Harman Patil (Editor)

Zoogeography

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Zoogeography

Zoogeography is the branch of the science of biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution (present and past) of animal species.

Contents

Zoogeographic regions

Schmarda (1853) proposed 21 regions, while Woodward proposed 27 terrestrial and 18 marine, Murray (1866) proposed 4, Blyth (1871) proposed 7, Allen (1871) 8 regions, Heilprin (1871) proposed 6, Newton (1893) proposed 6, Gadow (1893) proposed 4.

Philip Sclater (1858) and Alfred Wallace (1876) identified the main zoogeographic regions of the world used today: Palaearctic, Aethiopian (today Afrotropic), Indian (today Indomalayan), Australasian, Nearctic and Neotropical.

Marine regionalization began with Ortmann (1896).

In a similar way to geobotanic divisions, our planet is divided in zoogeographical (or faunal) regions (further divided as provinces, territories and districts), sometimes including the categories Empire and Domain.

The current trend is to classify the floristic kingdoms of botany or zoogeographic regions of zoology as biogeographic realms.

Following, some examples of regionalizations:

Sclater (1858)

Creatio Palaeogeana

  • I. Regio Palaearctica
  • II. Regio Aethiopica
  • III. Regio Indica
  • IV. Regio Australiana

    • Creatio Neogeana

  • V. Regio Nearctica
  • VI. Regio Neotropica

    • Huxley (1868)

    Huxley (1868) scheme:

  • Arctogea
  • Nearctic province
  • Palaearctic province
  • Ethiopian province
  • Indian province
  • Notogea
  • Austro-Columbia province (= Neotropical)
  • Australasia province (= Australian; Eastern Palaeotropical)

    • Wallace (1876)

  • Palaearctic region
  • Ethiopian region
  • Oriental region
  • Australaian region
  • Neotropical region
  • Nearctic region

    • Trouessart (1890)

    Scheme by Trouessart (1890):

  • Arctic region
  • Antarctic region
  • Palearctic region
  • Nearctic region
  • Ethiopian region
  • Oriental region
  • Neotropical region
  • Australian region

    • Darlington (1957)

    First scheme:

  • Realm Megagea (Arctogea): the main part of the world
  • 1. Ethiopian Region: Africa (except the northern corner), with part of southern Arabia
  • 2. Oriental Region: tropical Asia, with associated continental islands
  • 3. Palearctic Region: Eurasia above the tropics, with the northern corner of Africa
  • 4. Nearctic Region: North America, excepting the tropical part of Mexico
  • Realm Neogea
  • 5. Neotropical Region: South and Central America with the tropical part of Mexico
  • Realm Notogea
  • 6. Australian Region: Australia, with New Guinea, etc.

    • Second scheme:

  • Climate-limited regions
  • 1. Palearctic Region
  • 2. Nearctic Region
  • Main regions of the Old World tropics
  • 3. Oriental Region
  • 4. Ethiopian Region
  • Barrier-limited regions
  • 5. Neotropical Region
  • 6. Australian Region

    • References

    Zoogeography Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA