British Indian Ocean Territory

The British Indian Ocean Territory comprises the islands of the Chagos Archipelago and is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is part of the Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago Tropical Moist Forests ecoregion (EoE) and part of the Northern Indian Ocean coral reef hotspot (Reef Guardian pdf file). An overview of the natural history of the territory is provided by the JNCC (JNCC pdf file).

Marine fish unique to the territory include the Chagos Anemonefish Amphiprion chagosensis (ARKive), the recently described Chagos Dottyback Chlidichthys chagosensis (Bioline Int'l), and the gobies Trimmatom offucius (FishBase) and Trimma dalerocheila (FishBase).

Endemic land invertebrates include the St. Valentine's Day Moth Stictoptera hironsi (PPDRDG), a crambid moth Sufetula chagosalis (Wikipedia)(fig. 6 at Internet Archive), a subspecies of the Meadow Argus Butterfly Junonia villida chagosensis (Skap's Bug Stamps), and a cricket Scottiola chagosensis (fig. 10 at Internet Archive). The insects of Diego Garcia are described at (Smithsonian pdf file). Marine molluscs known only from the British Indian Ocean Territory include Nymph’s Cowrie Erronea nymphae (Eddie Hardy), the margin shells Prunum chagosi (MNHN) and Marginella henrikasi (Eddie Hardy), and a whelk Metula parthi (COA).