Croatia
Freshwater fish unique
to Croatia include the Visovac Goby
Knipowitschia mrakovcici (IUCN Red List), the Cave Minnow Phoxinellus (or Telestes) fontinalis (Ittiofauna), the Cetina Riffle Dace Telestes ukliva (Ittiofauna), and the Croatian
Minnow
Phoxinellus (or Telestes) croaticus (AZO). Additional endemic freshwater fish include the
Zrmanja Dace Leuciscus
(or Squalius)
zrmanjae
(FishBase),
the Croatian Dace
Leuciscus (or Telestes)
polylepis (ARKive), the Zrmanja Trout Salmo zrmanjensis (Ittiofauna), and the Visovac trout
Salmo visovacensis (Ribe Hrvatske).
Four recently described species are the Jadova Minnow Delminichthys jadovensis (Ittiofauna), the Krbava Minnow Delminichthys
krbavensis (Ittiofauna) and the loaches Cobitis
illyrica (Ittiofauna) and Cobitis jadovaensis (Ribe Hrvatske).
A marine fish exclusive to Croatia is the Grotto Goby
Speleogobius trigloides (FishBase), which is also an endemic genus.
The
millipede Biokoviella
mauriesi from Biokovo Mountain (p. 68 of Hrcak pdf file) is the sole member of an endemic family, the Biokoviellidae.
Among numerous cave invertebrates known only from Croatia include the
round fungus beetless Radziella
styx (Insects on Stamps) and Leptomeson bujasi (CBSS), a rove beetle Machaerites pavleki (CBSS), a ground beetle Biokovoaphenopsis radici (p. 78 of Hrcak pdf file), a pseudoscorpion Protoneobisium
biocovense (biokovo.com),
Krk's Iliric Woodlouse Alpioniscus christiania
(Spilja Biserujka), a leech Croatobranchus
mestrovi (Croatian
Speleological Server), the world's only subterranean
freshwater sponge Eunapias
subterraneus (CBSS), and several freshwater
amphipods: Echinogammarus
cari (Freshwater
Amphipods), Niphargus
miljeticus (Niphargus),
and Niphargus hvarensis
(Niphargus).
Endemic molluscs include a freshwater snail Bithynia cettinensis (ARKive) and several landsnails: Delima edmibrani
(Telašćica), Meledella werneri (p. 114 of Hrcak pdf file), and Cochlostoma
cinerascens (AnimalBase).
The Velebit Degenia Degenia velebitica (Gunther
Blaich) is an endemic genus in the mustard family. Also sometimes placed in an endemic genus (Cyathoselinum) is Seseli tomentosum (JSTOR)
Plants found only in Croatia include the Dubrovnik Knapweed Centaurea ragusina (Janjina), the Croatian
Rock-cress Cardaminopsis
croatica (Gunther
Blaich), Iris adriatica (FCD), the Dalmatian Rockbell Edraianthus dalmaticus (TrekNature), the Dalmatian Hyacinth Hyacinthella
dalmatica (Gunther
Blaich), Argyrolobium dalmaticum (FCD), Kitaibel's Primrose Primula kitaibeliana
(Primula
World), Allium croaticum (FCD), the orchids Serapias istriaca (istrianet.org) and Ophrys dinarica (Gunther Blaich), Centaurea dalmatica (FCD), and Ucka's Bellflower Campanula tommasiniana
(CalPhotos).
Portions
of Croatia are included in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot
(Biodiversity
Hotspots). Among the nation's most important terrestrial
ecoregions for endemic species are the Illyrian Deciduous Forests (EoE)
and the Dinaric Mountains Mixed Forests (EoE).
Dalmatia (FEOW)
is an important freshwater ecoregion. An overview of
Croatia's
flora and fauna can be found in "Biodiversity of Croatia" (VSŽ 6 MB pdf file).