16/06/2013
Tanzania
Primates found nowhere else include the Rondo Dwarf Galago (EDGE), the Uluguru Bushbaby (Planet' Mammiferes), the Zanzibar Red Colobus (ARKive), the Udzungwa Red Colobus (ARKive), the
Sanje Mangabey (ARKive), and a recently described genus: the Kipunji Rungwecebus kipunji (ARKive). Other endemic mammals
include Abbott's Duiker (Ultimate Ungulate), the Pemba Flying Fox (ARKive), Swynnerton's Bush Squirrel (Mammals of Tanzania), the Demon African Mole Rat (Mammals of Tanzania), Verhagen's Brush-furred Rat (Mammals of Tanzania), the Kilimanjaro Mouse Shrew (Mammals of Tanzania), Howell's Forest Shrew (Mammals of Tanzania), Phillip's Congo Shrew (Mammals of Tanzania), and an enormous recently described elephant shrew: the Gray-faced Sengi (ARKive).
Birds unique to Tanzania include the Usambara Eagle-owl (BirdLife Int'l), the Pemba Scops-owl (Owl Pages), the Gray-breasted Francolin (IBC), the Masked Lovebird (WPT), the Pemba Green-pigeon (ARKive), the Uluguru Bush-shrike (BirdLife Int'l), the Banded Sunbird (African Bird Image Database), the Pemba Sunbird (IBC), the Iringa Akalat (ARKive), the Kilombero Weaver (ARKive), Beesley's Lark (IBC), the Pemba White-eye (IBC), the Usambara Hyliota (BirdLife Int'l), the Kipengere Seedeater (Global Twitcher), and the recently described Rubeho Warbler (Tanzania Bird Atlas) and the Ruaha Hornbill (flickr). The Udzungwa Forest-partridge (BirdLife Int'l) is an endemic genus.
Reptiles exclusive to Tanzania include the Uluguru One-horned Chameleon (flickr), the Usambara Three-horned Chameleon (Reptarium), the Spiny-flanked Chameleon (ARKive), the Bearded Pygmy Chameleon (MTSN), the Turquoise Dwarf Gecko (ARKive), the Pemba Day Gecko (Phelsumania), the Montane Agama (Philip Shirk), the Ornate Shovelsnout Snake (Tanzaniaherps), Werner’s Green Tree Snake (MTSN), the Usambara Garter Snake (ARKive), Matilda's Horned Viper (BBC), and the Horned Bush Viper (CalPhotos). Endemic genera include the round-snouted worm lizards Loveridgea (eol), the Dagger-tooth Vine Snake Xyelodontophis (Google Books), and the Udzungwe Mountain Bush Viper Adenorhinos (Tanzaniaherps).
Amphibians restricted to Tanzania include the Mazumbai Warty Frog (EDGE), Barbour's Forest Tree Frog (ARKive), the Uluguru Banana Frog (MTSN), the Usambara Big-fingered Frog (ARKive), Keith's Striped Frog (ARKive), Mette's Reed Frog (Tanzaniaherps), a running frog Kassina jozani (Coastal Forests pdf file), the Rocky River Frog (ARKive), Nike's Squeaker (ARKive), the Uzungwe Toad (ARKive), a caecilian Boulengerula boulengeri (eol), and the Banded Caecilian (AmphibiaWeb). Endemic genera include the Kihansi Spray Toad Nectophrynoides (AmphibiaWeb), a tree toad Churamiti (ARKive), the Usambara Blue-bellied Frog Hoplophryne (p. 21 of TBA 4 MB pdf file), the Amani Forest Frog Parhoplophryne (eol), and the Scarlet-snouted Frog Spelaeophryne (African Amphibians Lifedesk).
Freshwater fish known solely from Tanzania include the killifish Nothobranchius korthausae (ARKive) and Nothobranchius eggersi (eol), the Lake Rukwa Lampeye (FishBase), the catfishes Synodontis rufigiensis (PlanetCatfish) and Zaireichthys wamiensis (ARKive), the Olivegreen Ufipa Barb (FishBase), a shellear Kneria rukwaensis (FishBase), and several cichlids including Alcolapia latilabris (FishBase), Pundamilia igneopinnis (ARKive), Neolamprologus devosi (FishBase), Pseudotropheus longior (MalawiCichlids.com), and Haplochromis argens (Species ID). Endemic genera include an African tetra Petersius (eol) and the Lake Victoria cichlids Lithochromis (Big Sky Cichlids) and Mbipia (Cichlid Room Companion).
Butterflies confined to Tanzania (p. 16 of Coastal Forests pdf file) include the Tanzanian Diadem (Magic of Life), Papilio ufipa (WNS Stamps), Charaxes usambarae (Albertine Rift Butterflies), Acraea punctimarginea (Dominique Bernaud), and Euphaedra confina (metafro). Other endemic insects include the Amani Flatwing (ARKive), the Golden Dancing-jewel (ARKive), a katydid Aerotegmina kilimandjarica (OSF), a grasshopper Ixalidium transiens (IUCN pdf file), a longhorned beetle Olenecamptus zanzibaricus (Harvard), and several flower beetles: Eudicella trilineata (Heinz Rothacher), Stephannorrhina princeps (Golianthus.com), and Conradtia principalis (Flower Beetles). The East Wind Gladiator Tanzaniophasma (previously Mantophasma) subsolana (fig. A on p. 4 of CVE 3 MB pdf file) is sometimes considered to be the sole member of an endemic family, the Tanzaniophasmatidae.
Other endemic invertebrates include a baboon spider Encyocratella olivacea (flickr), the jumping spiders Lilliput minutus (Salticidae of the World) and Tomocyrba masai (Salticidae of the World), the millipedes Spirostreptus hamatus (diplopoda.de) and Crurifarcimen vagans (IISE), a land snail Gulella amboniensis (ARKive), a freshwater snail Potadomoides pelseneeri (ARKive), the freshwater crabs Platythelphusa immaculata (p. 4 of Nyanza Project pdf file) and Potamonautes infravallatus (p. 69 of AToL Decapoda 4 MB pdf file), and a sea slug Glossodoris gregorius (Sea Slug Forum).
Among over 1100 vascular plant species unique to Tanzania are the African violets Saintpaulia goetzeana (Gesneriad Reference Web) and Saintpaulia shumensis (Gesneriad Reference Web), Aloe dorotheae (ARKive), the orchids Polystachya longiscapa (IOPSE) and Ancistrorhynchus refractus (JSTOR), a palm Dypsis pembana (PACSOA), a cycad Encephalartos sclavoi (PACSOA), Ecbolium tanzaniense (Kew), Cola usambarensis (p. 4 of Kew pdf file), a coral tree Erythrina schliebenii (Univ. Copenhagen), Allanblackia stuhlmannii (Protabase), Impatiens kilimanjari (flickr), Isoglossa variegata (Kew), and Uvariopsis bisexualis (IUCN Red List). Endemic genera include Streptosiphon (Tree of Life), the orchids Neobenthamia (orchid-nord.com) and Sphyrarhynchus (JSTOR), Farrago (JSTOR), Urogentias (JSTOR), Stephanostema (Pflanzenreich), Neohemsleya (JSTOR), Mwasumbia (Annonaceae of Africa), and Sanrafaelia (Annonaceae of Africa).
Portions of Tanzania are part of the following biodiversity hotspots: the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa (CI) and the Eastern Afromontane (CI). The Eastern Arc Forests (EoE) are an exceptional terrestrial ecoregion. Important freshwater ecoregions include Coastal East Africa (FEOW) and the world's three richest lakes for endemic freshwater fish species: Lake Victoria (FEOW), Lake Tanganyika (FEOW), and Lake Malawi (FEOW).