ΤΟ "ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΑΠΕΙΛΟΥΜΕΝΩΝ ΖΩΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ"
Living National Treasures: Greece
Greece is home to
several mammals found nowhere else including the Crete Spiny Mouse (Planet'
Mammiferes), the Cretan Shrew (IUCN Red
List), and an endemic subspecies: the Cretan
Wild Goat or Kri-kri (Wikipedia).
Amphibians restricted to Greece include the Karpathos Lycian Salamander
Lyciasalamandra
helverseni (Amphibians
and Reptiles of Europe), the Karpathos Water
Frog Rana cerigensis
(Tree
of Life) and the Cretan Water Frog Rana (or Pelophylax) cretensis (Amphibians
and Reptiles of Europe).
Reptiles unique to Greece include the Cyclades Blunt-nosed
Viper Macrovipera
schweizeri (ARKive),
the Peloponnese Slow Worm Anguis
cephalonnica (Amphibians
and Reptiles of Europe), the Greek Rock
Lizard Lacerta
(or Hellenolacerta) graeca (Amphibians
and Reptiles of Europe), the Skyros Wall
Lizard Podarcis
gaigeae (lacerta.de),
the
Greek Algyroides Algyroides
moreoticus (Amphibians
and Reptiles of Europe), and the Peloponnese
Tortoise Testudo
weissingeri (Turtles
of the World). The Cretan Wall Lizard Podarcis cretensis (ARKive)
has recently been raised to a full species.
Freshwater fish known solely from Greece include the Greek Rudd Scardinius graecus (ittiofauna),
the Daska Pseudophoxinus
stymphalicus (ARKive),
the Petropsaro Barbus
euboicus (ittiofauna), Rutilus
ylikiensis
(ittiofauna),
the Lake Volvi Shemaya Alburnus
volviticus (ittiofauna),
the Marathon Minnow Pelasgus
marathonicus (ittiofauna),
Tropidophoxinellus
spartiaticus (tsamisaquarium.gr), Leuciscus (or Squalius) keadicus (FishBase), the
Macedonia Shad Alosa
macedonica (FishBase),
the Hellenic Loach Cobitis
hellenica (ittiofauna),
a stickleback Pungitius
hellenicus (FishBase),
a goby Knipowitschia
milleri (ittiofauna)
and Aristotle’s Catfish Silurus
aristotelis (ittiofauna).
Economidichthys
pygmaeus is one of two species in an endemic genus
of freshwater gobies (ittiofauna).
Butterflies unique to Greece include the Cretan Argus (Matt
Rowling’s European Butterflies), the Cretan Small
Heath (Matt
Rowling’s European Butterflies), the Cretan Festoon
(Tree
of Life), the Taygetos Blue (leps.it),
and the Chios Meadow Brown (leps.it).
Other endemic insects include the longhorned beetles Anaglyptus luteofasciatus
(Cerambycidae)
and Purpuricenus
schurmanni (Cerambycidae),
a cave cricket Dolichopoda
paraskevi (zenas.gr),
and two threatened dragonflies: the Greek Goldenring (ARKive)
and the Cretan Spectre (cretewww.com).
Land snails endemic to Crete include Albinaria hippolyti
(Francisco
Welter-Schultes), Helix
godetiana (AnimalBase),
Metafruticicola
lecta (AnimalBase),
and Lindbergia
pseudoillyrica (zenas.gr).
Other endemic invertebrates include a jumping spider Pellenes moreana (Salticidae
of the World), a cell spider Minotauria attemsi (zenas.gr),a scorpion Euscorpius naupliensis (Scorpion Files),
and a woodlouse Schizidium
perplexum (zenas.gr).
A family of ostracod crustaceans, the Kliellidae (Fauna
Europaea), is known exclusively from Greece.
Among over 700 endemic vascular plants are the Dittany of Crete Origanum dictamnus (ARKive),
Baker’s Tulip Tulipa
bakeri (Paghat's
Garden), a chamomile Anthemis
glaberrima (CretaPlant),
Cretan Zelkova Zelkova
abelicea (ARKive),
Crocus oreocreticus (ARKive),
Cretan Ebony Ebenus
cretica (west-crete.com),
a milkwort Polygala
helenae (ARKive),
Fritillaria conica
(Pacific
Bulb Society), an orchid Ophrys
lacaena (pharmanatur.com),
the Cretan Peony Paeonia
clusii (west-crete.com),
a bellflower Campanula
laciniata (west-crete.com),
Nonea cesatiana (CalPhotos),
and a bugloss Anchusa
caespitosa (Greek
Mountain Flora). Endemic plant genera include Jankaea (Greek
Mountain Flora), Hymenonema
(flickr),
Petromarula (Greek
Mountain Flora), Ormosolenia (flickr),
and Horstrissea (ARKive).
Greece is included in the Mediterranean Basin
biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity
Hotspots). Important terrestrial ecoregions for
endemic species include the Crete Mediterranean Forests (WWF)
and the Pindus Mountains Mixed Forests (WWF).
Important freshwater ecoregions include the Ionian Drainages (FEOW)
and the Southeast Adriatic Drainages (FEOW).