Living National Treasures: Korean Peninsula

Checklists of  Endemics

Mammal Species 2

Bird Species 0

Reptile Species 0

Amphibian Species 2

Freshwater Fish Species 12

Marine Fish Species 0

Vertebrate Genera 2

Swallowtail & Milkweed Butterfly Species 0

Vascular Plant Genera 3

Families & Orders 0


Taxonomic Sources & Caveats

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 The following account covers only species that are known to occur in both North Korea and South Korea. For additional Korean Peninsula endemics that are restricted to a single nation see the individual country accounts.

Mammals unique to the peninsula include Kobayashi’s Serotine (IUCN Red List) and the Korean Red-backed Vole (Ecotopia).  Endemic amphibians include the Gold-spotted Pond Frog Rana chosenica (yangpakor), the Korean Brown Frog Rana coreana (AmphibiaWeb), and the Suwon Treefrog Hyla suweonensis (yangpakor).

Freshwater fish restricted to the Korean Peninsula include the Kumgang Fat Minnow Rhynchocypris kumganensis (Korean Freshwater Database), the Dark Sleeper Odontobutis interrupta (Korean Freshwater Database), the Korean Aucha Perch Coreoperca herzi  (Korean Freshwater Database), the Korean Rose Bitterling Rhodeus uyekii (Korean Freshwater Database), the Korean Striped Bitterling Acheilognathus yamatsutae (Korean Freshwater Database), the Splendid Shiner Coreoleuciscus splendidus (Korean Freshwater Database), a gudgeon Gobiobotia macrocephala (Korean Freshwater Database), the Northern Loach Cobitis pacifica (Korean Freshwater Database), and the Korean Torrent Catfish Liobagrus andersoni (Korean Freshwater Database).

Insects known only from the Korean Peninsula include a dragonfly Asiagomphus coreanus (NARIS), a ground beetle Damaster constricticollis (NARIS), and a grasshopper Arcyptera coreana (Orthopteroids of Korea).

Vascular plants found nowhere else include Iris koreana (SIGNA), the Korean Stewartia Stewartia koreana (NC State Univ.), and the Korean Necklace-pod Echinosophora koreensis (Ethno-Economic Plants Database).  Endemic plant genera include the White Forsythia Abeliophyllum distichum (UBC Botanical Garden) and Hanabusaya asiatica (Ethno-Economic Plants Database).

Information on endemic Korean animals and plants can be found at (Wild Fauna and Flora of Korea) .  Booklets on specific groups include those for vertebrates (Wild Fauna and Flora of Korea pdf file), insects (Wild Fauna and Flora of Korea pdf file), spiders (p. 14 of Wild Fauna and Flora of Korea pdf file), and various invertebrates (Wild Fauna and Flora of Korea pdf file)