Antarctica

Seal species breeding exclusively in Antarctica including the Leopard Seal (ARKive WM), the Crabeater Seal (ARKive WM), and the Ross Seal (antarctica.gov.au).

Remarkably, the Emperor Penguin (ARKive WM) breeds during the antarctic winter. Other birds breeding solely in Antarctica include the South Polar Skua (eBird), the Antarctic Petrel (eBird), and the Adelie Penguin (eBird). The Antarctic Shag (eBird) is sometimes considered distinct from the Imperial Shag.

Endemic marine fish genera include the antarctic dragonfishes Cygnodraco (BOLD) and Gymnodraco (p. 31 of Underwater Field Guide to Ross Is. pdf) and Akarotaxis (Zootaxa pdf), the cod icefishes Cryothenia amphitreta (Univ. Illinois WM) and Gvozdarus (Wikipedia), the eelpouts Gosztonyia (ScienceDaily WM) and Santelmoa (ResearchGate), the barbled plunderfishes Histiodraco (Semantic Scholar) and Pogonophryne (ResearchGate) and Dolloidraco (BOLD), a whalefish Notocetichthys (BHL), and the icefishes Chionodraco (AFG WM) and Pagetopsis (FishBase) (iNaturalist).

Among other fish endemic to these frigid waters are the Charcot's Pseudoicefish (iNaturalist), the Scaly Rockcod (FishBase), the Longbeard Plunderfish (Semantic Scholar WM), a snailfish Paraliparis leobergi (BHL), a triplefin Helcogrammoides antarcticus (BHL), an eelcod Muraenolepis trunovi (ResearchGate), and the Antarctic Darkmouth Skate (ResearchGate).

Land invertebrates include a flightless midge Belgica antarctica (iNaturalist) (Wikipedia), the tardigrades Hebesuncus ryani (Univ. Hamburg WM pdf) and Echiniscus corrugicaudatus (Academia), the rotifers Philodina alata (ResearchGate) and Adineta coatsi (GBIF), a nematode Chiloplacoides antarcticus (IRD pdf), the mites Stereotydeus ineffabilis (fig. 5 at MDPI) and Coccorhagidia keithi (BOLD), and a number of endemic springtails (Bishop Museum WM pdf) with Biscoia sudpolaris (WoRMS) and Antarctophorus sudpolaris (Te Papa) known as far south as 84° 47' S.

Families of marine invertebrates known only from Antarctica include a comb jelly Cryptocodidae (RAS), a sea anemone Halcampulactidae (Semantic Scholar WM), a soft coral Huziogorgiidae (Springer) (GBIF), a copepod crustacean Praxillinicolidae (ResearchGate), a nematode Simpliconematidae (fig. A at ResearchGate), a fish fluke Zdzitowieckitrematidae (Springer) (MDPI), a foram Raskiniellidae (zin.ru pdf), and several molluscs: Sandalomeniidae (BHL) (p. 14 of AMS pdf), Apodomeniidae (ResearchGate), Tomthompsoniidae (figs. 1-3 at BHL) (Oxford), and Curnonidae (Sea Slug Forum WM) (iNaturalist).

Other endemic marine invertebrates include the gastropods Pleurotomella endeavourensis (Te Papa) and Bathybembix delicatula (Eddie Hardy), the nudibranchs Doridunculus punkus (ResearchGate) and Notaeolidia schmekelae (p. 27 of Underwater Field Guide to Ross Is. pdf), an octopus Adelieledone piatkowski (ResearchGate), the pycnogonids Austropallene halanychi (ZooKeys) and Eurycyde antarctica (Smithsonian), the sponges Leucetta delicata (ResearchGate) and Acanthopolymastia acanthoxa (p. 5 of Zootaxa pdf), a sea anemone Edwardsiella andrillae (PLOS), a gorgonia Tauroprimnoa austasensis (EurekAlert!), a sea cucumber Sigmodota magdarogera (GBIF), a bryozoan Alcyonidium kuklinskii (fig. 2 at Springer), a krill Euphausia crystallorophias (WoRMS), an isopod crustacean Eurycope crassiramis (ResearchGate), a mysid crustacean Pseudomma kryotroglodytum (ZooKeys), and the amphipod crustaceans Eusirus giganteus (flickr) and Epimeria rimicarinata (GBIF). Recently over 700 new species of marine invertebrates have been discovered off Antarctica (ResearchGate).

Endemic mosses include Grimmia lawiana (Handbook of Antarctic Mosses WM) and Bryum bharatiensis (ScienceDirect), but there are no endemic vascular plant species. Antarctica has a number of unique freshwater diatoms (Antarctic Freshwater Diatoms). Endemic lichens include Acarospora flavocordia (fig. 2A at ResearchGate), Buellia frigida (antmoss.nipr.ac.jp WM), Lecidella greenii (100 New Lichens WM), and Calvitimela uniseptata (ResearchGate). Endemic seaweeds include Phyllophora antarctica (Wikipedia) and Cystosphaera jacquinoti (iNaturalist) (flickr). Gainiaceae (Taylor & Francis) (macroalgae.org) is an endemic family of red algae. Raskiniellidae (zin.ru pdf) is an endemic family of Foraminifera.

For an overview see the "Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Oceans" at (SCAR WM pdf).