Belize
Belize is home to more than 40 species of plants found nowhere else (BERDS)
including the Mountain Pimento Palm Schippia concolor (PACSOA),
an orchid Pleurothallis
duplooyi (Belize
Botanic Gardens), the cycads Zamia decumbens and Zamia meermanii (both at Biodiversity in Belize), Philodendron dwyeri (BERDS), Passiflora
urbaniana (Ian's
Passiflora), Lonchocarpus subsessilifolius (SciELO Mexico), Waltheria belizensis (Botanicus), Hyptis maya (SpringerLink), and the following (all at SEA-Belize pdf file): Metastelma stenomeres, Dalechampia schippii, Ageratum radicans, Crossopetalum gentlei, Paepalanthus belizensis, Paepalanthus gentlei, Syngonanthus bartlettii, Syngonanthus hondurensis, Syngonanthus lundellianus, and Syngonanthus oneillii.
The Peten Centipede Snake Tantilla
hendersoni (BioOne) was described in 2004 from near Las
Cuevas. The Belizean Atoll Gecko Phyllodactylus insularis (Smithsonian) occurs on Halfmoon Caye and Long Caye.
The sole endemic amphibian is the Maya Mountain Frog Rana juliani (AmphibiaWeb).
Freshwater fishes unique to Belize include the Mountain Molly Poecilia teresae (BERDS)
from the Maya Mountains and the Cave Chulin Rhamdia typhla (BERDS),
a catfish known only from an underground spring in a cave in Chiquebul
Forest Reserve. Marine fish known only from Belize include a
wrasse Halichoeres
socialis (eol),
a
goby Psilotris
amblyrhynchus (gobiidae.com),
the Belizean Sea Catfish Cathorops belizensis (p. 5 of SciELO Brazil pdf file), the Whitelined Toadfish Sanopus
greenfieldorum (P.O.T.N.), the Orangeflag Blenny Emblemariopsis dianae (aqua), the Maya Hamlet Hypoplectrus maya (Reef Builders), and a recently described blenny Starksia weigti (Smithsonian).
Invertebrates known only from Belize include the Belize Gemmed Satyr Cyllopsis wellingi (Butterflies of America),
the Maya Knobtail Epigomphus
maya (p. 2 of Florida Entomologist pdf file), another dragonfly Erpetogomphus leptophis (IUCN Red List)(BHL), a rove beetle Mayatyphlus
carltoni (Zootaxa
pdf file), a tortoise beetle Pseudostilpnaspis belizensis (Cassidinae of the World), a water penny beetle Belicinus rhomboideus (Zootaxa 8 MB pdf file), a green lacewing Ceraeochrysa belizensis (p. 91 of CAS 5 MB pdf file),
a cheese fly Physegenua
centralis (AMNH),
a cave-dwelling crab Typhlopseudothelphusa
acanthochela (Decapoda ATOL 4 MB pdf file), a freshwater crab Eidocamptophallus chacei (IUCN Red List), a freshwater worm Limnodrilus bulbiphallus (JSTOR), a sponge-dwelling snapping shrimp Zuzalpheus yano (p.
89 of Zootaxa
pdf file), a polychaete worm Syllis
mayeri (scientiamarina), a goblin spider Scaphiella cayo (AMNH), and the tarantulas Citharacanthus meermani and Psalmopoeus maya (both at Biodiversity in Belize).
Belize is part of the Mesoamerica biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots). The Mesoamerican Reef (WWF) is the world's second largest barrier reef and forms a portion of the Western Caribbean coral reef hotspot (Reef Guardian pdf file). A checklist of Belize's endemic plant and animals species is at (Biodiversity in Belize).