生物多样性的评估仍是一项艰巨的工作

根据现有的资料对中国和世界动物的种数作了一个初步的比较，无脊椎动的某些门类在中国有多少种目前还不清楚，如：鄂咽动物门Gnathostomula，腹毛动物门Gastrotricha，线形动物门Nematomorpha（部分），有爪动物门Onychophora和心鳃动物门Pterobranchia，此外，下列一些动物门类或其中的部分分类单元，在我国有关物种资源的知识也很贫乏，尚需要作进一步的深入研究，如：海绵动物门Porifera，中生动物门Metazoa,线虫动物门Nematoda，棘头动物门Acanthocephala，益虫动物门Echiura，须腕动物门Pogonophora，软体动物门Mollusca（部分），腕足动物门Branchiopoda，内肛动物门Entoprocta,缓步动物门Tardigrada,五口动物门Pentastoma,节肢动物门Arthropoda(部分）和肠鳃动物门Enteropneusta,本文还对受胁动物的状况进行了讨论，无疑地，森林的破坏和动物资源的过度开发是威胁物种多样性的主要因素，此外，水的污染和富营养化使许多动物，尤其是淡水无脊椎动物面临灭绝的危险，过去数十年间，我国的动物学工作者在分类学研究和野生动物的保护方面，尤其是对珍稀种，特有种和重要的经济种的保护方面作出了巨大的努力，但是，像我国这样一个多样性大国，尚有大量的物种有待调查研究和编目，在1996年IUCN（世界自然保护联盟）出版的《世界物种红色名录》中，中国只有5种无脊椎动物被列为受胁物种，仅占世界受胁物总的总数（1891种）的0．26％，占美国物种总数（594种）类，蛭类和涡虫类这样一些类群竞争没有列出一种是受胁的种类，像珊瑚的这样重要的类群没有列出一种灭绝种，仅仅列出2个易危种，由此，作者在文中强调指出，在物种多样性的调查，编目和红皮书的编写方面，今后的的重点应放到无脊椎动物这一个在生物多样性中占优势类群方面来。

Assessing Biodiversity:A Heavy Task

A comparison of the number of animal species of China and the world is tentatively made based on materials already known. The species diversity of invertebrates belonging to the phyla Gnathostomula, Gastrotricha, Nematomorpha, Onychophora and Pterobranchia are nearly unknown from China's fauna. Besides, many groups are still poorly known and pending further study, such as the invertebrates of the following phyla (or part taxa under them): Porifera, Mesozoa, Nematoda, Acanthocephala, Echiura, Pogonophora, Mollusca, Branchiopoda, Entoprocta, Tardigrada, Pentastoma, Arthropoda and Enteropneusta. The status of threatened animals is also discussed. Forest destruction and over exploitation of animal resources are undoubtly the main factors threatening species diversity. Besides, water pollution and eutrophication has become major factors bringing many animals, especially freshwater invertebrates, to the verge of extinction. During the past decades Chinese zoologists have exerted great efforts in the study of taxonomy and protection of wild animals, especially the rare and endemic species, as well as those of great economic value. However, in a megadiversity country like China, there is still a large number of species of higher taxa remain to be investigated and inventoried.