Solomon Islands

Birds found nowhere else include the Yellow-bibbed Lory (WPT), the Rennell Parrot (eBird), the Silver-capped Fruit Dove (eBird), the Makira Boobook (Markus Lagerqvist), the Makira Moorhen (IUCN), the Roviana Rail (eBird), the Buff-headed Coucal (eBird), the Makira Dwarf Kingfisher (flickr), the Rennell Fantail (iNaturalist), the Bare-eyed White-eye (eBird), the Makira Cicadabird (eBird), the Rennell Gerygone (eBird), the White-collared Monarch (eBird) , the Guadalcanal Hooded Whistler (Markus Lagerqvist), the Makira Flycatcher (p. 25 of Rufford pdf), the White-billed Crow (eBird), the Rennell Starling (eBird), and the Mottled Flowerpecker (eBird). Endemic genera include he Makira Honeyeater (eBird), the Guadalcanal Honeyeater (Markus Lagerqvist), and the extinct Choiseul Crested Pigeon (BHL) (Wikipedia).

Bats unique to the Solomon Islands include the Dwarf Flying Fox (ARKive WM), the Makira Flying Fox (Mongabay), the Rennell Flying Fox (IUCN) (iNaturalist), the Vanikoro Flying Fox (fig. 1D at ResearchGate) (p. 13 of ICLARM WM pdf), the Ontong Java Flying Fox (YouTube), the Temotu Flying Fox (fig. 1C at ResearchGate) (iNaturalist), the Malaita Tube-nosed Bat (iNaturalist), Fardoulis' Blossum Bat (iNaturalist), the New Georgia Monkey-faced Fruit Bat (APSF), the Guadalcanal Monkey-faced Fruit Bat (iNaturalist), the Montane Monkey-faced Fruit Bat (Australian Museum pdf), and the Makira Leaf-nosed Bat (GBIF). Endemic rodents include the Vangunu Giant Rat (Species New to Science) (Wiley), the King Giant Rat (IUCN) (p. 3 of CI Melanesia WM pdf), and the Isabel Island Giant Rat (Pavel German) (nature.org).

Reptiles restricted to the Solomon Islands include the Lake Tenggano Krait (ARKive WM), the Arboreal Blind Snake (Google Books), the Rennell Monitor (iNaturalist) (IUCN), the Yellow-eyed Scaly-toed Gecko Lepidodactylus flaviocularis (fig. 1d at ResearchGate) (BHL), the Banded Palm Gecko (iNaturalist), the Spotted Emo Skink Emoia maculata (fig. f at Internet Archive), the Red-lipped Striped Skink Emoia rufilabialis (BHL), Schmidt’s Emo Skink (iNaturalist), Bignell's Forest Skink (iNaturalist), Schmidt's Crocodile Skink (iNaturalist), the Solomons Tree Dragon (p. 105 of Tyrone Lavery pdf), the Guadalcanal Snapping Turtle (Reptile Database), and the Malaita Snapping Turtle (Reptile Database). The Solomon Small-eyed Snake Loveridgelaps elapoides (iNaturalist) is an endemic genus.

Endemic amphibians include the Malukuna Webbed Frog Cornufer malukuna (fig. g at ResearchGate) (p. 12 in SPREP WM pdf), and the Squeaking Ground Frog Cornufer desticans and Cornufer parilis (both at fig. 3 of ResearchGate). A likely undescribed species of wrinkled ground frog Platymantis was recently discovered on Choiseul (plate 2F at academia.edu).

Endemic freshwater fishes include a sleeper Eleotris bosetoi (ResearchGate) and three goby species of the genus Schismatogobius (ResearchGate).

Marine fish unique to the Solomon Islands include the Belted Shrimpgoby Myersina balteata (OSF WM pdf), the Guadalcanal Maskray Neotrygon vali (Species New to Science), Burt's Damselfish Chrysiptera burtjonesi (iNaturalist), the Pale Cardinalfish Ostorhinchus pallidus (aqua WM), the Solomon Fangblenny Meiacanthus solomon (coralreeffish.com pdf), the Galathea Sand Dart Kraemeria galatheaensis (Kobenhavns Univ. WM), the sandperches Parapercis binotata (FishBase) and Parapercis rota (BHL), and Springer's Wriggler Paraxenisthmus springeri (Native Fish Lab pdf).

Butterflies exclusive to the Solomons include Schneider’s Surprise Tiradelphe schneideri (fzi.uni-freiburg.de WM), Papilio erskinei (Wikipedia), Mycalesis interrupta (iNaturalist), Solomona sutakiki (BHL), Catochrysops nubila (iNaturalist), Arhopala mimsyi (figs. 1-2 at zobodat pdf), Deudorix wabens (fig. 15 at BHL), Psychonotis eleanor (fig. 3 at BHL), Solomona sutakiki (BHL) (Alison Worsnop), Nacaduba samsoni (figs. 3-8 at BHL), Hypochrysops julie (figs. 5-8 at BHL), and Argyronympha rubianensis (iNaturalist). Endemic moths include a wasp moth Euchromia oenone (iNaturalist), a lichen moth Eugoa salomonica (ResearchGate), and a teak moth Hyblaea solomonensis (SHILAP).

Other endemic insects include a stick insect Phasmotaenia spinosa (GBIF), the katydids Phyllophorella woodfordi (OSF) and Paramossula basalis (OSF), a grasshopper Modernacris callosa (OSF), the longhorn beetles Batocera lamondi (BioLib) and Xixuthrus costatus (cerambycoidea.com) and Psalidocoptus satori (ResearchGate), a carrion beetle Nicrophorus reticulatus (ResearchGate), a tiger beetle Polyrhanis sedlaceki (Internet Archive), a diving beetle Copelatus laevipennis (ZooKeys), a bess beetle Gonatas naviculator and a weevil Elytrurus lapeyrousei (both at Futura-Sciences WM), another weevil Trigonops seriatopunctata (iNaturalist), a plant bug Campylomma guadalcanalica (Discover Life), a planthopper Kazukuru zingiberis (DEZ), the cicadas Inflatopyga langeraki (ResearchGate) and Nggeliana cristobalensis (GBIF), the damselflies Lieftinckia ulunorum (ResearchGate) and Pseudagrion incisurum (p. 16 of IUCN WM pdf), the dragonflies Anax insulanus (PLAZI) and Tapeinothemis boharti (p. 95 of WSRD WM pdf), a fruit fly Bactrocera allodistincta (ZooKeys), a hoverfly Graptomyza bergi (GBIF), a bee Megachile disputabilis (GBIF), and the ants Fulakora gnoma (AntWiki) and Stereomyrmex dispar (AntWiki).

Land snails known only from the Solomon Islands include Cryptaegis pilsbryi (iNaturalist), Crystallopsis hunteri (Jaxshells WM) and Papuina sellersi (flickr), Partula cramptoni (GBIF), Aspastus miltocheilus (iNaturalist), Trochomorpha lofti (GBIF), Megalacron sellersi (WMSDB), Eumecostylus gardneri (MNHN), Placocharis manni (GBIF), and Placostylus strangei (BHL).

Other endemic invertebrates include a jumping spider Xenocytaea vovavonensis (fig. 32 at BHL), a spiny orb-weaver Gasteracantha scintillans (GBIF), a coin spider Herennia agnarssoni (figs. A-C at ResearchGate), the whip spiders Charon forsteri (iNaturalist) and Sarax dunni (fig. 109 at EJT pdf), a harvestman Zalmoxis bonka (figs. 10-16 at Australian Museum pdf), a millipede Parazodesmus verrucosus (fig. 3 at BHL), a freshwater shrimp Caridina choiseul (fig. E at ResearchGate), a cave-dwelling crab Sesarmoides (or Karstama) ultrapes (AToL Decapoda pdf), and the cone snails Profundiconus maribelae (ResearchGate) and Conus moylani (IUCN).

Among the plant species found solely in the Solomons are the orchids Dendrobium rennellii (IOSPE) and Gastrodia solomonensis (flickr), Heliconia lanata (flickr), Hoya dennisii (swedishhoyasociety.com WM), Begonia rubroflabellata and Begonia somervillei (both at Species New to Science), Alpinia laxisecunda (Patrick Blanc), Lasianthus solomonensis (GBIF), Gardenia vernicosa (GBIF), Astronidium miraculum-dei (Patrick Blanc), Potamogeton solomonensis (Patrick Blanc), Thismia occulta (fig. 3 at Taiwania pdf), and several ferns: Antrophyum solomonense (Flora of SI WM), Coryphopteris kolombangarae (Flora of SI WM), Phlegmariurus kajewskii (p. 76 of ResearchGate pdf), Oreogrammitis dissimulans (fig. 4 at ResearchGate), Reholttumia fanerii (ResearchGate), Chingia tortuosa (ResearchGate), and Tectaria acrophoroides (ResearchGate).

Trees known only from the Solomons include Podocarpus salomoniensis (RBGE), Pandanus decus-montium (BHL), Aglaia rubrivenia (GBIF), Syzygium delicatulum (JSTOR), Ficus tanypoda (GBIF), Huberantha asymmetrica (PLAZI), Mallotus puber (GBIF), Gmelina peltata (ResearchGate), Calophyllum obscurum (GBIF), the Solomon Blackwood Xanthostemon melanoxylon (BHL), Weinmannia ysabelensis (BHL) (IUCN), Cyrtandra macrotricha (GBIF), Dolicholobium minutilobum (GBIF), Elattostachys solomonensis (GBIF), Planchonella whitmorei (GBIF), and several palms: Clinostigma gronophyllum (PACSOA WM), Heterospathe minor (PACSOA WM), Hydriastele hombronii (Palmpedia), Veitchia subdisticha (Palmpedia), and Physokentia insolita (PACSOA WM). Allowoodsonia whitmorei (Flora of SI WM) (BHL) is an endemic genus.

Endemic fungi include Pseudowrightoporia solomonensis (GBIF) and Amauroderma solomonense (GBIF). Endemic lichens include Carboacanthographis hillii (Tropical Lichens), Platythecium cristobalensis (Tropical Lichens), Fissurina longiisidiata (ResearchGate), and Pseudoramonia isidiata (ResearchGate). Endemic non-vascular plants include a moss Calymperes poperangense (GBIF) and the liverworts Plagiochila circumserrata (p. 5 of Taylor & Francis pdf) and Lopholejeunea minuta (GBIF).

The Solomon Islands is part of the East Melanesian Islands biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM) and includes portions of the Solomon Islands Rain Forests (EoE) and the Vanuatu Rain Forests (EoE) terrestrial ecoregions. The Solomon Group Endemic Bird Area (BirdLife Int'l), which also includes the islands of Bougainville and Buka in Papua New Guinea, has more endemic bird species than any other endemic bird area in the world. An overview of terrestrial life is at (Tyrone Lavery pdf). Freshwater endemism is summarised in (WSRD WM pdf).