Bulgaria
Bulgaria
is home to
about 170 species of vascular plants found nowhere else. These include tulips Tulipa
urumoffii (FotoBiota) and Tulipa rhodopea (flickr),
the Pirin Poppy Papaver
degenii (Bulgarian
Flora Online), a
primrose Primula
deorum (Ziva),
a stonecrop Sedum
kostovii (Bulgarian
Flora Online), Jasione bulgarica (Plants
of Bulgaria), a buttercup Ranunculus stojanovii (Bulgarian Flora Online), Viola
rhodopaea (Pandion),
Merendera rhodopaea
(Bulgarian
Flora Online), a cornflower Centaurea
pseudoaxillaris (Bulgarian
Flora Online), Onosma malkarmayorum (FotoNet), a chamomile Anthemis argyrophylla (Bulgarian Flora Online), a mint Marrubium frivaldskyanum
(Bulgarian Flora
Online), Astracantha aitosensis
(Bulgarian
Flora Online), Medicago
rhodopaea (Bulgarian
Flora Online), Geum
rhodopeum (Bulgarian
Flora Online), Aethionema rhodopaeum (Metallophytes), and
a baby’s breath Gypsophila
tekirae (Bulgarian
Flora Online).
The sole endemic vertebrate is a loach Cobitis rhodopensis
(BioStor pdf file).
Among the insects unique to Bulgaria are the
Bulgarian Ringlet Erebia
orientalis (Matt
Rowling's European Butterflies) and a bush cricket Isophya bureschi (BioLib).
Cave beetles restricted to Bulgaria include two species of Laemostenus (Museu
de Ciencies Naturals pdf file), Paralovricia beroni (Species-ID), and Pheggomisetes buresi
(Harvard).
Other beetles endemic to Bulgaria include a leaf beetle Rhodopaea angelovi (Chrysomelidae
of Europe), a click beetle Athous bulgaricus (Elateridae),
and the longhorned beetles Pilemia
serriventris
(Cerambycidae)
and Xylosteus bartoni
(Cerambycidae).
Among the 57 land snails known only from Bulgaria (Univ. Plovdiv pdf file) are Alinda
vratzatica (Bulgarian
Malacological Soc.), Micridyla
pinteri (AnimalBase),
Arianta pelia
(Bulgarian
Malacological Soc.), Laciniaria
macilenta (AnimalBase), and Macedonica martae
(AnimalBase). Endemic freshwater snails include Belgrandiella angelovi (ARKive), Bythinella valkanovi (p. 5 of Univ. Plovdiv pdf file), and Balkanica yankovi (p. 4 of Univ. Plovdiv pdf file).
An extensive overview of Bulgaria's biodiversity with numerous lists of
endemic species can be found at (WWF).
