NANFA-L-- zoogeographic defn. of N. America


Subject: NANFA-L-- zoogeographic defn. of N. America
ichthos-in-comcast.net
Date: Mon Nov 15 2004 - 11:53:14 CST


> Re whether Costa Rica is in NANFA territory: North America includes all of
> Central America S. to the Isthmus of Panama. I understand NANFA to be
> interested in all N.A. native fishes and their habitats.

Although there is no official NANFA definition of North America, I like to use the zoogeographic definition put forth by Burr, B. M., and R. L. Mayden. 1992. Phylogenetics and North American freshwater fishes. In: Mayden, R. L. (Ed.). Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford, Ca.: Stanford University Press.

Most North Americans believe their continent encompasses Canada, Mexico, the United States (including Hawaii), and the islands of the Greater Antilles (Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, etc.). They're right -- from a political perspective. Zoogeographers -- scientists who study the influence of geography on the distributions of animals -- have a different perspective. They divide the freshwater world into seven regions, or zoogeographic realms: Australian (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea); Ethiopian (Africa and southern Arabia, also known as the Afrotropical Realm); Oriental (tropical Asia, also known as the Indomalaysian Realm); Palearctic (nontropical Asia and the northern tip of Africa); Neotropical (South and Central America and tropical Mexico); Oceania (noncontinental islands, e.g., Guam, Fiji, Samoa); and the realm we’re concerned with, the Nearctic.

As defined by zoogeographers, the Nearctic Realm includes the entire continental landmass, including Greenland, Alaska, Canada, the lower 48 states, and Mexico south to the where the Mexican plateau breaks down into the lowlands of Central America. Specifically, this includes land north of 18N on the Atlantic slope, and 16N on the Pacific slope of Mexico; the imaginary line drawn between these two latitudinal points corresponds roughly to the southern range limit of chiefly northern fishes such as minnows and suckers, and the northern range limit of the chiefly southern catfish family Heptapteridae.

This is not a discrete boundary, but a broad transition zone where the continental plates of North and South America began pushing against each around three million years ago (or later). Areas below this line, including extreme southern (tropical) Mexico (and Costa Rica), are in the Neotropical Region. So, too, are the Greater Antilles. Even though Cuba is just 150 km off the coast of Florida, and Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, they're both giant peaks of a vast underwater mountain range that's part of South America. Hawaii is similarly excluded from the Nearctic Realm. Although the inclusion of the 50th state's endemic plants and animals (including five freshwater fishes) adds over 1,000 species to U.S. biodiversity, zoogeographers are quick to point out that they properly hail from the Oceania Realm.

Note: Bermuda also is in the Nearctic Realm, but contains no surface streams or freshwater lakes; its ponds are land-locked bodies of salt water with permanent underground connections to the sea.

None of this is meant to discourage Dustin's trip report or discussion of it on this lise -- or the report of any member who attends a fishy expedition to any part of the globe. But I will likely be hesitant to publish an account of it in American Currents for the reason stated above.

Chris Scharpf

> Re whether Costa Rica is in NANFA territory: North America includes all of
> Central America S. to the Isthmus of Panama. I understand NANFA to be
> interested in all N.A. native fishes and their habitats. Fact is, I keep
> noticing that many who post on the list are very interested in non-native fishes
> for that matter.
>
> Dave
>
> David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
> Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
> Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
> telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
> home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely
>
> "Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Prizma-in-aol.com
> Date: Monday, November 15, 2004 9:49 am
> Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- coasta rica
>
> > dustin...
> > i cant think of any better list clutter than a fun and interesting
> > adventure
> > shared.
> > chris s would have to say if coast rica is south of the nanfa
> > border. he had
> > me draw it on the last shirt represented w/ a dashed line... i
> > think coasta
> > rica is a bit further south. but who cares. :) they are plenty
> > close enough
> > to talk fish and i wish i had been there.
> > next time maybe i will get invited!
> > parakeets... hum i thought they were from austrailia. relics must
> > be
> > established there.
> > did any of you take photos?
> > did anyone get sick? how was the food? were the locals interesting
> > and
> > interested?
> > caimans? heck ranger bob picks them up with dipnets along the
> > roads up near
> > kingsport tn. seems like just a couple weeks ago he found one.
> > still tho i
> > would not wade w/ em. how big can a caiman get?
> > snorkel any fresh water? im sure the ocean was beautiful snorkeling.
> > any volcanos?
> > did you research about the geography, culture and critters before
> > you went?
> > was english spoken?
> > if coasta rica in in the nanfa range a story would go great in an ac.
> > more details and pics please.
> > :)
> >
> > casper
> >
>
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: Fri Dec 31 2004 - 12:42:49 CST