Mauritius

Birds unique to Mauritius include several species that have been rescued from the very edge of extinction including the Mauritius Kestrel (ARKive), the Mauritius Pink Pigeon (Durrell), and the Mauritius Echo Parakeet (World Parrot Trust). Other endemic birds include the Mauritius Olive White-eye (Durrell), the Mauritius Cuckoo-shrike (ARKive), the Mauritius Black Bulbul (ARKive), the Rodrigues Warbler (ARKive), and the Rodrigues Fody (ARKive). Recently extinct birds include such spectacular species as the Mauritius Blue Pigeon (Wikipedia), the Rodrigues Starling (Wikipedia), the Dodo (Extinction Website), and the Rodrigues Solitaire (Wikipedia) with the last two often considered to be the sole members of an endemic family, the Raphidae.

Mammals found nowhere else include the Rodrigues Flying Fox (ARKive) and the Mauritian Flying Fox (ARKive).

The Round Island Keel-scaled Boa (ARKive) is the sole surviving member of the endemic family Bolyeridae, which until about 1975 also included the now extinct Round Island Burrowing Boa (AMNH). Other endemic reptiles include the Lesser Night Gecko (ARKive), the Round Island Day Gecko (ARKive), the Blue-tailed Day Gecko (Mauritius Reptiles), the Mauritius Forest Day Gecko (Phelsumania), the Ornate Day Gecko (Encyclopaedia Mauritiana), and the Round Island Skink (ARKive). Bojer’s Skink (Mauritius Reptiles) represents an endemic genus.

Marine fish known solely from Mauritius include a perchlet Plectranthias pelicieri (eol), the Mauritian Anemonefish Amphiprion chrysogaster (eol), the wrasses Cirrhilabrus sanguineus (FishBase) and Paracheilinus piscilineatus (eol), a sharpnose puffer Canthigaster punctata (UODAS), a damselfish Pomacentrus rodriguesensis (aqua), the Fody Dottyback Chlidichthys foudioides (p. 48 of Univ. Toronto pdf file), Randall's Dottyback Chlidichthys randalli (eol), Smith's Dottyback Chlidichthys smithae (eol), and the dottybacks Anisochromis straussi and Pseudochromis magnificus (both on p. 7 of ASU pdf file). Awaous (or Chonophorus) pallidus (FishBase) is an endemic freshwater goby.

Butterflies restricted to Mauritius include Papilio manlius (ARKive), Amauris phoedon (p. 10 of Western Australia Museum pdf file), Neptis frobenia and Euploea euphon (both at LepSoc), and the extinct Cyclyrius mandersi (p. 17 of LRF 4 MB pdf file) and Libythea cinyras (Ausgerottete Arten). Other endemic insects include a dragonfly Thalassothemis marchali (ARKive), a cicada Distantada thomaseti (Skap's Bug Stamps), a longhorned beetle Batrachorhina griseiventris (Smithsonian), a weevil Cratopus striga (Insects on Stamps), a stick insect Epicharmus marchali (Phasmida), and several ants: Discothyrea berlita (AntWeb), Nesomyrmex gibber (AntWeb), and Tapinoma fragile (AntWeb). Among the 45 surviving endemic terrestrial snails are Tropidophora articulata (cowries.info), Gonidomus pagodus (flickr), and the following (all at Arno Brosi): Pachystyla bicolor, Harmogenanina implicata, and Tropidophora eugeniae. Other endemic invertebrates include a tarantula Mascaraneus remotus (Birdspiders.com), the Serpent Island Centipede Scolopendra abnormis (IUCN Red List), a coral Acropora rodriguensis (Mauritius Post), and a murex Chicoreus cloveri (Eddie Hardy).

Among over 300 vascular plant species found only in Mauritius are many endemic genera including Ramosmania (Kew), Nesocodon (Rikke's Plants), Cylindrocline (Kew), Roussea (Kew), Tectiphiala (Global Trees Campaign), Hornea (Claude Barrère), Doricera (Clerodendrum), and Mathurina (Clerodendrum). Other endemic plants include the national flower Trochetia boutoniana (Mauritius Post), the Black Ebony Diospyros tessellaria (ARKive), Colea colei (ARKive), Pittosporum balfourii (Wikimedia Commons), Dracaena concinna (ARKive), Polyscias dichroostachya (Endemics in Mondrain), Elaeocarpus bojeri (Global Trees Campaign), Tambourissa quadrifida (Global Trees Campaign), Hibiscus genevii (NTBG), Gouania leguatii (ARKive), Pandanus heterocarpus (fr.wikipedia), Dombeya acutangula (ARKive), Hyphorbe lagenicaulis (ARKive), and Latania verschaffeltii (ARKive).

Mauritius is included in the Mascarene Forests ecoregion (EoE), is part of the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots), and is included in the Southern Mascarene Islands coral reef hotspot (Reef Guardian pdf file). Several of the recently extinct endemic species of Mauritius are highlighted at (Pangolin Extinct Species).