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) (Reptile Database) 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 (iNaturalist), a twirler moth Scrobipalpa aravensis (GBIF), a jewel beetle Xantheremia freidbergi (Israel's Nature Site WM), the scarabs Anoxioides bytinskisalzi (iNaturalist) and Anoxia laevimacula (glaphyridae.com) (iNaturalist), the longhorn beetles Cortodera kochi and Pseudobolivarita negevensis (both at Israel's Nature Site WM) and Agapanthia orbachi (p. 49 of Munis pdf), a ground beetle Atlantomasoreus groneri (iNaturalist), a leaf beetle Tituboea friedmani (fig. 4 at ResearchGate), the click beetles Cardiophorus reitteri and Lacon carmelensis (both at Israel's Nature Site WM), the rove beetles Quedius limans (GBIF) and Typhloponemys hypogaea (iNaturalist), 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 WM), the bees Andrena woodi (iNaturalist) and 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) (ResearchGate), 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), a cave-dwelling funnel spider Tegenaria frumkini (spiderlab.co.il), the scorpions Birulatus israelensis (ResearchGate) and Buthacus amitaii (ResearchGate), a harvestman Haasus naasane (spiderlab.co.il), 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), an earthworm Perelia shamsi (PLAZI), a freshwater mussel Unio terminalis (p. 42 of kinneret.org pdf) (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), Xerocrassa picardi (iNaturalist), Xeropicta zeevbari (ResearchGate), Euchondrus ramonensis (iNaturalist) (Israel's Nature Site), Pene galilaea (figs. 49-52 at ResearchGate pdf), Acicula palaestinensis (iNaturalist), and Cristataria haasi (iNaturalist).

Vascular plant species known solely from the region are Iris atropurpurea (Flora of Israel) (IUCN), Cyperus sharonensis (Flora of Israel), Galium philistaeum (Flora of Israel), Erodium subintegrifolium (iNaturalist), Silene physalodes (Flora of Israel), Rumex rothschildianus (wildflowers.co.il WM), an orchid Anacamptis israelitica (iNaturalist), Bufonia ramonensis (Flora of Israel), Capparis ramonensis (Flora of Israel), Hormuzakia (or Anchusa) negevensis (Flora of Israel), Ferula daninii (Flora of Israel), Lythrum netofa (Flora of Israel), Salvia eigii (iNaturalist), Scandix blepharicarpa (iNaturalist), Plantago sabulosa (Flora of Israel), Crypsis minuartioides (Flora of Israel), Limonium galilaeum (iNaturalist), Lathyrus lentiformis (iNaturalist), Origanum ramonense (Flora of Israel), and Allium akirense (IUCN).

Endemic fungi include Agaricus bonii (fig. 7 at herbmedit.org pdf) and Chamaemyces carmelensis (fig. 3 at Mycobiota pdf).

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 WM) and the Southern Anatolian Montane Conifer and Deciduous Forests (EoE WM). 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).