Juan J. Morrone

Biogeographical regionalisation of the Neotropical region

A biogeographic regionalisation of the Neotropical region is proposed as a hierarchical classification of sub-regions, dominions, provinces and districts. This regionalisation is based on biogeographic analyses of terrestrial plant and animal taxa, and seeks to provide universality, objectivity and stability, such that it can be applied when describing distributional areas of particular taxa or comparing different biogeographic analyses. The Neotropical region is currently comprised of three sub-regions (Antillean, Brazilian and Chacoan), two transition zones (Mexican and South American), seven dominions (Mesoamerican, Pacific, Boreal Brazilian, Southwestern Amazonian, Southeastern Amazonian, Chacoan and Parana) and 53 provinces. For some of the latter, sub-provinces and districts are recognized. Complete synonymies and brief descriptions of the areas are provided, as well as the endemic taxa that diagnose the different provinces.

Panbiogeografía, componentes bióticos y zonas de transición

Recognition of biotic components is a key element for understanding evolution in space-time. Panbiogeography represents a biogeographic approach that may be applied to identify these biotic components. A revision of the panbiogeographic approach is provided herein, including definitions of basic concepts (individual and generalized tracks, nodes, baselines, and main massings) and methods (manual, connectivity and incidence matrices, track compatibility, and parsimony analysis of endemicity). As an example of this approach, 70 biotic components of Latin America and the Caribbean are identified, briefly characterized, and arranged in a biogeographic system of three regions, seven subregions, and two transition zones. The relevance of the recognition of biotic components and transition zones is discussed.

In Search of a Method for Cladistic Biogeography: An Empirical Comparison of Component Analysis, Brooks Parsimony Analysis, and Three-area Statements

Abstract— Three quantitative cladistic biogeographic methods, namely, component analysis, Brooks parsimony analysis (BPA), and three‐area statements (TAS) have been proposed for obtaining general area cladograms from taxon‐area cladograms. Available programs implementing these methods include COMPONENT versions 1.5 and 2.0 for component analysis, TAS for three‐area statements, and Hennig86 for analysing matrices for both three‐area statements and BPA. Ten different data sets were analysed with these programs and items of error were used to evaluate the general area cladograms obtained. None of the computer implementations of the methods compared proved to be more effective than the others.

Cladistic biogeography of the Neotropical region: identifying the main events in the diversification of the terrestrial biota

A cladistic biogeographical analysis was undertaken to identify the main events in the biotic diversification of the terrestrial Neotropical biota. For the 36 animal and plant taxa analysed, a component × area matrix was constructed, associating geographical data only with informative nodes, and it was analysed under implied weights using the software TNT. The general area cladogram obtained shows that the Neotropical region constitutes a monophyletic unit, with a first split separating the Antilles and a second one dividing the continental areas into a north‐western and a south‐eastern component. Within the north‐western component the areas split following the sequence northern Amazonia, south‐western Amazonia, north‐western South America, and Mesoamerica. Within the south‐eastern component the areas split following the sequence south‐eastern Amazonia, Chaco, and Parana. The three main components are treated as subregions: Antillean, Amazonian (northern Amazonian, south‐western Amazonian, Mesoamerican, and north‐western South American dominions), and Chacoan (south‐eastern Amazonian, Chacoan, and Parana dominions). Dispersal and vicariant events postulated to explain these pattens might have occurred during the Cretaceous, when the Caribbean plate collided with the Americas, a combination of eustatic sea‐level changes and tectonic deformations of the continental platform exposed large parts of South America to episodes of marine transgressions, and the Andean uplift reconfigured the Amazonian area. Tertiary and Quaternary events are assumed to have later induced the diversification within these large biogeographical units.

Biogeographical affinities among Neotropical cloud forests

Abstract. Biogeographical affinities among cloud forests in the Neotropical region were studied through a track approach, by constructing generalised tracks based on the results of a parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE). Distributional data on 946 genera and 1,266 species of vascular plants (Pteridophyta, angiosperms, and gymnosperms) from 26 cloud forest patches from Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela were analysed; and four localities from eastern and western United States were also included as outgroups. The track analysis identified six generalised tracks: a first one that includes the majority of the cloud forests of Mexico, Central America, the Antilles, and northern Colombia; a second one that includes southern Mexico and northern Central America; a third one that includes the mountains in northwestern South America; a fourth one that includes the mountains in southwestern South America; and two others in western and eastern United States. It is concluded that the Neotropical cloud forests are closely related and that those of the Caribbean subregion exhibit complex relationships, which could be due to the complex tectonic history of the area.

Biogeographical regionalisation of the Andean region

A biogeographic regionalisation of the Andean region is proposed as a hierarchical classification of sub-regions, provinces, sub-provinces and districts. It is based on biogeographic analyses of terrestrial plant and animal taxa, and seeks to provide universality, objectivity and stability. The Andean region is currently comprised of the Central Chilean, Subantarctic and Patagonian sub-regions and the South American transition zone, 15 provinces, five sub-provinces and 81 districts. Complete synonymies and brief descriptions of the areas are provided, as well as the endemic taxa that diagnose the provinces.

Biogeographical regionalisation of the world: a reappraisal

Abstract. Some phytogeographical, zoogeographical and biogeographical regionalisations of the world are reviewed qualitatively. A biogeographical regionalisation attempting some consensus is proposed, recognising the following three kingdoms and nine regions: Holarctic kingdom (Nearctic and Palearctic regions), Holotropical kingdom (Neotropical, Ethiopian and Oriental regions) and Austral kingdom (Cape, Andean, Australian and Antarctic regions). Additionally, the following five transition zones are recognised: Mexican (Nearctic–Neotropical transition), Saharo-Arabian (Palearctic–Ethiopian transition), Chinese (Palearctic–Oriental transition), Indo-Malayan (Oriental–Australian transition) and South American (Neotropical–Andean transition).

USING PARSIMONY ANALYSIS OF ENDEMICITY TO ANALYZE THE DISTRIBUTION OF MEXICAN LAND MAMMALS

Abstract Patterns of endemism of terrestrial mammals inhabiting México are analyzed by applying Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (PAE) to 47 ecoregions. The ecoregions were classified in 2 main groups: ecoregions of the Baja California Peninsula and ecoregions of the rest of the country. We found 27 ecoregions with characteristic taxa, and 5 areas of endemism: Northern High Plateau, Baja California, Chiapas, Isthmus, and Yucatán Peninsula. Groups of ecoregions are basically congruent with other regionalization schemes previously proposed for the country.

Distributional patterns of Chacoan water bugs (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae, Corixidae, Micronectidae, and Gerridae)

Distributional patterns of South American species of aquatic and semiaquatic Heteroptera from the Chaco biogeographic province were analyzed. Based on a track analysis of 60 species of Belostomatidae, Corixidae, Micronectidae, and Gerridae, five generalized tracks were found:(1) Bolivia, and northwestern and central Argentina (Belostoma dallasi, Ectemnostega montana, E. quechua, E. stridulata, E. venturii, Sigara tucma, S. yala, Tenagobia pulchra, Eurygerris fuscinervis, and Trepobates taylori); (2) southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina (Belostoma bosqi, Heterocorixa brasiliensis, Tenagobia selecta tarahui, and T. schadei); (3) southeastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina, determined by Belostoma candidulum, B. testaceopallidum, Heterocorixa nigra, Sigara hungerfordi, Brachymetra furva,Halobatopsis spiniventris, Metrobates plaumanni plaumanni, and M. vigilis; (4) southeastern Brazil, Uruguay, and central western Argentina (Belostoma cummingsi, B. martini, Sigara argentiniensis, Tenagobia fuscata, and T. carapachay); and (5) southern (Trichocorixa milicorum, Sigara santiagiensis, and S. forciceps). Three panbiogeographic nodes have been determined:(1) northeastern Argentina, in the intersection of generalized tracks 2 and 3; (2) central Argentina, in the intersection of generalized tracks 1 and 4; and (3) central Argentina, in the intersection of generalized tracks 4 and 5. In spite of these complex patterns, these results show that the Chaco province appears to be a natural biogeographic area.

CLADISTIC AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF THE WEEVIL GENUS LISTRODERES SCHOENHERR (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE)

Abstract— The weevil genus Listroderes Schoenherr is a monophyletic group defined by the body vestiture consisting of subcircular to suboval scales, and comprises 35 species endemic to southern South America. A cladistic analysis of the genus was carried out using 44 characters from external morphology, body vestiture, and male and female genitalia. The curvipes (three species), nodifer (five species) and robustus (four species) species groups and the 23 species of the costirostris species group were considered terminal taxa. Apomorphic states were identified using the genus Hyperoides Marshall as outgroup. The analysis yielded 122 equally parsimonious cladograms, each with 89 steps and a consistency index of 0.42; a successive weighting procedure resulted in nine cladograms (consistency index of 0.69 and retention index of 0.85). In the general consensus cladogram, nodifer‐robustus and curvipes‐costirostris are two pairs of sister species groups. The costirostris group comprises the subgroups foveatus, angusticeps, costirostris, delaiguei, bimaculatus and elegans, in phylogenetic order. A distributional analysis of the species of Listroderes led to identification of four areas of endemism, namely central Chile, sub‐Antarctic, central Argentina and Chaco. A vicariance biogeographic analysis of these areas, based on area cladograms of Listroderes, Hyperoides, Naupactus taeniatulus species group (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and Lucilia generic group (Asteraceae) was carried out applying the three‐area statements technique. According to the general area cladogram the sequence of area‐fragmentation is as follows: (central Chile (sub‐Antarctic (central Argentina, Chaco))). This sequence is congruent with the history hypothesized for the region, where the uplift of the Andes (Oligocene‐Pliocene) led to a progressive aridification, replacing the ancient subtropical forest by open‐country environments.