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It is not surprising to find that family endemism follows a similar pattern to the distribution of genera in hotspots. At this higher level, the distantly isolated hotspots like Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Polynesia-Micronesia, and the Caribbean Islands stand out in particular. The exceptional nature of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, with a total of 23 endemic families (8 plant families, 15 endemic vertebrate families), cannot be overemphasized. New Zealand and the Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests are a distant second, with seven endemic families each.
Numbers of plant, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, and freshwater fish families endemic to each of the 34 hotspots
| Atlantic Forest |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| California Floristic Province |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Cape Floristic Region |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Caribbean Islands |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Caucasus |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Cerrado |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Chilean Winter Rainfall - Valdivian Forests |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| East Melanesian Islands |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Eastern Afromontane |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Guinean Forests of West Africa |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Himalaya |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Horn of Africa |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Indo - Burma |
? |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Irano - Anatolian |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Japan |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands |
8 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Madrean Pine - Oak Woodlands |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Maputaland - Pondoland - Albany |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Mediterranean Basin |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Mesoamerica |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Mountains of Central Asia |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Mountains of Southwest China |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| New Caledonia |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| New Zealand |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Philippines |
? |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Polynesia - Micronesia |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Southwest Australia |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Succulent Karoo |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Sundaland |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Tropical Andes |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tumbes - Choc |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Wallacea |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Western Ghats and Sri Lanka |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Atlantic Forest |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| California Floristic Province |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Cape Floristic Region |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Caribbean Islands |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Caucasus |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Cerrado |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Chilean Winter Rainfall - Valdivian Forests |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| East Melanesian Islands |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Eastern Afromontane |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Guinean Forests of West Africa |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Himalaya |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Horn of Africa |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Indo - Burma |
? |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Irano - Anatolian |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Japan |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands |
8 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Madrean Pine - Oak Woodlands |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Maputaland - Pondoland - Albany |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Mediterranean Basin |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Mesoamerica |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Mountains of Central Asia |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Mountains of Southwest China |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| New Caledonia |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| New Zealand |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Philippines |
? |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Polynesia - Micronesia |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Southwest Australia |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Succulent Karoo |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Sundaland |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Tropical Andes |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tumbes - Choc |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Wallacea |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Western Ghats and Sri Lanka |
? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
? indicates insufficient information