China
In addition to the
country's most famous endemic species, the Giant Panda (ARKive),
mammals unique to China include the possibly extinct Baiji or Yangtze
River Dolphin (EDGE),
the
Hainan Gymnure (EDGE),
the Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel (Google Books), Pere David's Rock Squirrel (Zootierliste), the Ili Pika (flickr), the
Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (ARKive),
the Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey (ARKive),
the Tibetan Macaque (ARKive), the Hainan Gibbon (ARKive), the
Chinese Mountain Cat (Cat
Specialist Group), the extinct in the
wild Milu or Pere David's Deer (Ultimate
Ungulate), the White-lipped Deer (Ultimate
Ungulate), the Black Muntjac (ARKive), Przewalski's Gazelle (ARKive), and as a breeding species the Tibetan Antelope or
Chiru (ARKive).
China is rich in pheasants found nowhere else including the Chinese
Monal (ARKive),
Reeves’s Pheasant (ARKive), Cabot's Tragopan (ARKive),
and the Brown Eared Pheasant (BirdLife
Int'l). The Pink-tailed Bunting (Creagrus)
is sometimes considered to belong to a family of its own, the
Urocynchramidae. Other endemic birds include the Giant
Laughingthrush (Oriental
Bird Images), the Slaty Bunting (IBC), the Silver
Oriole (BirdLife
Int'l),
the Chinese Grouse (ARKive), the Emei Shan Liocichla (ARKive),
the Tibetan Babax (ARKive), and the Sichuan Jay (IBC)
Reptiles known only from China include the Chinese Alligator (ARKive), the Chinese Crocodile Lizard (ARKive),
the Splendid Japalure (Wikipedia), Gail's Eyelid Skink (flickr), the Hongyuan Toad-headed Agama (ADW), Swinhoe's Gecko (flickr), the recently described gecko Goniurosaurus yingdeensis (ms-goniurosaurus.de), the Tibetan Spring Snake (ARKive),
the Twin-spotted Ratsnake (ratsnakes.com),
the Mangshan Viper (elaphe.info), the Likiang Pitviper (Reptile Database), and the Golden-headed Box Turtle (Turtles
of the World).
Amphibians exclusively found in
China include the Shangcheng Stout Salamander (Naturalis), the Chinhai Spiny Newt (EDGE),
the paddletail newts Pachytriton (Naturalis),
the Hainan Flathead Toad Parapelophryne
scalpta (ARKive),
and the toothed toads
Oreolalax (ARKive).
The
Chinese Giant Salamander (EDGE)
is the world's largest amphibian and the Concave-eared
Torrent Frog Odorrana
(or Amolops)
tormota
(EurekaAlert!)
is notable for its ability to emit ultrasonic calls.
China is second only to Brazil
in endemic freshwater fish species. Genera unique to China
include the critically endangered Chinese Paddlefish Psephurus (Jay Capachi),
Pseudexostoma
(PlanetCatfish), the Beautiful
Hillstream Loach Traccatichthys
(Loaches
Online), blind cave loaches Protocobitis (Google Books), the Chinese High Fin Sucker Myxocyprinus (James
S Koga), the golden-line barbels Sinocyclocheilus (Science
Museums of China), Rhinogobio
(eol), Anabarilius (eol), Aspiorhynchus (SpringerLink),
and the Slender Mandarinfish Coreosiniperca (Science
Museums of China).
Butterflies restricted to China include the Three-tailed Bhutan Glory Bhutanitis thaidina
(Science
Museums of China), the Chinese Gifu Butterfly Luehdorfia chinensis
(Science
Museums of China), and the endemic genera Mesapia (Markku Savela), Sinonympha
(gorodinski.ru),
and Davidina
(SZMN).
Other invertebrates unique to China include a land snail Stilpnodiscus stotzneri (Femorale), a freshwater mussel Pseudobaphia biesiana (MUSSELp), a huntsman spider Sinopoda yaojingensis (Endemic Spiders of China), a stag beetle Lucanus hermani (Lucanes du Monde), a ground beetle Aristochroa splendida
(p. 12 of CAS
pdf file) and the damselflies Sinosticta
ogatai (Asia
Dragonfly), Archineura
incarnata (Asia
Dragonfly), and Philosina
buchi (Asia
Dragonfly).
China has two endemic families of vascular plants. The Hardy
Rubber Tree Eucommia
ulmoides (ARKive)
is the sole member of the Eucommiaceae and is extinct in the wild.
The Maidenhair Tree Ginkgo
biloba (ARKive)
only occurs in the wild in Zhejiang but this may not be a naturally
occurring population. The Maidenhair Tree is the sole member
not only of an endemic family, the Ginkgoaceae, but also of the order
Ginkgoales and the class Ginkgoopsida making it a true living fossil.
Three other Chinese plants are sometimes placed in their own
families: Acanthochlamys
bracteata (Flora
of China), the Yellowhorn Xanthoceras sorbifolia (MOBOT), and the Dove Tree Davidia involucrata
(Wikipedia).
Additional endemic genera of plants include the Dawn Redwood Metasequoia (Wikipedia),
the Jacktree Sinojackia
(NCSU),
the Tara Wingceltis Pteroceltis
(NCSU),
the Chinese Pearlbloom Tree Poliothyrsis
(Salisbury
Univ.), the Golden Larch Pseudolarix
(Wikipedia),
Paraisometrum (BBC), and several orchids: Aceratorchis
(asian
flora), Nothodoritis (flickr), Ischnogyne (IOPSE), and Changnienia (flickr). Other spectacular plants unique to China
include the Regal Lily Lilium regale
(Nova),
a gentian Gentiana
hexaphylla (Flora
of China), a primrose Primula
blinii (Flora
of China) and over 400 endemic Rhododendron
species such as Rhododendron wardii
(Biodiversity
of the Hengduan Mountains).
The richest temperate country for endemics, China is included in
several biodiversity hotspots: Mountains of Southwest China (Biodiversity
Hotspots), Mountains of Central Asia (Biodiversity
Hotspots), Indo-Burma (Biodiversity
Hotspots), and Himalaya (Biodiversity
Hotspots). Important aquatic areas include the
Yangtze River and Lakes (WWF),
the Xi Jiang or Pearl River (WWF),
and the Southern Japan, Taiwan and
Southern China coral reef hotspot (Reef
Guardian pdf file).