Endemic Species of Virginia: The Complete List

Virginia’s landscape — from the Ridge and Valley to coastal plain — supports plants and animals found nowhere else. Local soils, microclimates and long-term isolation have produced a distinct roster of species tied to the state, and many occur in only a few counties or specific habitats.

There are 18 Endemic Species of Virginia, ranging from Addison’s Leatherflower to Virginia Sneezeweed. For each species the data are organized as Scientific name,VA range (counties),Conservation status — see the list you’ll find below.

How is a species determined to be endemic to Virginia?

Endemism is based on documented range data: specimens, published records and expert reviews showing a species occurs naturally only within Virginia’s borders. County-level records and state natural heritage databases help confirm whether a species’ distribution is truly restricted.

How can I help protect these locally restricted species?

Protecting endemic species focuses on habitat conservation and good field practices: support local land protection, report observations to state natural heritage programs or iNaturalist, avoid disturbing known populations, and back conservation groups working on habitat restoration.

Endemic Species of Virginia

Images and Descriptions

Shenandoah Salamander

This rare salamander lives only on high, north-facing talus slopes in Shenandoah National Park. It is threatened by climate change, which allows a competitor salamander to move higher up the mountains and shrink its tiny habitat.

Peaks of Otter Salamander

Found under rocks and logs in a small, cool forest area in the Peaks of Otter region. Its entire world is just a few square miles, making it highly vulnerable to habitat disturbance and climate warming.

Virginia Sneezeweed

A rare wildflower that grows only in unique, seasonally-flooded sinkhole ponds in the Shenandoah Valley. Its survival depends on the specific wet-dry cycles of these fragile wetland habitats, which are threatened by development.

Peter’s Mountain Mallow

One of the world’s rarest flowers, this beautiful mallow is known from just one site on Peter’s Mountain. Its seeds need fire to germinate, and conservation efforts focus on prescribed burns to manage its habitat.

Clinch Dace

A small, colorful minnow found only in the clear, cool headwater streams of the upper Clinch River. This recently recognized species is highly sensitive to pollution and siltation from mining and agriculture in its watershed.

Addison’s Leatherflower

A beautiful but rare vine with bell-shaped, purplish flowers that grows in open woods and glades over limestone or dolomite bedrock. This plant is threatened by habitat loss and the suppression of natural fire cycles.

Bowman’s Cave Isopod

A tiny, blind, aquatic crustacean that exists only in the groundwater of a single cave system in Madison County. As a stygobite (aquatic cave-dweller), its survival is directly tied to the pristine water quality of its subterranean home.

Culver’s Lirceus Isopod

This rare, aquatic isopod lives in the dark waters of just one cave, “The Hole,” in Augusta County. Its survival hinges entirely on the protection of its single-site habitat from groundwater contamination and surface disturbances.

Steger’s Amphipod

A small, eyeless, shrimp-like creature living only in the waters of Bolar Cave in Highland County. This groundwater-dependent animal is an indicator of cave ecosystem health and is highly susceptible to any changes in water quality.

Mackin’s Cave Amphipod

This aquatic, cave-dwelling amphipod is more widespread than many cave endemics but is still restricted to a handful of cave systems in the Shenandoah Valley. It relies on stable, clean groundwater for survival.

Morrison’s Springsnail

This minuscule aquatic snail is known to exist in only one spring system in Bath County. Its entire existence depends on the constant flow and specific water chemistry of its unique spring habitat, making it incredibly vulnerable.

Hera Discus Snail

A small, terrestrial snail with a flattened, discus-shaped shell, found in the leaf litter of rich, high-elevation forests in just two counties. It is threatened by habitat degradation and the impacts of climate change on its cool, moist home.

Laurel Creek Cave Millipede

A blind, unpigmented millipede perfectly adapted for life in the total darkness of a single cave system in Giles County. It plays an important role as a decomposer in its isolated and nutrient-poor environment.

Kardos’s Cave Millipede

This blind, cave-dwelling millipede is known from just one cave in Tazewell County. It feeds on decaying organic matter in the dark, playing a small but vital role in its isolated subterranean ecosystem.

Hokie Twisted-Claw Millipede

Discovered right on the Virginia Tech campus, this small, unassuming millipede is a true Hokie. It lives in the forest leaf litter in an extremely small area, highlighting how new endemic species can be found in surprising places.

Starry Twisted-Claw Millipede

Named for its star-like appendages, this recently described millipede inhabits forest floors in a small area of the Blue Ridge. It is part of a surprising diversity of twisted-claw millipedes recently discovered in Appalachia.

Virginia Micro-Pseudoscorpion

A tiny, predatory arachnid resembling a scorpion without a tail, found only in an Augusta County cave. It hunts even smaller invertebrates in the pitch-black environment, representing a unique piece of Virginia’s subterranean biodiversity.

Coyle’s Spider

A pale, long-legged spider discovered in a single cave in Smyth County’s Chestnut Ridge. It is a troglobite, fully adapted to life in total darkness, and its extreme rarity makes it a high priority for conservation.

Endemic Species in Other U.S. States