New Zealand
Checklist of Endemic Animal and Plant Families
This list of animal and plant families found exclusively in New Zealand is based on the taxonomy used in the Mammal Diversity Database (2020) for mammals, HBW/BirdLife (2024) for birds, the Reptile Database (2018) for reptiles, AmphibiaWeb (2018) for amphibians, Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (2023) for fishes, and Mabberley (2017) for vascular plants. Invertebrates are based on Zhang (2013), Zhang (2011), and Roskov et al. (2014) depending on the group. Families described after these sources are indicated by the year of description. For further details on the sources and possible inaccuracies in the list see Sources & Caveats.
* = endemic order (includes Rhynchocephalia and Arhynchonemertea)
EX = Extinct
Huttoniidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Araneae)
Megadictynidae 2 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Araneae)
Porrhothelidae 1 gen. 5 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Araneae) 2018
Synthetonychiidae 1 gen. 14 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Opiliones)
Bornebuschiidae 2 gen. 5 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Sarcoptiformes) 2023
Kiwilichidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Sarcoptiformes)
Tuparezetidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Sarcoptiformes)Stygotoniidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Arachnida Trombidiformes)
Basoniscidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Crustacea Malacostraca) 2024
Otagiidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Crustacea Malacostraca)
Paracrangonyctidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Crustacea Malacostraca)
Rakiroidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Crustacea Malacostraca)
Agapythidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Coleoptera)
Cyclaxyridae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Coleoptera)
Metaxinidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Coleoptera)
Huttoninidae 1 gen. 8 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Diptera)
Mystacinobiidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Diptera)
Ichthybotidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Ephemeroptera)
Rallidentidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Ephemeroptera)
Siphlaenigmatidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Ephemeroptera)
Phenacoleachiidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Hemiptera)
Maamingidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Hymenoptera)
Mnesarchaeidae 2 gen. 14 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Lepidoptera)
Sabulopsocidae 2 gen. 2 spp. (Arthropoda Insecta Psocoptera)
Eirmopauropodidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Arthropoda Pauropoda Tetramerocerata)
Dhondtiscidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Bryozoa Gymnolaemata )
Powellithecidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Bryozoa Gymnolaemata ) 2016Leiopelmatidae 1 gen. 4 spp. (Chordata Amphibians )
Acanthisittidae 3 (1 EX) gen. 4 (2 EX) spp. (Chordata Birds )
Apterygidae 1 gen. 5 spp. (Chordata Birds )
Callaeidae 3 (1 EX) gen. 5 (1 EX) spp. (Chordata Birds )
Mohouidae 1 gen. 3 spp. (Chordata Birds )
Notiomystidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Chordata Birds )
Strigopidae 2 gen. 3 spp. (Chordata Birds )
Cheimarrichthyidae 1 gen. 1
spp. (Chordata Actinopteri Perciformes)
Mystacinidae 1 gen. 2 spp. (Chordata Mammals )
Sphenodontidae * 1 gen. 1 spp. (Chordata Reptiles Rhynchocephalia )
Taiaroidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Cnidaria Anthozoa Alcyonacea)
Boeromedusidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Cnidaria Hydrozoa )
Latiidae 1 gen. 3 spp. (Mollusca Gastropoda )
Arhynchonemertidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Nermetea Arhynchocoela Arhynchonemertea )
Stupendidae 1 gen. 1 spp. (Porifera Demospongiae ) 2016