Endemic species
The Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report (1995–1999) Volume 1 and Volume 2 accessed via the Joint Nature Conservation Committee defines an endemic species as "a species of animal or plant confined to a particular region or island and having, so far as is known, originated there."
By example Lundy Island, off the coast of North Devon, which is renowned for its unique, and isolated ecosystem, features three distinct endemic species which are not found anywhere else on earth. The most famous being the Lundy Cabbage (Coincya wrightii), a rare plant that hosts two specialist insects: the Lundy Cabbage Flea Beetle (Psylliodes luridipennis) and the Lundy Cabbage Weevil (Ceutorhynchus contractus pallipes). Mainland Britain has a relatively small number of endemic species due to its close proximity to mainland Europe, but still around 70–90 species or species-subspecies.
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