Australia

Australia stands apart in the distinctiveness of its biota. Not only does it have more endemic species than any other nation for such groups as reptiles and marine fish, but it far exceeds anyplace else at higher taxonomic levels such as unique genera and families.

A remarkable number of plant families are confined to Australia including the following: Aphanopetalaceae (FloraBase), Boryaceae (iNaturalist), Austrobaileyaceae (Flora of the World WM), Blandfordiaceae (PBS), Cephalotaceae (ARKive WM), Dasypogonaceae (iNaturalist), Doryanthaceae (iNaturalist), Ecdeiocoleaceae (FloraBase), Emblingiaceae (FloraBase), Gyrostemonaceae (iNaturalist), Macarthuriaceae (FloraBase), Maundiaceae (PlantNET), Petermanniaceae (flickr), and Tetracarpaeaceae (iNaturalist). Other striking plants unique to Australia include the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (ALA), the Waxlip Orchid (iNaturalist), the Underground Orchid (ARKive WM), the Scarlet Banksia (FloraBase), the Chocolate Lily (ANBG), Correa (iNaturalist), Chrysocephalum (iNaturalist), the Royal Bluebell (ANBG), Sturt's Desert Pea (ANBG), the Common Heath (ANBG), the Waratah (ANPSA), and Grevillea (iNaturalist).

Endemic trees include some of the world's tallest: the Mountain Ash (Wikipedia), the Tasmanian Blue Gum (ANPSA), the Karri (ANPSA), and the Bunya Pine (Gymnosperm Database). Other endemic trees include the Australian Blackwood (PlantNET), the Deciduous Fig (iNaturalist), the Queensland Bottle Tree (ANBG), the Myrtle Beech (IDS), the Turpentine Tree (Wikipedia), the Carnarvon Fan Palm (iNaturalist), the Huon Pine (Gymnosperm Database), the Wollemi Pine (GTC WM), the Pencil Pine (Univ. Tasmania), the Mullumbimby Plum (iNaturalist), the Western Australian Christmas Tree (FloraBase), the Idiotfruit (Wikipedia), the Southern Sassafras (iNaturalist), the Turnipwood (iNaturalist), the Rusty Plum (iNaturalist), and the world's tallest cycad Lepidozamia hopei (PACSOA) and fern Alsophila (or Cyathea) australis (APS).

Australia has some notably enormous endemic invertebrates including the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE), the Tasmanian Giant Crab (Ryan Photographic), the Giant Tasmanian Crayfish (Crayfish World WM), the Giant Burrowing Cockroach (iNaturalist), the Titan Stick Insect (Brisbane Insects WM), the Magnificent Volute (iNaturalist), and the Giant Australian Cuttlefish (ARKive WM). The Dinosaur Ant is famous as a living fossil (AntWiki) (Alex Wild) and an ambrosia beetle Austroplatypus incompertus (ResearchGate) (GBIF) is eusocial. Other striking species include the King Christmas Beetle (iNaturalist), the Golden Stag Beetle (iNaturalist), the Richmond Birdwing (Wildlife Qld WM), the Red-spotted Jezebel (iNaturalist), the Splendid Peacock Spider (Peacock Spider), and a rich endemic velvet worm fauna (iNaturalist).

The invertebrates also have many families unique to Australia including the Cooloola Monster (iNaturalist), the true bugs Henicocoris (GBIF) and Lestonia (iNaturalist) (ANIC WM), the hairy cicadas (Alexander Dudley), the moths Carthaea (ALA) (ResearchGate) and Lophocorona (iNaturalist) (CSIRO), the Ancient Greenling (Reiner Richter WM), the Giant Northern Termite (ANIC WM), a wasp Peradenia (ANIC WM), the ironic flies (ANIC WM) (iNaturalist), the beetles Lamingtonium (zin.ru) and Myrabolia (iNaturalist), a webspinner Metoligotoma (ANIC WM), the mites Ptochacarus (Internet Archive), the wishbone spiders (Spidentify), the urodacid scorpions (iNaturalist), the harvestmen Lomanella (iNaturalist), the millipedes Peterjohnsia (iNaturalist), the Tasmanian Mountain Shrimp (iNaturalist), the Hairy Stone Crab (Port Phillip Bay), a remipede Kumonga (WA Museum), the Giant Creeper (Wikipedia), Diastoma (Eddie Hardy), the Giant Panda Snail (Australian Museum), the Solid Amphibian Snail (iNaturalist), a relict bivalve mollusc Neotrigonia (PLOS) that is an endemic order, the Passion Flower Feather Star (ausmarinverts.net), and a jellyfish Csiromedusa (National Geographic WM).

The marsupial moles (ARKive WM) represent an endemic order of mammals. Other families of mammals exclusive to Australia include the Platypus (iNaturalist), the Koala (ARKive WM), the Honey Possum (ARKive WM), the probably extinct Thylacine (ARKive WM), the Musky Rat Kangaroo (iNaturalist), Gilbert's Potoroo (EDGE WM), the Numbat (AWC), the Greater Bilby (ARKive WM), the extinct Pig-footed Bandicoot (ARKive WM), and the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (IUCN). Other endemic mammals include the Red Kangaroo (iNaturalist), the Ghost False-vampire (ARKive WM), and the Tasmanian Devil (ARKive WM).

Representatives of bird families endemic to Australia include the Plains-wanderer (eBird), Albert's Lyrebird (ARKive WM), the Rufous Bristlebird (eBird), the Noisy Scrub-bird (eBird), the Striated Pardalote (Birds in Backyards), the Eastern Shrike-tit (eBird), and the Apostlebird (eBird). Other endemic birds include the Emu (eBird), the Laughing Kookaburra (eBird), the Musk Duck (eBird), the Superb Parrot (iNaturalist), the Red Goshawk (eBird), the Royal Penguin (eBird), the Australian Painted Snipe (eBird), the Satin Bowerbird (BirdLife Australia), the Rainbow Pitta (eBird), the Splendid Fairy-wren (eBird), and the Malleefowl (eBird).

The exceptionally rich reptile fauna includes the Thorny Devil (ALA), the Marbled Velvet Gecko (AROD), the Shingleback (wildherps.com WM), the Great Desert Skink (ABC WM), the Bronzeback (ARKive WM), the Perentie (iNaturalist), the Common Bandy Bandy (AROD), the Inland Taipan (Wikipedia), the Woma Python (iNaturalist), the Australian Freshwater Crocodile (iNaturalist), the Mary River Turtle (iNaturalist), the Western Swamp Turtle (IUCN), and, as a breeding species, the Flatback Turtle (ARKive WM). Carphodactylidae (iNaturalist) is an endemic family of geckos.

The recently extinct gastric-brooding frogs (ARKive WM) were sometimes considered to represent an endemic family. Other frogs unique to Australia include the Baw Baw Frog (IUCN), the Holy Cross Frog (iNaturalist), the Giant Barred Frog (IUCN), the possibly extinct Sharp-snouted Torrent Frog (FrogID), the Sunset Frog (WA Museum), the White-bellied Frog (WA Museum), the Red-crowned Toadlet (AmphibiaWeb), the Giant Frog (Frogs of Australia), and the Corroboree Frog (IUCN).

The Salamanderfish (Fishes of Australia) is the sole member of an endemic order of freshwater fish. Australia has several other families of fish found nowhere else including the Australian Lungfish (Australian Museum), the Congolli (Fishes of Australia), the Australian Bass (FishBase), and representatives of a number of marine groups: the Spotted Handfish (ARKive WM), the Old Wife (Fishes of Australia), the Coffin Ray (Fishes of Australia), the Longfin Pike (Port Philip Bay), the Tassled Anglerfish (iNaturalist), the Blind Shark (Australian Museum), and the Blowhole Perch (Fishes of Australia).

Other endemic fish include the Leafy Seadragon (Fishes of Australia), the Shorthead Seahorse (Fishes of Australia), the Bluegray Carpetshark (Fishes of Australia), the Ballina Angelfish (Fishes of Australia), the Ornate Cowfish (Fishes of Australia), the Australian Pineapplefish (Fishes of Australia), the Southern Saratoga (Fishes of Australia), the Murray Cod (Fishes of Australia), the Kimberley Archerfish (Fishes of Australia), and the Exquisite Rainbowfish (rainbowfish)

Endemic fungi include Hygrocybe boothii (IUCN), Bondarzewia retipora (IUCN), Amanita xanthocephala (IUCN), and the family Websdaneaceae (PaDIL WM). Endemic nonvascular plants include the liverworts Asterella drummondii (iNaturalist) and Enigmella thallina (ALA) and the mosses Ambuchanania leucobryoides (nre.tas.gov.au pdf) and Tayloria gunnii (Univ. Tasmania). Endemic seaweeds include Scytothalia dorycarpa (ResearchGate) and Lessonia corrugata (eFlora.SA WM). Endemic families of red algae include Nizymeniaceae (FloraBase), Mychodeophyllaceae (BOLD), Entwisleiaceae (BOLD), and Mychodeaceae (eFlora.SA WM).

Southwest Australia (Biodiversity Hotspots WM) and the Forests of East Australia (CEPF) are recognized as biodiversity hotspots while a number of other terrestrial ecoregions are exceptionally rich in local endemics including the Kimberley Tropical Savanna (EoE) and the Cape York Peninsula Tropical Savanna (EoE). Among noteworthy marine global ecoregions (ResearchGate) are the Western Australian Marine, the Southern Australian Marine, the Lord Howe-Norfolk Islands Marine, and the Great Barrier Reef. Estimates of Australia's endemic species for various taxonomic groups can be found at (environment.gov.au pdf). An overview of Australia's biodiversity can be found at (environment.gov.au WM).

See also the following Australian territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and Norfolk Island.