Endemic Species

Endemic Species are found throughout the Cerrado biome in Bolivia but there are four distinct hotspots:

  1. The serranías of Roboré, that is the range of mountains extending from west of Chochís to the east of Santiago de Chiquitos. There are 30-35 species endemic to this zone and a total of over 50 Bolivian endemics found here. This is without doubt the most important centre of endemism in eastern Bolivia. In total there are about 70 species restricted in Bolivia to this area.
  2. The Serranía de Huanchaca in the Noel Kempff Mercado Nacional Park. There are 15-20 species endemic to this serranía but the total number of Bolivian endemics is only a few more. Although the level of endemism is significantly than that of the serranías of Roboré, the number of species restricted to this area in Bolivia is more than 150.
  3. The zone of Rincón del Tigre in Germán Busch Province. There are approximately ten undescribed endemic species from this zone known nowhere else in Bolivia making it perhaps the third most important cerrado hotspot in Bolivia.
  4. The sandy plains around Ipías and Taperas. Although topographically very different, this area is immediately adjacent but lies to the west of the serranías of Roboré and shares some of the same endemic species. There is a total of some ten Bolivian endemics in this area but only three are unknown in other parts of the cerrado

There are minor concentrations of 2-3 endemic species elsewhere notably at Cerrito (Lomerío) and near Concepción. The species at this last area are poorly known grasses, whose exact whereabouts is not really known