Pacific Plate Biogeography, with Special Reference to Shorefishes

Springer, Victor G. Pacific Plate Biogeography, with Special Reference to Shorefishes. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, number 367, 182 pages, 65 figures, 5 tables, 1982.—It is the thesis of this study that the Pacific lithospheric plate (Pacific Plate) forms a major subunit of the Indo-Pacific biogeographic region. This thesis is defended on two primary grounds: the sharp decrease in numbers of taxa as one proceeds eastward across the western margin of the Pacific Plate, and the presence of a high degree of endemism on the Plate. The complex geotectonic history of the Plate and adjacent plate margins is discussed and the vicariance scenarios that produced the three main types of endemism (widely distributed Plate endemism, endemism restricted to a limited region on the Plate, and endemism restricted to single islands or island groups) are hypothesized. Anecdotal discussions of the distributions of 179 shorefish family groups are presented, as well as discussions of the distributions of selected terrestrial and marine taxa of other organisms. Particular attention is given to presumed erroneous or exceptional distributions of fishes on the Pacific Plate, including, but not limited to, north-south disjunct distributions, Hawaiian Islands' exceptional distributions, and distributions involving the Caroline Islands, which serve as stepping stones for dispersal onto the Pacific Plate. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. SERIES COVER DESIGN: The coral Montastrea cavemosa (Linnaeus). Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Springer, Victor Gruschka, 1928Pacific Plate biogeography, with special reference to shorefishes. (Smithsonian contributions to zoology ; no. 367) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: SI 1.27:367 1. Fishes—Indo-Pacific Region—Geographical distribution. 2. Biogeography—Indo-Pacific Region. 3. Fishes—Pacific Ocean—Geographical distribution. 4. Geology—Pacific Ocean. I. Title. II. Title: Shorefishes. III. Series. QL1.S54 no. 367 [QL623.98] 591s [591.92'5] 82-600146 AACR2