New Zealand

New Zealand has a highly distinctive flora and fauna, especially at higher taxonomic levels (only Australia has more endemic animal families). About 91 % of terrestrial animal species and 81 % of vascular plant species are found nowhere else (Landcare Research WM pdf). New Zealand forms its own biodiversity hotspot on land (Biodiversity Hotspots WM), its own freshwater ecoregion (FEOW WM), and also has a remarkable level of endemism in marine life (PLOS ONE). An additional overview of New Zealand's biodiversity can be found at (doc.govt.nz).

Kiwis (iNaturalist) are often considered to represent an endemic order, the Apterygiformes. Representatives of other families of birds unique to New Zealand include the Kakapo (eBird), the North Island Kokako (NZ Birds Online), the New Zealand Rockwren (eBird), the Yellowhead (Creagrus WM), and the Stitchbird (eBird). Other endemic birds include the Yellow-eyed Penguin (doc.govt.nz), the Snares Penguin (NZ Penguins WM), the Southern Royal Albatross (ARKive WM), the New Zealand Pigeon (eBird), the Antipodes Parakeet (NZ Birds Online), the Blue Duck (NZ Birds Online), the Paradise Shelduck (NZ Birds Online), the Black Stilt (eBird), the South Island Takahe (doc.govt.nz), the Wrybill (eBird), the Black Robin (doc.govt.nz), the New Zealand Storm-petrel (eBird), and the Tui (eBird).

The Lesser New Zealand Short-tailed Bat (EDGE) (iNaturalist) is the sole surviving member of the family Mystacinidae. Other endemic mammals include the New Zealand Sea Lion (iNaturalist), Hector's Dolphin (ARKive WM), the New Zealand Long-tailed Bat (TerraNature WM) (iNaturalist), and the extinct Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat (ResearchGate).

Archey’s Frog (IUCN) is one of four species in the endemic family Leiopelmatidae (NZ Frog) (iNaturalist).

The Tuatara (IUCN) is the sole member of not only an endemic reptile family, the Sphenodontidae, but of an entire order, the Rhynchocephalia (or Sphenodontia). Other endemic reptiles include the Nelson Green Gecko (NZHS), the Jewelled Gecko (NZHS), the Rough Gecko (IUCN), the Forest Gecko (NZHS), the Harlequin Gecko (ARKive WM), the Pacific Gecko (NZHS), Duvaucel's Gecko (NZHS), the Striped Gecko (NZHS), the Goldstripe Gecko (NZHS), the Otago Skink (iNaturalist), the Chevron Skink (doc.govt.nz), the Grand Skink (NZHS), and the Awakopaka Skink (IUCN).

The Torrentfish (IUCN) (iNaturalist) is an endemic family, the Cheimarrichthyidae. Other endemic freshwater fish include the New Zealand Longfin Eel (iNaturalist), the Redfin Bully (NIWA WM), the Black Flounder (iNaturalist), the Giant Kokupu (TerraNature WM), the Brown Mudfish (TerraNature WM), Stokell’s Smelt (Rod Morris), the New Zealand Common Smelt (NIWA WM), and the extinct New Zealand Grayling (NIWA WM).

Endemic marine fish include the New Zealand Draughtsboard Shark (flickr), the Southern Lemon Sole (iNaturalist), the Mottled Hagfish Eptatretus poicilus (fig. 1D at ResearchGate), the Dark Ghostshark (p. 41 of NIWA pdf), the Estuary Stargazer (iNaturalist), the Dark Toadfish (iNaturalist), the Cryptic Triplefin (iNaturalist), the Obliqueswimming Triplefin (Ryan Photographic), the Orange Clingfish (iNaturalist), the New Zealand Demoiselle (iNaturalist), the Fiordland Brotula (Te Ara), the Manaia Pygmy Pipehorse (Species New to Science), the Longsnouted Pipefish (iNaturalist), the Greenboned Butterfish (iNaturalist), the Opalfish (iNaturalist), the Olive Rockfish (iNaturalist), the Caramel Drummer (Depth), the Yellow-spotted Boxfish (PLAZI), the New Zealand Black Goby (iNaturalist), and the Scarlet Wrasse (Richard Robinson).

Insect families found nowhere else include primitive moths Mnesarchaeidae (John Grehan WM), the New Zealand Batfly (Te Ara) (Rod Morris), huttoninid flies (iNaturalist), mayflies Rallidentidae (Landcare Research WM) and Siphlaenigmatidae (Landcare Research WM) (iNaturalist), scale insects Phenacoleachiidae (Scale Insects WM), a parasitic wasp Maamingidae (Te Ara) (iNaturalist), and several beetles: Agapythidae (Wikispecies), Cyclaxyridae (iNaturalist), and Metaxinidae (ResearchGate). The Frosted Phoenix Titanomis sisyrota (doc.govt.nz pdf) (Wikipedia) may also represent an undescribed endemic moth family.

Endemic butterflies include the Forest Ringlet (nzbutterfly.info), Butler's Ringlet (iNaturalist), Janita's Tussock (nzbutterfly.info), the New Zealand Red Admiral (nzbutterfly.info), the Southern Blue (nzbutterfly.info), and Rauparaha's Copper (nzbutterfly.info). Endemic moths include the world's skinniest caterpillar Houdinia flexilissima (Sciencelearn Hub WM), the New Zealand Magpie Moth (iNaturalist), and the Puriri Moth (iNaturalist).

The Giant Weta (iNaturalist) is the world's heaviest insect. Other endemic insects include the New Zealand Giraffe Beetle (flickr), the Huhu Beetle (iNaturalist), a ground beetle genera Mecodema (iNaturalist) and Neocicindela (iNaturalist), the stag beetle genus Mitophyllus (iNaturalist), the Pitt Island Longhorn Beetle (ARKive WM), the Cromwell Chafer (Wikipedia), the Canterbury Knobbled Weevil (IUCN), the New Zealand Bush Giant Dragonfly (iNaturalist), the Chorus Cicada (iNaturalist), the New Zealand Glowworm (Te Ara), the Horn-cased Caddisfly (iNaturalist), the Large Hover Fly (iNaturalist), a bee Leioproctus fulvescens (NZ Bug of the Year pdf), and the ant genus Huberia (iNaturalist).

The marine Proboscis-less Ribbon Worm Arhynchonemertes axi (Internet Archive) has at times been considered the sole member of an endemic family, order, and class. Other endemic invertebrate families include spiders Porrhothelidae (iNaturalist) and Huttoniidae (iNaturalist), bryozoans Powellithecidae (Species New to Science) and Cinctiporidae (p. 30 of NZ Fisheries pdf), harvestmen Synthetonychidae (iNaturalist), amphipods Paracrangonyctidae (Landcare Research WM) and Otagiidae (ResearchGate), an isopod Basoniscidae (fig. 5 at EJT pdf), crabs Neommatocarcinidae (p. 15 of Deepwater Group WM pdf), an octocoral Taiaroidae (NIWA WM), sponges Stupendidae (ResearchGate), and the bioluminescent New Zealand Freshwater Limpets (Landcare Research WM) (iNaturalist).

Endemic land snails include Kauri snails (doc.govt.nz), the Flax Snail (doc.govt.nz), and Powelliphanta snails (doc.govt.nz). Endemic marine molluscs include the Blackfoot Paua (iNaturalist), the Golden Volute (NZ Mollusca), the Spotted Black Topsnail (Rod Morris), and the nudibranchs Janolus eximius (Sea Slug Forum WM) and Jason mirabilis (iNaturalist). Other endemic invertebrates include a lancelet Epigonichthys hectori (iNaturalist), a giant springtail Holacanthella (ResearchGate), the koura (NIWA) (iNaturalist), the kākahi (NIWA), the Nelson Cave Spider (ARKive WM), a harvestman Forsteropsalis inconstans (iNaturalist), the Tuatara Tick (NZ Bug of the Year), the New Zealand Mud Snail (IUCN), leaf-veined slugs (Gil Wizen), an earthworm Octochaetus multiporu (iNaturalist), a land planarian Antiponemertes pantini (iNaturalist), and five velvet worm species (Landcare Research).

The over 1800 vascular plant species restricted to New Zealand includ the Silver Tree Fern (iNaturalist), the Fork Fern (NZPCN), the Poor Knights Lily (NZPCN), the Pīkao (doc.govt.nz), the Hebejeebie (iNaturalist), the Mountain Buttercup (NZPCN), the Pātōtara (NZPCN), the Chatham Island Astelia (NZPCN), the Kermadec Sedge (NZPCN), the Waitaki Broom (NZPCN), a sundew Drosera stenopetala (iNaturalist), and the Cotton Daisy (iNaturalist). Endemic orchids include the Winika (NZPCN), the Easter Orchid (NZPCN), the Green Column Caladenia (iNaturalist), and the Striped Sun Orchid (NZPCN). Endemic species are indicated in the checklist of indigenous vascular plants at (ResearchGate).

Trees known only from New Zealand includee the Kauri (iNaturalist), the Kahikatea (NZPCN), the Chatham Island Christmas Tree (iNaturalist), the Mānuka (NZPCN), the Silver Beech (NZPCN), the Northern Rātā (NZPCN), the Kermadec Pohutukawa (Wikipedia), the Nīkau (NZPCN), the Pūriri (NZPCN), the New Zealand Cabbage Tree (NZPCN), and the national flower, the Kowhai (Wikipedia). Endemic tree genera include the kaka-beaks (iNaturalist), Macrolearia (iNaturalist), Elingamita (NZPCN), the Tawari (NZPCN), Halocarpus (iNaturalist), the Toru (NZPCN), Hoheria (iNaturalist), Pseudowintera (iNaturalist), and Pseudopanax (iNaturalist).

Other endemic vacular plant genera include the Odd-leaved Orchid (NZ Native Orchids), the Chatham Island Forget-me-not (NZPCN), the toropapas (iNaturalist), Damnamenia (NZPCN), the New Zealand Gloxinia (NZPCN), the Rewarewa (NZPCN), Dactylanthus (doc.govt.nz), Hectorella (NZPCN), Notothlaspi (iNaturalist), Austroderia (iNaturalist), the Yellow Mistletoe (NZPCN), Loxsoma (NZPCN), and Raoulia (iNaturalist).

Endemic fungi include the Southern Beech Amanita (Landcare Research), Entoloma perzonatum (iNaturalist), Squamanita squarrulosa (IUCN), the Velvet Potato Fungus (iNaturalist), Phlegmacium (or Cortinarius) rattinus (Hidden Forest), Hericium novae-zealandiae (Hidden Forest), Mycena ura (iNaturalist), Rhizocybe albida (iNaturalist), and Cordyceps kirkii (IUCN). Endemic lichens include Pseudocyphellaria gretae (NZPCN) and Ocellularia jacinda-arderniae (iNaturalist).

Endemic non-vascular plants include a hornwort Nothoceros giganteus (fig. A at ResearchGate) and the mosses Epipterygium opararense (NZPCN) and Lindbergia maritima (NZPCN). Endemic families of liverworts include Neohodgsoniaceae (iNaturalist), Herzogianthaceae (iNaturalist), and Allisoniaceae (NZ Plants). Endemic seaweeds include a bull kelp Durvillaea poha (iNaturalist) and Lessonia variegata (iNaturalist).

A genus of bacteria Venenivibrio (nature.com) (ResearchGate) is unique to New Zealand's hot springs.

See also Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau.