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The Wallace Line is a boundary that separates the zoogeographical regions of Asia and Australasia. West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, mostly organisms related to Australian species. The line is named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who noticed the apparent dividing line during his travels through the East Indies in the 19th century. The line runs through the Malay Archipelago, between Borneo and Sulawesi (Celebes); and between Bali (in the west) and Lombok (in the east). Evidence of the line was also noted in Antonio Pigafetta's biological contrasts between the Philippines and the Spice Islands, recorded during the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. The limit of Asian flora and fauna is modified by Weber. He moved the line to the east. The limit is not fixed, but determined by the type of flora and fauna. This new line is called "Wallace-Weber". The distance between Bali and Lombok is small, a matter of only about 35 kilometers. The distributions of many bird species observe the line, as many birds refuse to cross even the smallest stretches of open water. Many volant mammals (bats) have distributions that cross the Wallace Line, but non-volant species are usually limited to one side or the other, with a few exceptions (e.g., rodents ''Hystrix''). Australasia does not conform to a single zoological area since New Zealand's fauna are completely different to those on the Australian continent. Zoologists have suggested a term for the distinct area containing Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea that is dominated by marsupials. Suggestions are Meganesia, Sahul or Australinea.
See also Borneo | ||||||||
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