Myanmar

Myanmar has an especially notable endemic freshwater fish fauna. Inle Lake (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet) is home to 16 species found nowhere else including Microrasbora (or Danio) erythromicron (Danios and Devarios), a spiny eel Mastacembelus oatesii (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet), the Inle Loach Yunnanilius brevis (Loaches Online), and two endemic genera: the Sawbwa Barb Sawbwa resplendens (ARKive) and Inlecypris auropurpurea (Danios and Devarios) . Other genera unique to Myanmar include one of the world's smallest fish Danionella translucida (Danios and Devarios), the Eyespot Gourami Parasphaerichthys ocellatus (jjphoto), and the catfishes Ayarnangra estuarius (PlanetCatfish) and Caelatoglanis zonatus (PlanetCatfish). Other endemics include an eel-loach Pangio lumbriciformis (NHM-London), Chaudhuria ritvae (NHM-London), Badis corycaeus (FishBase), the Indawgyi Stream Catfish Akysis prashadi (PlanetCatfish), Chaca burmensis (scotcat.com), a barb Puntius didi (p. 5 of Naturhistoriska riksmuseet pdf file), Devario browni (Danios and Devarios), the Celestial Pearl Danio Danio margaritatus (Wikipedia), and the recently described Dracula Fish Danionella dracula (NHM-London).

Reptiles found only in Myanmar include the Burmese Peacock Softshell Turtle Nilssonia formosa (WCT), the Burmese Star Tortoise Geochelone platynota (ARKive), the Burmese Roofed Turtle Kachuga trivittata (ATCN), the Arakan Forest Turtle Heosemys depressa (ARKive), a bloodsucker Calotes chincollium (Species New to Science), a gecko Cyrtodactylus brevidactylus (calacademy.org), a fan-throated lizard Ptyctolaemus collicristatus (Species New to Science), a skink Scincella victoriana (calacademy.org pdf file), the Burmese Krait Bungarus magnimaculatus (p. 17 of calacademy.org pdf file), the Burmese Spitting Cobra Naja mandalayensis (Wolfgang Wüster), and a recently described python Python kyaiktiyo (Species New to Science).

Amphibians restricted to Myanmar include a toad Bufo crocus (calacademy.org pdf file), the Patsarlamdam Flying Frog Rhacophorus taronensis (calacademy.org pdf file), the treefrogs Rhacophorus htunwini (calacademy.org pdf file) and Chirixalus punctatus (calacademy.org pdf file), and a number of recently discovered frogs (calacademy.org).

Birds known solely from Myanmar include the White-browed Nuthatch (BirdLife Int'l), the Hooded Treepie (Surfbirds), the Burmese Bushlark (Oriental Bird Images), and the White-throated Babbler (Oriental Bird Images). The Naung Mung Scimitar-babbler was described in 2005 (Smithsonian National Zoo). Jerdon's Minivet Pericrocotus albifrons (flickr) is sometimes considered distinct from the White-bellied Minivet Pericrocotus erythropygius. The Burmese Tit Aegithalos sharpei (fig. 10c at Google Books) has recently been split from the Black-browed Tit Aegithalos bonvaloti (Oriental Bird Images).

Endemic mammals include the recently described Burmese Snub-nosed Monkey (FFI), the Popa Soft-furred Rat Millardia kathleenae (fig. 7 at Google Books), Anthony’s Pipistrelle (IUCN Red List), Joffre's Pipistrelle and the Myanmar Pipistrelle (both at Google Books), the recently described House-dwelling Leaf-nosed Bat Hipposideros einnaythu (Harrison Institute), and a recently described white-toothed shrew Crocidura cranbrooki (p. 20 of AMNH 6 MB pdf file).  The Burmese Brow-antlered Deer or Thamin (ARKive) is sometimes considered a full species.

Invertebrates unique to Myanmar include a stick insect Dajaca nigrolineata (Phasmatodea.com), a stag beetle Lucanus nangsarae (goliathus), the longhorned beetles Glenea pseudoindiana (p. 9 of ASEF pdf file) and Anoplophora birmanica (Cerambycoidea.com), the ground beetles Carabus burmanensis (Carabidae of the World) and Salcedia parallela (BHL), a leaf beetle Antinia szypulai (Dr. Lech Borowiec pdf file), a click beetle Xanthopenthes burmensis (Elateridae), a butterfly Allaemona prasopsuki (Butterfly Soc. Japan), a crab spider Sanmenia nigra (p. 9 of Raffles Museum pdf file), the tarantulas Chilobrachys bicolor (Ondrej Rehak) and Ornithoctonus andersoni (p. 8 of Boris Striffler 5 MB pdf file), and the land snails Cyclophorus cryptomphalus (Femorale) and Amphidromus janus (figs. 14 - 18 at Google Books).

Plants that are exclusive to Myanmar include many orchids such as Sarcoglyphis pensilis (IOPSE), Thunia brymeriana (IOPSE), Spathoglottis lobbii (IOPSE), and Coelogyne parishii (IOPSE). Endemic genera of plants include the Pride of Burma (ARKive), Phylloboea (Genera of Gesneriaceae), Woodburnia (Google Books),and Spathichlamys (NYBG). Other plants unique to Myanmar include the gingers Larsenianthus wardianus (eol) and Hedychium bordelonianum (GingersRus), Rhododendron burmanicum (Ontario Gardening), Rhododendron recurvoides (ARS), Cryptocoryne cruddasiana (Crypts Pages), an aroid Amorphophallus angustispathus (IAS), Argostemma victorianum (ingentaconnect), a grass Dimeria keenanii (Tropicos), and the Persian Shield Strobilanthes dyerianus (mobot).

Portions of Myanmar are included in two biodiversity hotspots: Indo-Burma (Biodiversity Hotspots) and Himalaya (Biodiversity Hotspots). The Irrawaddy Dry Forests (EoE) is an ecoregion restricted to Myanmar. In addition to Lake Inle, the Sitang-Irawaddy (FEOW) and Lower & Middle Salween (FEOW) are important freshwater ecoregions.