Palestine and Israel
Note:
For
practical reasons Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are
discussed jointly.
The
Negev White-toothed Shrew (teva.org.il
WM)
(BHL)
is an endemic mammal.
The Acacia Gazelle (teva.orgl.il
WM) (flickr)
is sometimes considered a full species.
Reptiles known solely from the area include Dayan's Kukri Snake Rhynchocalamus dayanae (PeerJ) and the Be'er Sheva Fringe-fingered Lizard Acanthodactylus beershebensis (lacerta.de) (teva.org.il WM).
The
Hula Painted Frog (IUCN),
rediscovered after being long feared extinct, is now recognized as the
sole surviving species of the genus Latonia (Nature).
A tree
frog Hyla heinzsteinitzi
(ResearchGate)
is often considered to be an introduced population of Hyla japonica.
Freshwater fish species unique to the area include the Yarkon
Bream (IUCN)
(iNaturalist),
the Kinneret Bleak (FishBase),
and the extinct Hula Bleak Mirogrex hulensis (iNaturalist)
(p. 10 of ResearchGate
pdf).
Marine fish recorded so far only from the area include the Red Sea Flappy Snake Eel Suculentophichthus nasus (fig. 14.1d on p. 9 of reefs.org pdf), the Aqaba Moray Gymnothorax baranesi (GBIF), a barracudina Lestrolepis luxiocula (Zootaxa pdf), a cutlassfish Evoxymetopon moricheni (ResearchGate), a flounder Arnoglossus nigrofilamentosus (ResearchGate), a cardinalfish Gymnapogon melanogaster (FishBase) (iNaturalist), a lizardfish Saurida golanii (GBIF), a scorpionfish Scorpaena decemradiata (ResearchGate), and several gobies: the gobies Didogobius bentuvii (Marine Species WM), Vanderhorstia opercularis (FishBase), and Amblyeleotris neglecta (FishBase).
Endemic insects include a tiger moth Amata gil (National Moth Week), a twirler moth Scrobipalpa aravensis (GBIF), a jewel beetle Xantheremia freidbergi (Israel's Nature Site), the scarabs Anoxioides bytinskisalzi (glaphyridae.com) and Anoxia laevimacula (glaphyridae.com), the longhorn beetles Cortodera kochi and Pseudobolivarita negevensis (both at Israel's Nature Site) and Agapanthia orbachi (p. 49 of Munis pdf), a leaf beetle Tituboea friedmani (GBIF), the click beetles Cardiophorus reitteri and Lacon carmelensis (both at Israel's Nature Site), a rove beetle Quedius limans (GBIF), a weevil Brachycerus groneri (Israel's Nature Site), a dirt-colored seed bug Raglius noga (iNaturalist), a fly Phyllolabis parvihalterata (ResearchGate), a grasshopper Pseudoceles palaestinus (OSF), a stick insect Clonaria eitami (Phasmida), the bees Cubitalia baal (Semantic Scholar pdf) and Lasioglossum dorchini (ResearchGate), and the ants Anochetus bytinskii (AntWiki) and Camponotus kefir (AntWiki).
The most distinctive endemic invertebrate is a blind scorpion Akrav israchanani (Euscorpius pdf) known only from two caves and the sole member of the family Akravidae. Other species unique to Ayyalon Cave include a blind shrimp Typhlocaris ayyaloni (Wikipedia), another crustacean Tethysbaena ophelicola (fig. 4a at SCIRP), and a pseudoscorpion Ayyalonia dimentmani (fr.wikipedia).
Other
endemic invertebrates include another blind shrimp Typhlocaris galilea
(Israel
21c), an isopod crustacean Typhlocirolana
(or Turcolana)
steinitzi (fig.
15 on p. 6 of Decapoda
AToL pdf), the
jumping spiders Euophrys
friedmani (KMK
pdf) and Phlegra
amitaii (jumping-spiders.com),
a palp-footed spider Levymanus
gershomi (ZooKeys),
the scorpions Birulatus
israelensis (ResearchGate)
and Buthacus amitaii
(ResearchGate), a harvestman Haasus judaeus (iNaturalist),
a whip spider Charinus
israelensis
(ResearchGate),
a solifuge Rhagodessa
judaica (GBIF),
a
centipede Cryptops
pori (CHILOBASE),
the millipedes Lophoproctus
israelensis (fig. 2A at ResearchGate)
and Megaphyllum
genezarethanum (GBIF),
a freshwater mussel Unio
terminalis (BioLib),
the freshwater snails Heleobia
annandalei (fig. 6 at BHL)
and Theodoxus octagonus
(p. 37 of fmcs
pdf), and several
land snails: Xerocrassa
(or
Trochoidea)
pseudojacosta (ARKive
WM), Xeropicta
zeevbari (ResearchGate),
Euchondrus ramonensis
(Israel's
Nature Site), Pene
galilaea (figs. 49-52 at ResearchGate
pdf),
Acicula palaestinensis
(iNaturalist),
and Cristataria haasi
(iNaturalist).
Among about 165 vascular plant species known solely from the region are
the Dark-purple Iris Iris
atropurpurea (Flora
of Israel) (IUCN),
a
sedge Cyperus
sharonensis (Flora
of Israel), a bedstraw Galium
philistaeum (Flora
of Israel), a stork's bill Erodium
telavivense (iNaturalist),
a sorrel
Rumex
rothschildianus (wildflowers.co.il),
a groundsel Senecio
joppensis (Flora
of Israel), the orchids Anacamptis
israelitica (iNaturalist)
and Ophrys beerii
(p. 5 of ResearchGate
pdf),
Bufonia
ramonensis (Flora
of Israel), Capparis
ramonensis (Flora
of Israel), Hormuzakia (or Anchusa) negevensis (Flora
of Israel), the Danin Fennel Ferula daninii (Flora
of Israel), Orobanche daninii (Flora of Israel),
Lythrum netofa
(Flora of
Israel), Salvia
eigii (iNaturalist),
Plantago sabulosa (Flora
of Israel), Crypsis minuartioides
(Flora of
Israel), Allium negevense (Flora
of Israel), and Allium akirense (IUCN). Mosheovia (Flora
of Israel) (wildflowers.co.il) is sometimes
considered an endemic genus
distinct from the widespread Scrophularia.
Israel and Palestine are included in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots WM). Important terrestrial ecoregions include the Eastern Mediterranean Conifer- sclerophyllous- broadleaf Forests (EoE) and the Southern Anatolian Montane Conifer and Deciduous Forests (EoE). Important freshwater ecoregions include the Coastal Levant (FEOW WM) and the Jordan River (FEOW WM). A number of endemic plant species are indicated in the list at (p. 58 of Ecologia Mediterranea pdf)..