Unknown Country

Some species that have been described by science lack adequate information on where they originally came from. These species names are often based on a single specimen, in some cases subsequently lost, which may or may not be valid species.

Some locality data attached to certain specimens appear to taxonomists to be almost certainly wrong. The caecilian Caecilia mertensi (BHL) seems much more likely to have originated from somewhere in South America instead of the Seychelles. Similar cases are provided by Temminck’s Mysterious Bat Nycticeius aenobarbus (GBIF) (IUCN) and the Dubious Trumpet-eared Bat Phoniscus aerosa (BHL) (IUCN).

Species of unknown origin described from introduced individuals living in greenhouses or gardens include an earwig Euborellia arcanum (GBIF), a woodlouse Anchiphiloscia balssi (pissebeddenproject.nl), a snail Scolodonta enigmatica (Bram's snailblog WM), a planarian Caenoplana decolorata (PeerJ), and a lichen Arthonia orchidicida (ResearchGate).

The presumably extinct Large Samoan Flying Fox Pteropus coxi (ResearchGate) is from an unspecified location in the Samoan islands. It is also unclear if the Insular Myotis Myotis insularum (BHL) (GBIF), known only from a single specimen, actually originated from somewhere in the Samoan islands.

Birds with unknown breeding locations include the White-eyed River-martin (OBC), Beck's Petrel (eBird) (EDGE), the Fernando Po Swift (Cornell) (IUCN), and the Red Sea Swallow (Birding Sudan). Other birds of unclear origin include the Bogota Sunangel (ResearchGate), the Caribbean Emerald (Wikipedia), and the Liverpool Pigeon (Wikipedia).

Reptile species of uncertain origin include Zhou's Box Turtle Cuora zhoui (Wikipedia), the Three-lined Centipede Snake Tantilla trilineata (fig. 2 at BHL), another colubrid snake Opisthotropis atra (fig. b at BHL), the Small-lipped Galliwasp Diploglossus microlepis (fig. 2 at BHL), an anole Anolis gibbiceps (ResearchGate), and a genus of worm snakes Cathetorhinus (GBIF) (GBIF). A presumed extinct giant forest gecko Gigarcanum (or Hoplodactylus) delcourti (Nature) of unknown origin was previously thought to be from New Zealand, but now seems to more likely have originated from New Caledonia.

Amphibian species of questionable origin include a toad Incilius intermedius (fig. A at BHL), a rhacophorid Dendrobatorana (or Hylambates) dorsalis (fig. 5 at BHL), a caecilian Ichthyophis humphreyi (BHL), and the Turkestanian Salamander Hynobius turkestanicus (re:wild) (Academia).

Freshwater fish of unclear origin include the South American catfishes Pimelodella rendahli (ACSI WM) and Ancistrus erinaceus (FishBase), the Lake Tanganyika cichlids Haplochromis eutaenia (GBIF) and Aulonocara trematocephalum (GBIF), a killifish Fundulopanchax spoorenbergi (AKA) from the Nigeria/Cameroon border area, an elephantfish Mormyrus thomasi (GBIF), and a tetra Hyphessobrycon melasemeion (fig. 59 at UFRGS WM pdf) that may be from the lower Amazon.

Marine fish of questionable origin include Lichtenstein's Seahorse (FishBase), the Mystery Grouper Epinephelus lebretonianus (GBIF), a moray eel Gymnothorax vagrans (GBIF), a sculpin Porocottus quadrifilis (Wikimedia Commons) from somewhere in the Bering Sea, and a stargazer Uranoscopus filibarbis (FishBase).

Butterflies include the swallowtails Graphium aurivilliusi (swallowtails.net) (BHL) labeled simply "Congo" and Papilio peleides (fig. 2 at BHL) presumably from South America and a sailer Neptis sextilla (fig. 3 at BHL) that possibly originated from Madagascar. The only known specimen of a family of chewing lice, the Echinoponidae (ResearchGate), is likely (but not definitely) from Borneo. The placozoan family Cladtertiidae (Wikipedia) is currently known by a single species of unknown origin.

Vascular plants of uncertain origin include a whitebeam Karpatiosorbus sellii (fig. 11 at ResearchGate) (BSBI), Kopsia obscura (NParks pdf), and several orchids: Zootrophion muliebre (IOPSE), Dracula carcharodon (IOPSE), Gongora alfieana (BHL), and Bulbophyllum jiewhoei (BHL).