Italy

Mammals unique to Italy include the Corsican Hare (agraria.org), the Sardinian Long-eared Bat (ARKive), the Apennine Shrew (ERMESAmbiente), the Udine Shrew (Life Friuli Fens), and the Calabria Pine Vole (IUCN Red List). The Abruzzi Chamois (flickr) has recently been elevated to a full species.

Endemic reptiles include the Aeolian Wall Lizard (ARKive), the Sicilian Wall Lizard (EFHC), the Italian Aesculapian Snake (EFHC), and the recently described Sicilian Pond Turtle Emys trinacris (TrekNature).

The Northern Spectacled Salamander (ARKive) and Southern Spectacled Salamander (EFHC) belong to a genus restricted to Italy. The Sardinian Cave Salamander (Naturalis) is also sometimes placed in its own genus. Other endemic salamanders include the Imperial Cave Salamander (ARKive), the Monte Albo Cave Salamander (AmphibiaWeb), the Sardinian Brook Newt (Naturalis), and the Italian Newt (Caudata Culture). Other endemic amphibians include the Italian Stream Frog (ARKive), the Appenine Yellow-bellied Toad (ARKive), and the recently described Sicilian Green Toad (AmphibiaWeb).

Freshwater fish found exclusively in Italy include the Bergatino Loach Sabanejewia larvata (Ittiofauna), Cobitis zanandreai (Ittiofauna), the Italian Barbel Barbus tyberinus (FishBase), the Italian Bleak Alburnus albidus (ARKive), the Brook Chub Leuciscus (or Squalius) lucumonis (ARKive), the Arno Goby Padogobius nigricans (ARKive), the Carpione del Garda Salmo carpio (Ittiofauna), the Carpione del Fibreno Salmo fibreni (Ittiofauna), and a recently described pike Esox cisalpinus (p. 13 of Lulu pdf file) and the Timavo Sculpin Cottus scaturigo (ARKive).

Butterflies known solely from Italy include the Italian Festoon (leps.it), the Piedmont Anomalous Blue (Matt Rowling’s European Butterflies), the Italian Marble White (leps.it), the Sardinian Meadow Brown (Matt Rowling’s European Butterflies), and the Elban Heath (leps.it). Other endemic insects include the European Owl Moth Acanthobrahmaea europaea (NHM-London), the Italian Goldenring Dragonfly Cordulegaster trinacriae (ARKive), Galvagni's Ground Mantis Pseudoyersinia andreae (IUCN pdf file), a flower chafer Gnorimus decempunctatus (Natura Mediterraneo) , a longhorned beetle Grammoptera viridipennis (Cerambycidae), a ground beetle Carabus olympiae (NHM-London), and a grasshopper Ochrilidia sicula (Torre Salsa). A beetle Crowsoniella relicta is the sole member of an endemic family, the Crowsoniellidae (Forum Entomologi Italiani).

Endemic snails include Helix mazzullii (Wikipedia), Xerosecta giustii (ARKive), Tacheocampylaea tacheoides (ARKive), Sardopaladilhia plagigeyerica (Natura Mediterraneo), and Melanopsis etrusca (ARKive). Other endemic invertebrates include a land slug Limax aeolianus (Natura Mediterraneo), a scorpion Euscorpius alpha (Scorpion Files), a jumping spider Aelurillus lopadusae (Salticidae of the World), a cave dwelling spider Troglohyphantes pluto (AGSP), and an amphipod crustacean Ilvanella inexpectata (Legambiente). Endemic invertebrate families include a marine nemertean worm the Tyrrheniellidae (Turbellarian Taxonomic Database) and an amphipod crustacean the Metaingolfiellidae (p. 11 of Udine Cultura pdf file).

Vascular plant species exclusive to Italy include the Sicilian Fir Abies nebrodensis (ARKive), the Italian Bellflower Campanula isophylla (flickr), Iris marsica (flickr), a false oat Trisetum bertolonii (Valle del Metatauro), a lungwort Pulmonaria vallarsae (Trentino Seed Bank), Moltkia suffruticosa (it.wikipedia), a lungwort Pulmonaria vallarsae (Trentino Seed Bank), an orchid Ophrys promontorii (iucn.it), a burnet Sanguisorba dodecandra (ARKive), Euphorbia gibelliana (it.wikipedia), a campion Silene elisabethae (Trentino Seed Bank), Armeria helodes (ARKive), a hare's ear Bupleurum dianthifolium (ARKive), a primrose Primula palinuri (CSI Gaiola), Saxifraga tombeanensis (IUCN Red List), Allium insubricum (Acta Plantarum), and a daisy Bellium crassifolium (flickr). Endemic plant genera include Xerolekia (or Telekia) speciosissima (Trentino Seed Bank), Lereschia thomasii (Acta Plantarum), Rhizobotrya alpina (Trentino Seed Bank), and Petagnaea gussonei (it.wikipedia).

Portions of Italy are included in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot (Biodiversity Hotspots). Important terrestrial ecoregions include the South Appenine Mixed Montane Forests (EoE), the Appenine Deciduous Montane Forests (EoE), the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic Sclerophyllous and Mixed Forests (EoE), and the Italian Sclerophyllous and Semi-deciduous Forests (EoE). Italy also has two of the world's most important caves for biodiversity (caves.org pdf file). The Checklist of the Species of the Italian Fauna (FaunaItalia) includes 4777 endemic animal species.