English - Convention on Biological Diversity

60
COUNTRY STUDY FOR BIODIVERSITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
by humans, either deliberately or accidentally. Three species are extinct in Macedonia,
of which two have been reintroduced into the wild. The largest centres of biodiversity
for the Mediterranean elements of this class are the lowland areas in south-eastern
Macedonia and, for the central-European faunal and boreal elements, the mountain
massifs of western Macedonia.
Table 18. Diversity of animals by groups.
Taxonomic category
Taxonomic group
Phylum Protozoa (Protozoans) 113 - 113
Phylum Porifera (Sponges) 9 1 10
Phylum Plathelminthes (Flatworms) 85 - 85
Phylum Cnidaria (Cnidarians) 2 - 2
Phylum Nemertea (Nemertine worms) 1 - 1
Phylum Nemathelminthes (Roundworms) 613 - 613
Phylum Mollusca (Molluscs) 276 6 282
Phylum Annelida (Segmented worms) 160 22 182
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) 7,574 169 7,743
Phylum Chordata (Chordates) 506 30 536
Total Number 9,339 228 9,567
3.5.4.2. Endemism among each invertebrate and vertebrate group
With a total of 674 endemic taxa (602 species and 72 subspecies), the Republic of
Macedonia represents one of the most important centres of endemism in Europe, in spite
of its small land area. The endemic taxa are distributed in the different faunal groups:
Two endemic species of free living Protozoans are found in Ohrid Lake. Of the
parasitic Protozoans (subphylum Ciliophora), there are 30 endemic species which,
together with their hosts (Oligochaeta), represent relict species. The degree of endemism
in Ciliophora is as high as 88%. Comparative analyses between parasitic Ciliates from
Ohrid Lake and from Baikal Lake point to great similarity.
Out of 10 taxa (nine species and one subspecies) of sponges (Porifera), five species
and one subspecies are endemic; the degree of endemism is 60%. The species
Ochridospongia rotunda is the best known of the four endemic sponges found in Ohrid
Lake, and it represents a relict genus and species, with its spherical shape closely
resembling the endemic sponges of the Sea of Galilee and Baikal Lake.
With regard to the phylum Plathelminthes (Flatworms), the highest degree of
endemism is found in the class Turbelaria (order Tricladida – 25 and order Rhabdocoela
– 10). There are only three endemic Nemathelminthes species (Roundworms); all are
Nematodes restricted to Ohrid Lake.
The phylum Mollusca (Molluscs) shows the greatest degree of endemism in the
aquatic Gastropods, with a total of 76 endemic taxa consisting of 71 species and five
subspecies (degree of endemism, 74.5%). In contrast, terrestrial snails, which are still
insufficiently studied, have a limited number of endemic forms – 21. Of the 15 recorded
bivalve taxa, four are endemic (three species and one subspecies), all of the genus
Pisidium.
Number of Species
Number of Subspecies
Total Number of Taxa