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by Scott Eipper, Contributing Editor for Australia, RHJ, Digital Creator, Australia www.wildlifedemonstrations.com
Australia supports one of the most endemic and evolutionarily distinctive herpetofaunal
assemblages globally. Long-term geographic isolation, complex climatic history, and extensive environmental heterogeneity have generated high species richness and fine-scale endemism across
amphibians and reptiles. The extensive variation in topography, vegetation and geology
coupled with variation in climatic conditions has also resulted in extensive speciation. This
review synthesises peer-reviewed research on patterns and drivers of endemism in Australian
herpetofauna, integrating evidence from biogeography, phylogeography, and evolutionary
ecology. Species-level examples illustrate how historical processes, ecological specialisation,
and limited dispersal have shaped contemporary diversity. Conservation implications arising
from cryptic diversity and restricted-range endemism are discussed, highlighting the
need to incorporate evolutionary history into biodiversity management
