In biology, extinction is the termination of an organism or of a group of organisms (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point. Because a species' potential range may be very large, determining this moment is difficult, and is usually done retrospectively. This difficulty leads to phenomena such as Lazarus taxa, where a species presumed extinct abruptly "reappears" after a period of apparent absence.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1965, has evolved to become the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. With its strong scientific base, the IUCN Red List is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity. A series of Regional Red List are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit.
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species are renowned for their large, showy flowers and those species are commonly known simply as "hibiscus", or less widely known as rose mallow. There are also names for hibiscus such as hardy hibiscus, rose of sharon, and tropical hibiscus.
Ochna is a genus comprising 86 species of evergreen trees, shrubs and shrublets belonging to the family Ochnaceae. These species are native to tropical woodlands of Africa, the Mascarenes and Asia. Species of this genus are usually called ochnas, bird's-eye bushes or Mickey-mouse plants, a name derived from the shape of the drupelet fruit. The name of this genus comes from the Greek word Ochne, used by Homer and meaning wild pear, as the leaves are similar in appearance. Some species, including Ochna integerrima and O. serrulata, are cultivated as decorative plants.
Australoheros is a fish genus in the cichlid family. Most are restricted to rivers and streams in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina, but at least one species is also found in lakes and swamps. This genus was erected after a taxonomic revision in 2006. These are relatively small cichlids that typically do not surpass 10–15 centimetres (3.9–5.9 in) in length, although A. facetus reaches about 20 cm (7.9 in).
Meriania is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae. There are about 93 species distributed from Mexico to Brazil and the Antilles.
Pteleopsis is a genus of plant in the family Combretaceae.
Pteleopsis tetraptera is a species of plant in the Combretaceae family. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania. It is threatened by habitat loss.
An endangered species is a species which has been categorized as very likely to become extinct. Endangered (EN), as categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations in the IUCN's schema after Critically Endangered (CR).
In biology, a species ( ) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.
Campovassouria is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae.
Vriesea barbosae is a species in the genus Vriesea. This species is endemic to Brazil.
Purana is a genus of cicadas from Southeast Asia. Its distribution includes Java, Sumatra, Borneo, The Philippines, peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, India, Indochina, China, and Japan. Only one species has been recorded east of the Wallace Line, Purana celebensis, from Sulawesi. In all species the male possess two pairs of dark ventral abdominal tubercles on third and fourth sternites. The male opercula are rather short and generally do not reach beyond the posterior pair of tubercles. Related genera that also possess abdominal tubercles are Leptopsaltria, Maua, Nabalua and Tanna which together with Purana are in the subtribe Leptopsaltriina of the tribe Cicadini.
Southern African Sand Forest is a sand forest, or a subtropical forest ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Biome. It grows on ancient sand dunes in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique. In South Africa these forests are known simply as Sand Forest, while in Mozambique they are known as Licuati Forest.
Brasiliorchis is a genus of orchid. The genus includes species formerly placed in Maxillaria. It is found in South America.
Sphedamnocarpus is a plant genus in the Malpighiaceae, consisting of some 10 to 18 species. They are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, and may be subshrubs, shrubs or climbers. Their mostly yellow flowers have 5 sepals and 5 petals. The 3 to 4-locular ovaries develop into samaras.
The 144 km2Moribane Forest Reserve which was proclaimed in 1957, is a natural forest in the buffer zone of the 640 km2 Chimanimani National Reserve, and is situated 24 km north of Dombé, in Sussundenga District of central Mozambique. The mid to low-altitude tropical rain forest covers hilly country, from 400 to 550 metres in altitude, on the eastern verges of the largest southern African forest of this type, altogether 820 km2 in extent. It can be reached using public transport from Sussundenga.
Pteleopsis myrtifolia is one of some 10 African species in this genus in the family of Combretaceae. It is the only Pteleopsis species to occur in Southern Africa. Its flowers are strongly scented and perceived by humans to be either 'honey-like' or 'cloying' or even 'stinky'. The timber is red, hard and durable, and used for furniture and construction.
Marmaduke Alexander Lawson exenjawer was a British botanist.
The Mueda Plateau, also known as the Maconde Plateau, is a plateau in Cabo Delgado Province of northeastern Mozambique.
