Italy

Mammals unique to Italy include the Italian Hare (ResearchGate), the Sardinian Long-eared Bat (ARKive WM), the Roman Mole (it.wikipedia) (iNaturalist), the Apennine Shrew (flickr), the Calabrian Black Squirrel (Species New to Science) (iNaturalist), the Sicilian Pine Vole (ResearchGate), and the Calabria Pine Vole (iNaturalist). The Abruzzi Chamois (caprinae world) and the Calabrian Forest Dormouse (fig. A at ResearchGate) are sometimes considered full species

Endemic reptiles include the Aeolian Wall Lizard (Eurolizards), the Sicilian Wall Lizard (iNaturalist), the Pontian Wall Lizard (lacerta.de), the Italian Aesculapian Snake (herp.it WM), the Sicilian Pond Turtle (iNaturalist), and Walser's Viper (Species New to Science) (iNaturalist).

The Northern Spectacled Salamander (ARKive WM) and the Southern Spectacled Salamander (AmphibiaWeb) belong to a genus restricted to Italy. The Sardinian Cave Salamander (ARKive WM) is also sometimes placed in its own genus. Other endemic salamanders include the Imperial Cave Salamander (ARKive WM), the Monte Albo Cave Salamander (iNaturalist), the Sardinian Brook Salamander (ARKive WM), and the Italian Newt (iNaturalist). Other endemic amphibians include the Italian Stream Frog (herp.it WM), the Italian Edible Frog (CalPhotos), the Appenine Yellow-bellied Toad (ARKive WM), and the Sicilian Green Toad (iNaturalist). The Italian Tree Frog (flickr) is also now considered an endemic as a result of a recent split (Frontiers).

Freshwater fish found exclusively in Italy include the Lake Garda Trout (Ittiofauna WM), the Fibreno Trout (Ittiofauna WM), the Adriatic Grayling (iNaturalist), the Volturno Spined Loach (Ittiofauna WM) (iNaturalist), the Pontine Spined Loach (p. 9 of Shoal pdf) (iNaturalist), the Italian Bleak (iNaturalist), the Horse Barbel (FishBase),the Toscana Stream Chub (ARKive WM), the Tiber Rudd (Ittiofauna WM), the Arno Goby (ARKive WM), the Italian Spring Goby (iNaturalist), and perhaps the Cisalpine (or Southern) Pike (iNaturalist) (IUCN). The Adriatic Sturgeon (IUCN) (iNaturalist) apparently now breeds only in Italy. Endemic genera include the Rovella Sarmarutilus (iNaturalist) and the South European Nase Protochondrostoma (ConfluPo WM) (iNaturalist).

Butterflies known solely from Italy include the Italian Festoon (leps.it), the Italian Marbled White (leps.it), the Sardinian Meadow Brown (euroButterflies WM), the Elban Heath (leps.it), the Ponza Grayling (IUCN), the Sardinian Blue (euroButterflies WM), the Piedmont Anomalous Blue (euroButterflies WM), and a skipper Pyrgus centralitaliae (iNaturalist). Endemic moths include the European Owl Moth (Klaas van Haeringen), a ghost moth Pharmacis aemilianus (iNaturalist), a burnet moth Zygaena oxytropis (pyrgus.de WM), and a wasp moth Amata ragazzii (iNaturalist).

Other endemic insects include the ants Myrmica siciliana (iNaturalist) and Myrmecina melonii (ResearchGate), a cuckoo wasp Chrysis paglianoi (Chrysis.net WM), the bees Epeolus compar (IUCN) and Tetralonia gennargentui (JHR), the Italian Goldenring Dragonfly (IUCN), a stonefly Dictyogenus vinconi (PLAZI), the flower chafers Osmoderma cristinae (IUCN) and Gnorimus decempunctatus (Natura Mediterraneo), the fireflies Nyctophila calabria (iNaturalist) and Lampyris sardiniae (iNaturalist), an earth-boring dung beetle Ceratophyus rossii (iNaturalist), the longhorn beetles Isotomus barbarae (Cerambycidae WM) and Acanthocinus xanthoneurus (Cerambycidae WM), a tiger beetle Cicindela majalis (iNaturalist), the ground beetles Carabus olympiae (ARKive WM) and Calathus fracassii (iNaturalist), a leaf beetle Cryptocephalus barii (ZooKeys), a flat bark beetle Cucujus tulliae (fig. 9 at ResearchGate), a weevil Leiosoma colonnellii (WBA), a plant bug Horistus elongatus (iNaturalist), a cicada Tibicina longisyllaba (GBIF), an earwig Forficula silana (iNaturalist), La Grecas's Dwarf Mantis (IUCN), the Calabrian Speckled Bush-cricket (Grasshoppers of Europe), the Bended Cave-cricket (iNaturalist), the Reatine Apennine Grasshopper (IUCN), and the White-horned Italian Grasshopper (fig. 20 at ResearchGate). A beetle Crowsoniella relicta is the sole member of an endemic family, the Crowsoniellidae (zin.ru).

Endemic snails include Xerosecta giustii (ARKive WM), Campylaea planospira (iNaturalist), Cornu mazzullii (iNaturalist), Tacheocampylaea tacheoides (ARKive WM), Cernuella rugosa (iNaturalist), Marmorana platychela (iNaturalist), Siciliaria leucophryna (iNaturalist), Candidula cavannae (iNaturalist), Tyrrheniberus sardonius (conchology.be), Falkneria camerani (iNaturalist), and Melanopsis etrusca (ARKive WM). Ocenebra vazzanai (Species New to Science) is a cave-dwelling marine snail.

Other endemic invertebrates include a land slug Limax aeolianus (Natura Mediterraneo), the scorpions Sardoscorpius troglophilus (Scorpion Files) and Euscorpius oglasae (iNaturalist), the cave-dwelling spiders Troglohyphantes bornensis (iNaturalist) and Histopona palaeolithica (ResearchGate), the Nuragic Spider (iNaturalist), a jumping spider Pseudeuophrys perdifumo (araneae), the harvestmen Ischyropsalis ravasinii (iNaturalist) and Megabunus bergomas (iNaturalist), a millipede Acanthoiulus cassinensis (iNaturalist), a cave-dwelling centipede Lithobius sbordonii (GBIF), the isopods Monolistra pavani (MBZSCF) and Armadillidium ruffoi (iNaturalist), a cave-dwelling shrimp Typhlocaris salentina (Ittiofauna WM), a fairy shrimp Chirocephalus marchesonii (iNaturalist), the amphipods Pseudoniphargus planasiae (ResearchGate) and Gammarus elvirae (iNaturalist), and an earthworm Eophila crodabepis (PLOS).

Endemic invertebrate families include a moss animal Benedeniporidae (BHL), a millipede Rhopaloiulidae (GBIF), an amphipod crustacean Metaingolfiellidae (La Naturalizzazione d'Italia WM) (Museo di Storia Naturale pdf), and the flatworms Amphibioplanidae (GBIF) and Tyrrheniellidae (WoRMS).

Trees known only from Italy include the Sicilian Fir (IUCN), Cytisus aeolicus (Acta Plantarum), Genista tyrrhena (Acta Plantarum), a crabapple Malus crescimannoi (IRIS UniPA pdf), the oaks Quercus congesta (altervista) and Quercus ichnusae (ResearchGate), Zelkova sicula (IUCN), the pears Pyrus vallis-demonis (Acta Plantarum) and Pyrus castribonensis (sssn.it pdf), a whitebeam Aria busambarensis (Wikimedia Commons), a willow Salix gussonei (Acta Plantarum), and a buckthorn Rhamnus persicifolia (Acta Plantarum).

Vascular plant species exclusive to Italy include the Italian Bellflower (iNaturalist), Iris marsica (iNaturalist), Pulmonaria vallarsae (iNaturalist), Moltkia suffruticosa (iNaturalist), the Nuragica Columbine (IUCN), an orchid Ophrys promontorii (iNaturalist), Primula palinuri (ARKive WM), Centaurea gymnocarpa (IUCN), Sanguisorba dodecandra (iNaturalist), the Mount Etna Sorrel (iNaturalist), Bupleurum dianthifolium (IUCN), Silene hicesiae (IUCN), Armeria helodes (ARKive WM), Saxifraga tombeanensis (IUCN), the Piedmont Quillwort (IUCN), Viola magellensis (iNaturalist), Brassica macrocarpa (iNaturalist), Allium insubricum (Acta plantarum), Limonium sibthorpianum (IUCN), Crocus etruscus (placevo.eu), and a daisy Bellium crassifolium (iNaturalist).

Endemic vascular plant genera include Petagnaea (IUCN), Lereschia (Flora Italiana), Rhizobotrya (Flora of Italy), Eokochia (meditflora WM), and Siculosciadium (Flora Sicilia). A recent checklist of endemic plant taxa can be found at (Univ. Pisa pdf).

Endemic fungi include Arrasia rostrata (IUCN), Leucoagaricus ariminensis (Internet Archive), Inocybe mediterranea (ResearchGate), and Echinodontium ryvardenii (IUCN). Endemic lichens include Arthonia calabrella (IUCN) and Caloplaca rinodinae-albae (IUCN). Endemic mosses include Rhynchostegium strongylense (GBIF). Marine algae known only from Italy include Corynecladia millarii and Corynecladia mediterranea (both at ResearchGate) and Millerella felicinii (fig. 2C at ResearchGate).

Portions of Italy are included in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot(Biodiversity Hotspots WM). Important terrestrial ecoregions include the South Appenine Mixed Montane Forests (EoE WM), the Appenine Deciduous Montane Forests (EoE WM), the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic Sclerophyllous and Mixed Forests (EoE WM), and the Italian Sclerophyllous and Semi-deciduous Forests (EoE WM). Italy also has two of the world's most important caves (Grotta dell'Arena and Buso della Rana) for biodiversity (caves.org WM pdf). The Checklist of the Species of the Italian Fauna (FaunaItalia) (ResearchGate) includes 4777 endemic animal species. Endemic arachnid species are listed in a checklist at (araneae pdf) and endemic orthopterans are indicated in a list at (ResearchGate).