Christmas Island

Christmas Island is a territory of Australia and is part of the Christmas and Cocos Islands tropical forests ecoregion (EoE). An overview of the natural history of the island is given in the "Christmas Island National Park Management Plan" (environment.gov.au).

Mammals found nowhere else but Christmas Island include the Christmas Island Shrew (environment.gov.au pdf file) and two extinct rats: Maclear’s Rat (Wikipedia) and the Bulldog Rat (Internet Archive). The Christmas Island Pipistrelle Pipistrellus murrayi (environment.gov.au pdf file) is sometimes recognized as a species distinct from the widespread Least Pipistrelle Pipistrellus tenuis and the Christmas Island Flying Fox Pteropus natalis (environment.gov.au pdf file) is sometimes recognized as distinct from the Black-eared Flying Fox Pteropus melanotus.

Landbirds unique to Christmas Island include the Christmas Island Imperial-pigeon (ARKive), the Christmas Island Hawk-owl (Owl Pages), and the Christmas Island White-eye (Mangoverde). The Christmas Island Goshawk Accipiter natalis (Eaglehawk Rehabilitation Centre) is sometimes considered a species distinct from the widespread Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus. Two seabirds breed exclusively on the island: Abbott’s Booby (ARKive) and the Christmas Island Frigatebird (Christmas Island Wildlife).

Reptiles endemic to Christmas Island include the Christmas Island Blind Snake Ramphotyphlops exocoeti (environment.gov.au pdf file), Lister’s Gecko Lepidodactylus listeri (Parks Australia), the Blue-tailed Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus egeriae (environment.gov.au pdf file), Sadleir's Bow-fingered Gecko Cyrtodactylus sadleiri (Mark O'Shea), and the Christmas Island Whiptail Skink Emoia nativittatis (Internet Archive).

Marine fish known only from Christmas Island include a sole Aseraggodes crypticus (Western Australian Museum pdf file), the Green Dottyback Pseudochromis viridis (FishBase), and a goby Eviota natalis (FishBase) .

The island's most famous endemic is the Christmas Island Red Crab Gecarcoidea natalis (ARKive) noted for its remarkable annual breeding migration of millions of individuals. There are at least a dozen unique species of cave-dwelling animals including a shrimp Procaris noelensis (iPhylo), a whipscorpion Charon gervaisi (p. 9 of American Arachnology pdf file), and an ostracod Microceratina martensi (Prof. Dr. Danielopol pdf file). The sole endemic species of butterfly is the Christmas Emperor Polyura andrewsi (p. 4 of environment.gov.au pdf file). A drosophilid fly, Lissocephala powelli (Bishop Museum pdf file), lives on red crabs and robber crabs. Other invertebrates unique to the island include the Christmas Island Stick-insect Ramulus (or Clitumnus) stilpnoides (simplygreen.com.sg), the planthoppers Oliarus trispiralis (dpi.nsw.gov.au) and Distiana andrewsi (dpi.nsw.gov.au), a darkling beetle Bradymerus seminitidus (Southeast Asian Beetles), a cave-dwelling ground beetle Lymnastis brooksi (WA Museum pdf file), a bush cricket Psyrana pomona (OSF), a huntsman spider Heteropoda listeri (fig. 4 at Internet Archive), a brushed trapdoor spider Idioctis xmas (p. 10 of AMNH Digital Library pdf file), and several snails: Assiminea andrewsiana (fig. 23 at Internet Archive), Nesopupa proscripta (fig. 1 at Internet Archive), and Succinea solidula (figs. 8 & 9 at Internet Archive).

Christmas Island is the exclusive home of 18 species of vascular plants (environment.gov.au). These include the Christmas Island Palm Arenga listeri (PACSOA), the Christmas Island Spleenwort Asplenium listeri (Markus Kappeler), Abutilon listeri (JSTOR), Colubrina pedunculata (JSTOR), Hoya aldrichii (PlantFiles), Zehneria alba (Flora of Australia Online), the screwpines Pandanus christmatensis (flickr) and Pandanus elatus (p. 3 of scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu pdf file), a grass Ischaemum nativitatis (Kew), a pepper Peperomia rossii (Kew), Grewia insularis (JSTOR), an orchid Brachypeza archytas (IOPSE), and the recently rediscovered Ridley's Ground Orchid Zeuxine exilis (environment.gov.au).