isolepis bicolor (iNaturalist), a goosefoot Dysphania tomentosa (GBIF), the Cow Pudding Grass Gamochaeta (or Gnaphalium) thouarsii (Tristan Travels), and a rush Rostkovia tristanensis (JSTOR).

Endemic fungi include Cora sanctae-helenae (BioOne). Endemic lichens include Xanthoparmelia beccae (IUCN), Dolichocarpus seawardi (IUCN), and Sticta tesselata (fig. 6 at CORE WM pdf). Endemic bryophytes include a hornwort Anthoceros cristatus (ResearchGate), the mosses Sainthelenia athroclada (KMK pdf) and Blindia brachystegia (GBIF) and Gymnostomum bescherellei (GBIF), and the liverworts Cheilolejeunea ascensionis (GBIF) and Cololejeunea dianae (GBIF). Endemic seaweeds include Pseudophycodrys pulcherrima and Streblocladia atrata (both on p. 60 of Pew pdf).