Hi Paul

Indeed this is not an accurate way to define specific fauna, but in some cases there are boundaries
caused by currents, water temperature or geographic position. For example, here in Brazil most
southern fauna stops in Cabo Frio region (Rio de Janeiro State), where we have a cold water
resurgence coming from the south.  In north we have Amazon river which certainly has some effects on
the habitat.

It would demand a huge work crossing species occurrences to make a more accurate map defining a
distribution range. This is something that should be done by gathering information from several
sources and made by many people as possible - it would be a nice work to see someday!

Marcus

Hi Marcus and Conchlers,

I was thinking recently about this question, as I have to decide
whether to use the classical regions (or 'provinces') in a forthcoming
book. Some of them, such as the Magellanic and Panamic provinces, seem
to reflect a distinct fauna that has boundaries, however vague, that
allow a fuzzy line to be drawn, but the integrity of some others, such
as the Indo-Pacific or Japonic, does not survive testing. The more we
learn about each species, the more we see how factors such as surface
currents and water temperatures can shape their distribution more
strongly than just their geographical locations.
Province names can thus be a useful shorthand in some cases, but their
use in publications should always be accompanied by a map showing where
that particular author sees each one beginning and ending.
I don't think I'll be using them.

Regards,

PC.

Paul Callomon
Collections Manager

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