Neotropical Region
BOUNDARY, CLIMATE AND VEGETATION, SUB-REGIONS, FAUNAL DISTRIBUTION, AND ENDEMIC FAUNA
Regional Boundary
The Neotropical Region is South and Central America and the tropical lowlands of Mexico with Trinidad, the West Indies proper and the Galapagos.
The West Indian fauna is limited and is in some ways transitional, and forms a complex fringing pattern rather than part of a continental one.
Neotropical is attached with Nearctic via a land bridge in central American.
Detached from other regions by the surrounding sea
Regional
Boundary
Regional
Boundary
Climate and Vegetation
Mostly tropical, but southern South America extends into the south- temperate zone, reaching a latitude equivalent to that of Labrador or England, with temperatures between the two.
Huge tract of rain forest in the Amazon Valley and separate, smaller tracts elsewhere in South and Central America, as well as tracts of drier forest.
Extensive areas of savanna and grassland in the tropics, as well as grassland south of them in Argentina
Also desert and sub-desert areas, especially in western South America but widely scattered elsewhere.
Climate and Vegetation
Vegetation is in fact very complexly distributed in South America and perhaps still more so in Central America
Many sorts of wet forest, dry forest, savanna, subdesert, and mountain vegetation exist in comparatively small areas.
The Andes support a succession of altitudinal forests and grasslands in northern South America, but the mountains become drier southward.
Far south in western South America, in southern Chile and the western part of Tierra del Fuego
A special, wet, cool-temperate forest, Nothofagus, which forms forests also in New Zealand and southern Australia and Tasmania.
CLIMATE AND
VEGETATION
Sub-regions
Chilean Sub-region
Western coast of South America, embracing summits of Andes, Peru and Bolivia.
Fauna includes chinchilla, Llama, oil birds and Rhea.
Brazilian Sub-region
Tropical evergreen forests up to Isthmus of Panama. Also open plains and pasture lands. Rivers are present hence more vegetation is seen.
Fauna includes New World Monkeys, vampire bats, tree porcupine, sloths, armadillo, opossum, tapirs, cavia, spiny mice.
Sub-regions
Mexican Sub-region
North of isthmus of Panama is included in this region. This region shows rocky mountains. It is showing sub. tropical conditions.
Fauna of this region Tapiers, Mudterrapins etc., are common
West Indies or Antelian Sub-region
The region contains West Indies (Caribean islands). Trinidad and Tobago are not included in this region. These islands contain
mountains.
In this sub-region the Vertebrate fauna is poor.
Faunal
Distribution
FISH
AMPHIBIA REPTILIA BIRDS
MAMMALS
Distribution of Fish
Many freshwater fishes are found which belong to some unique families.
Cyprinidae (Carp Fishes) are absent
Dominant fish families are-
Characidae (Characins)
Gymnotidae (Gymnotid eels)
Diplomystidae (Cat Fish)
Doradidae (Cat fish)
Lungfish
Lepidosirenidae (Lepidosiren)
Distribution of Fish
Distribution of Fish
Distribution of Amphibia
Total of 10 families of amphibia are found
Apoda (Caecilians) order is confined mainly in south America
44 species of 6 genus
Lots of individual of Pipidae are found
Majority of Plethodontidae (Legged) are confined in north America
Only 4 families are found in Neotropical
Distribution of
Amphibia
Distribution of Reptilia
About 24 families of reptiles are found
Turtle – 8 families
Crocodile – 2 families
Lizard – 8 families
Snake- 7 families
Distribution of
Reptilia
Distribution of
Reptilia
Distribution of Birds
Neotropical is dominant in Birds.
They are higher in numbers then any other zoogeographical
regions
Neotropical is called the Bird continent
67 families of birds are found
During winter, the number rises due migratory birds
2 families are endemic
Tinamidae (Tinamus)
Rheidae (Rheas)
3 families are more attached to Oriental and Ethiopian
Heliornithdae (Sungrebes)
Torgonidae (Trogons)
Burhinidae (Thickknees)
Distribution of
Birds
Distribution of
Birds
Distribution of
Birds
Distribution of Mammals
32 families of Mammals are found
Due to isolation from other continental realm, lots of endemic mammals are found
Almost 22 families of endemic mammals are predominant
For example
The edentates—armadillos, sloths, and anteaters—are endemic.
Endemic rodents include tree porcupines, guinea pigs, agoutis, vizcachas, chinchillas, and octodonts.
Among the endemic perissodactyls are several species of tapirs, some genera of deer (brockets, pudu, and Odocoileus), and species of the genus Lama.
From the subclass Marsupialia are encountered yapocks, opossums, and the endemic family Caenolestidae.
Distribution of
Mammals
Distribution of
Mammals
Distribution of
Mammals
Endemic Fauna
Endemic Fish
Gymnotid eels Diplomystes,
Velvet Catfish Nematogenys,
Mountain Catfish
Endemic fish
Characin fish
(Piranhas) Lepidosiren,
Lungfish
Endemic Amphibia
Endemic Reptilia
Xantusiidae
Xantusia in southwestern North America and Baja California,
Cricosaura in Cuba
Lepidophyma, the most
populous night lizard genus, in Central America.
Endemic Birds
31 bird families are endemic to the Neotropical realm, over twice the number of any other realm.
They include-
Tanagers
Rheas
Tinamous
Curassows
Antbirds
Ovenbirds
Toucans etc.
Endemic Birds
Green-headed tanager, Tangara
seledon Rheas, Rhea
americana
Elegant crested
tinamou (Eudromia
elegans)
Endemic Birds
Collared aracari (Pteroglossus
torquatus) Bicolored antbird
Gymnopithys leucaspis
Wattled
curassow Crax
globulosa
Endemic Mammals
Endemic mammals include,
Six-banded
armadillo (euphractus),
Armadillo (dasypus),
Two-toed sloth (choloepus),
3-toed sloth (bradypus),
3 species of anteaters (myrmecophaga),
11 endemic families of rodent caviomorpha and
Five endemic families of bats that include
Disc-winged bats,
Furiperidae bats and
Vampire bats (desmodontidae)
Endemic Mammals
Giant Anteater Two-Toed Sloth Six-banded
Armadillo
Endemic Mammals
Capybara Chinchillas Vampire Bats
Overview
Despite its prolonged isolation, the fauna of the Neotropical Region was influenced to some extent by the faunas of other regions with which there were connections either in the remote geological past or later.
The most ancient fauna relationships are with the Australian and Ethiopian regions.
Some scientists conjecture that the marsupials came to Australia from South America across Antarctica during the Cretaceous Period. T
The ancient relationship with the Ethiopian Region and Madagascar is indicated by the similarity between the solenodonts and the tenrecs, as well as the distribution of manatees (West Africa) and dipnoan fish.
The Neotropical Region produced very few domesticated animals: for example, the llama and the guinea pig, the duck, and the cochineal.
