Greenland
Greenland
has about 10
vascular plant species found nowhere else including the East Greenland
Saxifrage Saxifraga
nathorstii (Univ.
Tromsø), the Greenland Fescue Festuca groenlandica (Google
Books),
the Greenland Alkali Grass Puccinellia
groenlandica (Google
Books), the Greenland Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrinchium groenlandicum
(Flora
of North America), the Alpine Fleabane Erigeron alpiniformis
(Tropicos),
the Greenland Pondweed Potamogeton
groenlandicus
(Flora
of North America) and two pussytoes: Antennaria affinis (Botanicus)
and Antennaria
intermedia (Internet
Archive). There are also 15 endemic microspecies
of hawkweed including Hieracium
hyparcticum (Arctos).
Two marine invertebrates are sometimes considered to represent families
known only from Greenland: a flatworm Proporoplana jenseni
(Turbellaria)
sometimes classified as Proporoplanidae and a comb jelly Tjalfiella tristoma
(Internet
Archive)
from Umanak Fjord that is the sole species in the Tjalfiellidae. Other
endemic invertebrates include a twirler moth Gnorimoschema vibei
(BOLD),
a braconid wasp Aphidius
tarsalis
(p. 8 of Naturalis
pdf file), an eulophid wasp Aprostocetus
meltoftei (p. 2 of nmbe.unibe.ch
pdf fiel), a rove beetle Atheta
groenlandica (Google
Books), a comb-footed spider Ohlertidion
lundbecki (Jørgen
Lissner), a water flea Holopedium
groenlandicum (iii.to.cnr.it
pdf file), a marine rotifer Notholca
ikaitophila
(ADW),
and a sponge Leucascus
lobatus (ZMUC
pdf file).
Three species of dwarf snailfish are so far known solely from specimens
caught off Greenland: the Gelatinous Dwarf Snailfish Psednos gelatinosus
(p. 14 of Biostor
10 MB pdf file), Psednos
melanocephalus (BioOne),
and the Multipore Dwarf Snailfish Psednos
micruroides (p. 18 of Biostor
10 MB pdf file),.
The ice-free portion of Greenland comprises the Kalaallit Nunaat low arctic tundra
ecoregion (EoE).
For lists of Greenland's endemic species and an overview of
Greenland's plants and animals see "Biodiversity of Greenland" (Grønlands
Naturinstitut pdf file).
