FNAI Catalogs Florida's Endemic Species

This summer FNAI staff reviewed the scientific literature and our database to ensure that all species found nowhere in the world but Florida were correctly identified and coded as endemic.  With more than 2,000 endemic species, Florida ranks 4^th among US states, behind California, Hawaii, and Texas.  This count includes just full species, if infraspecific taxa, like subspecies or varieties, are included the number rises substantially.  

FNAI tracks species that are potential conservation targets based on their rarity, vulnerability, or threats they face.  We track many endemics but there are some species, Polygala rugellii and Quercus inopina for example, which, despite not being found elsewhere, are sufficiently common within Florida that they currently do not require conservation efforts to ensure their continued existence.  The table below lists counts of endemic species by taxonomic group and whether or not FNAI tracks them.

Florida’s endemic species by group:

	Not tracked	Tracked	Total
PLANTS AND LICHENS	70	122	192
FISH	2	2	4
AMPHIBIANS	0	1	1
REPTILES	0	4	4
BIRDS	0	1	1
MAMMALS	0	3	3
INVERTEBRATES	>1,500	199	>1,700
Total	>1,572	332	>2,000

Aphelocoma coerulescens, the Florida scrub jay, is Florida's only endemic bird species.  Photo by Gary Knight.

Scutellaria floridana, the Florida skullcap, is only known from a 4 county section of the panhandle.  Photo by Amy Jenkins.

The map below, exported from FNAI’s Biotics data management system, shows occurrence centroids for the endemic species that we track.  Endemic species are concentrated in several areas including the Lake Wales Ridge, the Panhandle, the southeastern part of the state including the Atlantic Ridge and Miami Rockridge, the Keys, and to a lesser extent, the central portions of the East and West Coasts.  

 

FNAI element occurrences for endemic species

  

Polygala rugelii, yellow milkwort, is an endemic that FNAI doesn't track.  It is found through out the entire peninsular portion of the state.  Photo by Gary Knight.