Plants > Corynocarpaceae & Canopy Trees
The Karaka Tree (Corynocarpus laevigatus), known in Māori heritage as the Karaka or Kōpī, is a handsome, salt-tolerant evergreen canopy tree endemic to coastal New Zealand. Forming dense groves along coastal cliffs and estuaries, this venerable tree produces heavy...
Reptiles > Viperidae & Sidewinding Adders
Peringuey’s Adder (Bitis peringueyi), also celebrated by herpetologists as the Namib Desert Sidewinding Adder, is a miniature venomous viper supremely adapted to the shifting dune seas of the Namib Desert. Famous for its specialized sidewinding locomotion and...
Birds > Acanthisittidae & New Zealand Wrens
The Rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris), revered in Māori tradition as the Tītitipounamu, holds the title of New Zealand’s smallest native bird. Weighing barely as much as a coin, this tiny, round-bodied forest gem belongs to the family Acanthisittidae—an ancient,...
Fungi > Strophariaceae & Woodchip Fungi
The Redlead Roundhead (Leratiomyces ceres), popularly celebrated by mushroom foragers as the Chip Cherry, is one of the most vividly colored agaric mushrooms found in urban and managed landscapes. Originally indigenous to the wet eucalyptus and southern beech forests...
Fish > Danionidae & Miniature Teleosts
The Cerebrum Danionella (Danionella cerebrum) is an extraordinary miniature teleost fish discovered in the turbid freshwater streams of Myanmar. Measuring barely half an inch long, this nearly transparent vertebrate lacks a skull roof, exposing its live brain to...
