Endemic Maltese wildlife

The Maltese Islands, although small in area (316 km2), host many endemic species (an endemic organism is one restricted to one area). This may make the organism endangered. These endemic species are important to the Maltese Islands because they form part of Maltese national heritage and are topics of scientific research.[1]

Introduction

Of the 10,000 estimated terrestrial and freshwater species in the Maltese archipelago,[2] 78 are endemic,[1] a large number considering the country's size. Only 4,500 species have so far been identified, and others still await correct taxonomic classification,[2] which means that there may be several more endemic species yet to be discovered.

Twenty-three of the endemic species are vascular plants and plants such as bryophytes, while the remaining 55 species are animals.[1]

Plants

There are known extinct Maltese plants.[3]

Maltese plants are many and varied. For example, most algae are found in Maltese waters, approximately 300 are not microscopic.[2]

Some plants on the Maltese Islands are referred to as endemic which means they have no relatives elsewhere in the world.[1]

Below is a list of some endemic plants (together with their classification) which can be found throughout the Maltese Islands:

  • Maltese cliff-orache (Atriplex lanfrancoi - previously known as Cremnophyton lanfrancoi)
  • Zerafa's sea-lavender (Limonium zeraphae)
  • Maltese everlasting (Helichrysum melitense)
  • Maltese rock-centaury (Cheirolophus crassifolius - previously known as Palaeocyanus crassifolius, Centaurea crassifolia and Centaurea spathulata)
  • Maltese hyoseris/Gozo hyoseris (Hyoseris frutescens)

Animals

There are more endemic animals than plants in the Maltese Islands. Many a time, the animal in question has been confused with a different species from a close country e.g. the Sicilian shrew in Gozo which has been defined as a subspecies of its own.

Below is a list of some endemic animals (together with their classification):

  • Maltese field beetle (Pimelia rugulosa ssp. melitana)
  • Schembri's spider fly (Ogcodes schembrii)
  • Maltese ruby tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa ssp. melitensis)
  • Maltese swallowtail (Papilio machaon ssp. melitensis)
  • Maltese freshwater crab (Potamon fluviatile ssp. lanfrancoi)
  • Maltese palpigrade (Eukoenia christiani)
  • Maltese wall lizard (Podarcis filfolensis - this species has many subspecies, four of which are endemic to the Maltese Islands)
  • Sicilian shrew (Crocidura sicula ssp. calypso)
  • Esther's gecko mite (Gekobia estherae)
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See also

References
  1. Schembri, Patrick. "The Ecology of the Maltese Islands". Environmental Themes in the Mediterranean: A Case Study of the Maltese Islands . Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. External link in |website= (help)
  2. Wildlife of the Maltese Islands, BirdLife Malte and Nature Trust, 1995.
  3. here.
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