Curaçao
A
reptile
unique to Curaçao is the Three-scaled
Groundsnake Liophis
triscalis (flickr).
An endemic mammal is the recently extinct rice rat Oryzomys
curasoae (caribjsci.org pdf file).
A marine fish so far known only from Curaçao is the recently described blenny Starksia springeri (eol).
Invertebrates restricted to Curaçao include a ground spider Camillina
jeris (p. 11 of AMNH
Digital Library pdf file), a goblin spider Scaphiella agocena (AMNH),
a shrimp Pseudopontonides
plumosus (Zootaxa
pdf file), a damsel bug Pagasa cobbeni (p. 4 of entomology.bio.pu.ru pdf file), a copepod crustacean Neocyclops
geltrudeae (p. 3 of luciopesce.net
pdf file), and several land snails: Cerion diablensis
(Cerion),
Tudora muskosi (b-cabinet),
Neosublina gloynii
(figs. 18 & 19 at Internet
Archive), and Guppya
molengraaffi (fig. 54 on p 147 of Univ.
Michigan pdf file). Sponges known solely from
Curaçao (all at UvA DARE
pdf file) include Timea curacaoensis,
Forcepia microlabis,
Mycale vitellina,
and Clathria collosclera.
No vascular plants are unique to Curaçao.
Curaçao is included in the
Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspot (CI) and is part of the Aruba-Curaçao-Bonaire
Cactus Scrub ecoregion (EoE).