IN WORLD
By Intreasures (SEE) in December 20, 2024, out of 7,177 families (1182 vertebrates, 5521 invertebrates, and 474 vascular plants), 520 are single nation endemics widely in 76 countries/units. This list excludes the families cited as 'endemic' to INTERNATIONAL WATERS (SEE) and to UNKNOWN COUNTRY (SEE) in the Intreasures website.
Australia (139),
USA (44),
New Zealand (42),
Madagascar (33),
South Africa (24),
Japan (24),
Brazil (18),
Russia (16),
China (13 — two in Taiwan),
Spain (11),
Antarctica (10),
India (10),
New Caledonia (9),
Chile (8),
Mexico (8),
Italy (7),
Indonesia (6),
Philippines (6),
Argentina (4),
Vietnam (4).
TWO OR THREE ENDEMIC FAMILIES
Bermuda (3),
Cape Verde (3, Gastropoda, Maxillopoda),
Cuba (3),
Ecuador (3),
French Southern and Antarctic Lands (3, Sarcoptiformes, Malacostraca),
D.R. Congo (3, Sarcoptiformes, Diplopoda),
Namibia (3, angiosperms, Insecta, Solifugae),
Thailand (3, Arachnida, Malacostraca),
Colombia (2, Anellida, Insecta),
Egypt (2, Platyhelminthes),
Fiji (2, angiosperm, Arachnida),
France (2, Diplopoda),
Greece (2, Diplopoda, Ostracoda),
Guam (2, Malacostraca, Gastropoda),
Iceland (2, Malacostraca),
Kenya (2, Malacostraca, Insecta),
Malaysia (2, Acari),
Mozambique (2, Malacostraca, Bryozoa),
Norway (2, Hexanauplia, Maxillopoda),
Seychelles (2, Malacostraca, Amphibia).
ONLY ONE ENDEMIC FAMILIES (BY ZONE)
Bahamas (1, Remipedia),
Belize (1, Gnathostomulida),
Canada (1, Entoprocta),
Costa Rica (1, Meostigmata),
Guatemala (1, Diplopoda),
Haiti (1, Malacostraca),
Jamaica (1, Gastrotricha),
Panama (1, Diplopoda),
Peru (1, Platyhelminthes),
Puerto Rico (1, Avialia),
Turks y Caicos (1, Remipedia),
Venezuela (1, Insecta) —
Cote d'Ivoire (1, Collembola),
Gabon (1, Sarcoptiformes),
Mauritania (1, Malacostraca),
Mauritius (1, Reptilia),
Tanzania (1, Odonata),
Tunisia (1, Malacostraca),
Zimbabue (1, Hemiptera) —
French Polynesia (1, Malacostraca),
Norfolk Island (1, Bryozoa),
Palau (1, Actinipterigii),
Papua New Guinea (1, Hemiptera),
Tonga (1, Maxillopoda),
Vanuatu (1, Platyhelminthes) —
Brunei (1, Sarcoptiformes),
Croatia (1, Diplopoda),
Denmark (1, Gnathostomulida),
Hungary (1, Nematoda),
Iran (1, Trombidiformes),
Israel/Palestine (1, Arachnida),
Korea, South (1, Collembola),
Portugal (1, Diplopoda),
Sri Lanka (1, Diplopoda),
Turkyie (1, Acoelomorpha),
Uzbekistan (1, Malacostraca).
20 countries (plus Antarctica) has 4 or more endemic families (436 endemic families joined), 8 have exactly 3 families (24 endemic families in total), 12 have excatly two endemic families (24 endemic families in total) and 36 have excatly a single endemic family (36 families in total).
340 families (61%) belongs the 8 countries with 15 or more endemic families: Australia, USA, New Zealand, Madagascar, South Africa, Japan, Brazil and Russia. The largest are Acanthogammaridae (41/159) and Eulimnogamaridae (19/115), both Malacostraca from Baikal Basin, Russia.
IN NEW WORLD
The data shown here follows the national lists on the Intreasures (SEE). Together, the 21 New World countries with endemic families bring together 105 of them; USA (44) and Brazil (18) take more than half of this package and stand out as 3rd and 7th, respectively, in the number of restricted families (Rankings).
At larger groups, Brazil has endemic genera in Annelida, Arachnida, Malacostraca, Diplopoda, Insecta, Bryozoa, Brachiopoda, Amphibia, Actinopteri and Platyhelminthes. New World countries that have all their endemic families to these groups, and in less or equal numbers, are: Colombia (2), Costa Rica (1), Ecuador (4), Guatemala (1), Haiti (1), Panama (2), Peru (1) and Venezuela (1).
Cuba (4) and Puerto Rico (1) escape this list because they have endemic bird families (Cuba also by a reptile endemic family); Turks y Caicos (1) and Bahamas (2), because they have endemics families in Remipedia; Bermuda (3), Belize (1) and Jamaica (1) escape by having exceptions in marine small organisms, either Malacostraca, Nemertea, or Gnathostomulida, or Gastrotricha; and Canada (1), because they have endemics families in Entoprocta.
USA (44), Mexico (8), Chile (8) Argentina (4) includes endemic families in lineages withouth endemic genera in Brazil:
USA: Nematoda (1), Cnidaria (1), Chaetognatha (1), Rotifera (1).
Mexico: Angiosperma (1).
Chile: Angiosperma (1).
Argentina: Arachnida/Opiliones (1), Malacosraca (1) and Angiosperma (1).
In specific groups, it is worth mentioning endemic families in Diptera (Chile), Avialia (Cuba, Puerto Rico), Squamata (Cuba, Mexico, USA), Odonata (Colombia), Scorpiona (Mexico), Opiliona (Argentina, USA), Orthoptera (Mexico), Hemiptera (USA) and Zygentoma (USA), all groups without endemic families in Brazil.
NUMBER OF SPECIES
Non monogeneric lineages includes several groups:
USA: Amastridae (8/20), Paeromopodidae (2/16), Elliptochthoniidae (1/9), Amblyopsidae (6/9), Elassomatidae (1/7), Pityococcidae (2/5), Cryptomastridae (2/4), Rhyacotritonidae (1/4), Amoenacaridae (1/3), Adritylidae (1/3), Diphyllostomatidae (1/3), Amphiumidae (1/3), Allocrangonyctidae (1/2), Parabogidiellidae (2/2), Apterouridae (1/2), Branneriidae (1/2), Zosteractinidae (2/2), Choctellidae (1/2) and Polyodontidae (2/2).
Mexico: Typhlochactidae (4/10), Typhlobolellidae (5/6), Xyronotidae (2/4) and Bipedidae (1/3).
Brazil: Cycloramphidae (3/37), Jurasaidae (2/4), Brasileirinidae (1/2), Neblinaphrynidae (1/2).
Chile: Calyptocephalellidae (2/5) and Perciliidae (1/2).
LAST UPDATES
25.01.2026 ‣ huge updates in almost numbers.
21.01.2024 ‣ huge updates in almost numbers.
20.07.2023 ‣ exclusion of Eurymerodesmidae and Euryuridae from list of USA and Eriphantidae from Mexican list (SEE).
05.04.2023 ‣ exclusion of Pudeoniscidae for Brazil, due to distribution in Peru (EJT), and inclusion of Arecoidae in Brazil, new described (Zootaxa).
09.07.2022 ‣ addition of Mesagrionidae for Colombia (Intreasures).
27.06.2022 ‣ exclusion of Cryptogeobiidae from Brazil list, due to range also at least in Argentina and Paraguay (SEE).
11.02.2022 ‣ addition of Jurasaidae, a new endemic family to Brazil (Nature, 2020).
11.02.2022 ‣ addition of Coronistomidae, rotifer family endemic to USA (Zootaxa, 2021).