Turkmenistan
Reptiles unique to Turkmenistan include a racer Coluber atayevi (Asiatic Herpetological Research pdf file) and a toad-headed agama Phrynocephalus golubewii (Google Books).
Endemic fish include the Kughitang Blind
Loach Nemacheilus
starostini (FishBase)
from sinkholes in the Kughitang Mountains. A goby Benthophiloides turcomanus
(Freshwater
Fishes of Iran), sometimes placed in its own genus Asra, is known from
a single site near the
coast of the Caspian Sea.
Beetles found nowhere else include a ground beetle Calosoma reitteri (Calosoma
of the World), a long-toed water beetle Helichus angulicollis
(zin.ru),
a scarab Hemictenius
badkhyzicus (SZMN),
a silken fungus beetle Cryptophilus
integer (zin.ru),
a darkling beetle Leptodes
rimicola (SZMN),
a click beetle Neocardiophorus
fausti (Elateridae),
and a weevil Tsherepanovia
globosa (SZMN).
Endemic butterflies include Callophris
hatuma (SZMN),
Hipparchia dagi
(SZMN),
and Pseudochazara
kopetdaghi (SZMN).
Other endemic insects include a moth Ethmia turkmeniella
(SZMN),
an antlion Cueta kasyi
(zin.ru),
a cricket Velarifictorus
problematicus (SysTax),
a web spinner Badkhyzembia
krivokhatskyi (CAS
pdf file), an ant Chalepoxenus
zabelini (p. 3 of Antbase
pdf file), and the bees Eremaphanta
convolvuli (p. 7 of Atlas
Hymenoptera pdf file) and Notolonia
astragali (Discover
Life). Endemic arachnids include a tree trunk spider Duninia baehrae (ZooKeys)
and the scorpions Pectinibuthus
birulai
(Euscorpius
pdf file) and Orthochirus
gromovi (František
Kovarík).
Vascular plant species exclusive to Turkmenistan include Turkmenistan
Belladonna Atropa
komarovii (rareplants.de),
Anemone kopetdaghensis
(rareplants.co.uk),
a wormwood Artemisia
balchanorum (p. 9 of landesmuseum.at
pdf file), Astragalus
(or Astracantha)
karakalensis
(BGBM),
Astragalus jolderensis
(MOBOT),
an orchid Ophrys
kopetdagensis (Kew),
a milk-vetch Astragalus
xiphidioides (Tropicos),
Allium eugenii
(Allium
– skønne prydløg), Allium transvestiens
(Tropicos),
Bromus turcomanicus
(BGBM),
and Tulipa
kopetdaghensis (Kew).
Turkmenistan forms
part of two biodiversity hotspots: the Mountains
of Central Asia (Biodiversity
Hotspots) and
the Irano-Anatolian (Biodiversity
Hotspots). Important
terrestrial ecoregions include the Kopet Dag Woodlands and Forest
Steppe (EoE)
and the Central Asian Southern Desert (EoE). The Caspian Sea (Caspian
Sea Biodiversity)
is rich in aquatic endemic species. For an overview of the plants
and animals see the "Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan for
Turkmenistan" (CBD
pdf file).