•   Extinct in the wild (EW): 15 species
•   Critically endangered (CR): 987 species
•   Endangered (EN): 1,163 species
•   Vulnerable (VU): 2,178 species
•   Near threatened (NT, LR/cd): 1,105 species
•   Least concern (LC): 6,919 species
•   Data deficient (DD): 5,278 species

Invertebrate species (IUCN, 2020.1)

• 17,646 extant species have been evaluated
• 12,368 of those are fully assessed^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• 8024 are not threatened at present^{[lower-alpha 2]}
• 4328 to 9606 are threatened^{[lower-alpha 3]}
• 410 to 616 are extinct or extinct in the wild:
  • 395 extinct (EX) species^{[lower-alpha 4]}
  • 15 extinct in the wild (EW)
  • 206 possibly extinct [CR(PE)]
  • 0 possibly extinct in the wild [CR(PEW)]

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1. ↑ excludes data deficient evaluations.
2. ↑ NT, LR/cd, LC.
3. ↑ Threatened comprises CR, EN and VU. Upper estimate additionally includes DD.
4. ↑ Chart omits extinct (EX) species

Vulnerable (VU) species are considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

In July 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed 2178 vulnerable invertebrate species.^[1] Of all evaluated invertebrate species, 12% are listed as vulnerable. The IUCN also lists 47 invertebrate subspecies as vulnerable.

No subpopulations of invertebrates have been evaluated by the IUCN.

For a species to be assessed as vulnerable to extinction the best available evidence must meet quantitative criteria set by the IUCN designed to reflect "a high risk of extinction in the wild". Endangered and critically endangered species also meet the quantitative criteria of vulnerable species, and are listed separately. See: List of endangered invertebrates, List of critically endangered invertebrates. Vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species are collectively referred to as threatened species by the IUCN.

Additionally 5278 invertebrate species (29% of those evaluated) are listed as data deficient, meaning there is insufficient information for a full assessment of conservation status. As these species typically have small distributions and/or populations, they are intrinsically likely to be threatened, according to the IUCN.^[2] While the category of data deficient indicates that no assessment of extinction risk has been made for the taxa, the IUCN notes that it may be appropriate to give them "the same degree of attention as threatened taxa, at least until their status can be assessed".^[3]

This is a complete list of vulnerable invertebrate species and subspecies as evaluated by the IUCN.

Nemertea species

• Nightingale ribbon worm (Katechonemertes nightingaleensis)

Annelids

• Giant Palouse earthworm (Driloleirus americanus)

Onychophora

Molluscs

There are 879 mollusc species and 18 mollusc subspecies assessed as vulnerable.

Cnidaria

There are 203 species in the phylum Cnidaria assessed as vulnerable.

Arthropods

There are 1080 arthropod species and 29 arthropod subspecies assessed as vulnerable.

Echinoderms

See also

• Lists of IUCN Red List vulnerable species
• List of least concern invertebrates
• List of near threatened invertebrates
• List of endangered invertebrates
• List of critically endangered invertebrates
• List of recently extinct invertebrates
• List of data deficient invertebrates
• Cernuellopsis

References