The zoogeographical region

D I S T R I B U T I O N O F G E O G R A P H I C A L R E G I O N S
M U H A M M A D Q A M A R I Q B A L Q A M A R
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I Q B A L Q A M A R 4 2 4 @ G M A I L . C O M
THEZOOGEOGRAPHICALREGIONs

FIRSTDISTRIBUTION
A)First distribution was carried out in 1857 by
Dr.P.L Sclater
Neotropical
Palaearctic region region
Nearactic region
Ethopian region
Australian region
Indian region

SubGroupingof Sclater
1.
Palaeogaea
Ethopian
region
Indian region
Australian region

Subgroupingof Sclater
2) Neogaea
Nearctic
region
Neotropical
region

B)Seconddistribution
SeconddistributionwascarriedoutbyHuxleyin 1868
 HuxleyDistribution
Aractogaea Notogaea
Austro-
Columbia Australasi
a
Newzeala
nd

C)Thirddistribution
wascarriedoutbyAlfredRusselWallacein1876
 AlfredRusseldivision
Palaearctic
region
Ethopian
region
Oriental
region
Australian
region
Neotropical
region
Nearctic
region

Subregionof palaearcticregion
 Palaearcticregion
Manchurian
Siberian
Mediterranean
European

Subdivisionsof orientalregion
 Orientalregion
Indian
Ceylonese
Indochinese
Indo-malayan

SubEthopianregion
 Ethiopianregion
East Africa
West Africa
South Africa
Malagasy

SubAustralianregion
 Australianregion
Australomalayan
Australian Polynesian
Newzealand

SubNeotropicalregion
 Neotropicalregion
Chilean
Brazilian
Mexican
Antillean

Subregionof nearcticregion
 nearcticregion
Californian
Rocky Mountains
Alleghamy
Canadian

Faunalcompositionof variouszoogeographicalregions
palaearcticregion
 Largest zoogeographical region
 Including Europe, northern parts of Africa,
Northern China , U.S.S.R, Japan, Iran,
Afghanistan, Baluchistan(a western
province of Pakistan)
PhysicalGeographical features
 It is bounded by sea from north, west and
east.
 On South side ,lies Himalayan range and
Sahara desert ,by through oriental region.

Neighbors
Oriental region by Himalayan range and
Sahara desert is separated the palaearctic
region .
Climate
 Temperate
 Forest land
 Steep land
 Coniferous forest
 Temperature fluctuation
 Rainy

zoologicalcharacteristics
28 families of land mammals
Absence of large mammals
Moles, shrews, rabbits, squirrels,
Porcupines, Hyenas, Donkey, Sheep etc.
Families only confined to Palaearctic region
Rodents
a. Splacidae (tail less mammals)
b. Selevinidae (first discovered by
Kazhakistan in 1938)

Birds including hawks, finches, Ducks, storks,
cuckoos , King fishers, Swifts, black birds, and no
parrots
Birds that are only confined to this region
Hedge Hog sparrow
Reptilian
 Turtles, tortoises ,lizard , sharks ,
alligators(china)

 Amphibians
 Tailed amphibians eg. Newts ,salamanders with absence of
toed and frogs
Cosmopolitan fauna
 Rabbits
 Bats ,shrews , Squirrels except Australia
Shared fauna
1. Bears
2. Deers
3. Bovids only in palaearctic and northern Ethiopian region

Orientalregion
 most of the Asia
 Tropical parts of India , Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Indo-
China , southern China, Siri-lanka, Pakistan(excluding
Baluchistan) and phillipines .
Physicalfeatures
 Palaearctic region is separated by Himalayan range from
north side
 Other two sides ie. East and west are bounded by Pacific and
Indian oceans
 Southern side is bounded by Malayan Island .
 grassy plains
 Bushes

North-west side with deserts
Southern side is rich of forest (tropical rain
forests)
Climate
Southern part mostly temperate
Mostly southern part, Constantly humid

Zoologicalcharacteristics
153 families of mammals
10 are unique and confined to this
Amongst mammals
a) Hyenobatidae (gibbons)
b) Tarsiidae (tarsiers)
c) Tupaiidae (tree shrews)
d) Gavialidae (flying lamurs)

Birdsfamilies
 Eurylaemidae (broad bills )
Reptilefamilies
 Elachistodotidae (egg eating snakes )
 Uropeltidae (shield tail snakes)
 Lanthanotidae (lizards)
 Gavialidae (gavials)
 Platysternidae (big headed tortoises) e.g. poisonous snakes,
wipers, pithons , gaekos , skinks , Varanaz , Coroodiles

Ethiopianregion
Southern part of Arabia, Madagascar (such
as , Mauritius, Comoro island), Africa except
of northern part.
Physicalandgeographicalfeatures
Bounded by sea all sides
Except nothern side which is continuous to
Sahara desert that is effective barrier B/W
palaearctic region

Climate
 It lies b/w tropical regions
 Climate condition is much more uniform
 Big rivers
 High mountains
 Grassy plains
 Thick tropical forests
 Ethiopian region has 20-30 degree Celceous during
January

 The fauna of Ethiopian region is very rich , varied
and well marked
 161 families of terrestrial vertebrates
 Higher Mammals including chimpanzees,
monkey, giraffes, bovids, antilopes, zebras, lions,
leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, hyenas etc.
 Lower mammals including shrews, cricetid mice,
rabbits, mustelids, cats, dogs, squirrels , and
bovids

Endemicfamilies
1. Hippopotamidae ( hippopotamus)
2. Orycteropidae (Aard Varks)
3. Chrysochloridae (Golden moles)
4. Anamoluridae (flying squirrels)
5. Giraffidae (giraffs)
6. Potamagolidae (otter shrew)
7. Marcoscelidae (elephant shrews)
8. Pedetidae (spring hass)
9. Thyronomydae (cane rats)
10. Ctenodactylidae (Gundis)
11. Petromuridae (rock rats)
12. Bathyergidae (sand burrowing rodent)

Birds
Birds are very numerous in this region .
Cuckoos, hornbills, woodpeckers, king fishers, bee
eater, weaver birds, orioles, owls, goat suckers,
storks, pigeons, parrots, pheasants, sunbirds, guinea
fowls, secretary birds, ostriches etc.
Six families are unique to this region these are
including ostriches, secretary birds, hammer heads,
crested touracos, mouse birds, and helmet shrikes.

Reptiles
 Reptilian fauna very much rich.
 Turtles, agamid, crocodiles, monitor lizard, python, vipers boas etc.
 Of the total 50 species of chameleons, 46 species are found in this
region .
 Particularly Girdled lizards to this region.
amphibians
 Amphibians are less distinctive.
 Toads and frogs are numerous .
 Tailed amphibians and tree frogs are absent in this region.
 Only notable family dectylethridae (xenopus ,clawed toad) is special for
this region.

Affinities
In number of unique families point of view,
it is the second to the Neotropical region .
Ethiopian region shares with Palaearctic ,
families of Jerboas, coneys, dormice and
wild horses .
It differs markedly fro this region in being
without moles, beaver, bears and camels .

Australian region
Australian region covers Australia,
Tasmania, New guinea and the few of
smaller islands of Indonesian archipelago.
Newzealand and pacific islands are not
included in this region .
Many workers prefer to treat them
separately as ancient island and oceanic
island respectively.

climate
Australian region is partly tropical and
partly temperate .
Southern Australia is of temperate climate.
Eucalyptus and mixed hard wood forests .
Interior Australian continent consists of hot,
arid plains and deserts .

physicalandgeographicalfeatures
The region is unique having no land
connection.
New guinea and northern part of Australia
are tropical, with high summer
temperature.
Covered with luxuriant tropical rain forests.
Southern side Australia is of temperate
climate with woody forests and deserts.

Zoological characteristics
 There is absence of higher placental mammals.
 There is presence of a variety of primitive form of mammals
, primitive forms include mammals such as monotremes
(egg laying mammals), marsupials (pouched mammals ) .
 Among birds such as Cassowaries, emus, tooth billed
,pigeon, birds of paradise .
 Among reptiles such as scale footed lizard .
 Among aquatic animals like neoceratodus (lug fish )fresh
water mussel trigonia, and mountain shrimp (anaspids ).
Hence Australian region is often referred to as the “veritable
museum of archaic animals

OverallComparativefaunatozoologicalaspects ofthe Australian
region
 Australian region has 134 families of terrestrial vertbrates
of which 30 are unique to this region.
 30 families are endemic to this region.
a. 8 of mammals
b. 17 of birds
c. 3 of reptiles
d. 2 of amphibians
Total nine mammals families there is only one family of
placental mammals other 8 are monotremes. The
dominant mammalian fauna consists of marsupial
mammals .

Uniquefamiliesof the mammals to Australianregion
 Two families of monotremes are duckbill platypus and
echidna
Birds
 Ten families of birds are unique to Australian region are
flightless birds are emus and cassowaries ,honey suckers, lyre
birds , bower birds, tooth billed pigions, birds of paradise.
 Absence of pheasants, woodpeckers, barbets and finches.
reptiles
 In Australian region reptiles, only moderately varied and only
two families are exclusively found
a. Carettochelydidae b. Pygopodidae

 250 species of small lizard
 Among large lizards komodo dragons, a varanid , only
is notable.
 Crocodiles occur in tropical parts of the region
Amphibians
 Australia is the only region in which the common toad are
absent and tail amphibians are also absent.
 Common frogs and tree frogs are represented by 100 species.
fishes
 Fresh water fauna is very poor .
 Only 3 genera of the lung fish is found in rivers of Queensland.

Neotropicalregion
It includes south America ,most of Mexico and the
West indies.
Climate
 This region is mostly tropical but the southern region
extends into the south temperate zone.
 The Amazon river basin has a high rain fall all the year.
 Tropical forests
 Total absence of deserts .
 Treeless grassy plains
 Temperature fluctuations in some parts.
 Mountains
 Severe climate in some part of extent o degree

Physicaland geographicalfeatures
 It is also noted for the total absence of deserts.
 The non tropical part of southern America .
 East of Andes mountain range is covered with
treeless grassy plains known as pampas.
 Extreme south ,we meet the severe climate of
southern Patagonia.
 The isotherm of 0 degree celceous passing
through during the winter

 The fauna is represented by 155 families terrestrial
vertebrates , of which 39 are the peculiar to this region
 Having high range of endemic families of this region
Mammals
 Bats are absent
 32 families in this region which seven are wide distribution .
 16 families are unique to this region
 2 families of marsupials are present
 But one is Caenolestidae is exclusive
 Order xenarthra or edentata is represented by 3 families
namely sloths, anteater, and armadillos

 Monkeys are prehensile tail but smaller in size, of the families
Cebidae and callithricidae than other region of the world.
Birdfauna
The bird fauna of this region is so diverse and strange that
some times south America is called as “bird continent”
 Rheas and tinamous are exclusive in this region .
 The great variety of colored birds such as toucans, macaws,
parrots, oil birds, trumpeters, hoatzins, humming birds are
found in this region.
 Song birds and pheasants are absent.

Reptilianfauna
Reptiles are abundant and rich in this region.
 Neotropical reptiles are dominated by crocodiles, caimans,
mud turtles, coral snakes, sidenecked turtles , geckos,
agamid lizards, tegus, anacondas, boas, pit vipers and
others.
Amphibianfauna
 Tree frogs
 Common frogs
 Toads
 Tailed amphibian fauna of only one genus Oedipus

Aquaticfauna
 No carp fish in this region
 Fish fauna is as characins , gymnotids and catfish
 Gymnotids are electric eels, are not related to mormyrids of
ethiopian region but characin fish are a family shared by
ethiopian and neotropical region
 Lung fish
Sharedfauna
 Hedgehogs, Moles, Beavers, Hyenas, Native Horses
are absent in this region
 From palaearctic nearctic and neotropical regions are
shared rabbits, squirrels, cricetid mice, dogs, bears,
mustelids, cats, deers, opossums,armadillos, tree
parcopies and paccaries.

Nearcticregion

The zoogeographical region

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