Wallace's line

Wallace's line
Zoogeog.
an imaginary line that separates the Oriental and Australian zoogeographical regions and passes between Bali and Lombok, west of Celebes, and east of the Philippines.
[1865-70; after A. R. WALLACE]

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▪ faunal boundary
      boundary between the Oriental and Australian faunal regions, proposed by the 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (Wallace, Alfred Russel). The line extends from the Indian Ocean through the Lombok Strait (between the islands of Bali and Lombok), northward through the Makassar Strait (between Borneo and Celebes), and eastward, south of Mindanao, into the Philippine Sea. Although many zoogeographers no longer consider Wallace's Line a regional boundary, it does represent an abrupt limit of distribution for many major animal groups. Many fish, bird, and mammal groups are abundantly represented on one side of Wallace's Line but poorly or not at all on the other side.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • wallace's line — ˈwälə̇sə̇z , ˈwȯlisə̇z noun also wallace line Usage: usually capitalized W Etymology: after Alfred Russel Wallace died 1913 English naturalist : a hypothetical boundary separating the characteristic Asiatic fauna and flora from that of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wallace's line — noun Zoology a hypothetical line marking the boundary between the Oriental and Australian zoogeographical regions. Origin proposed by the English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) …   English new terms dictionary

  • Wallace's Line — /ˈwɒləsəz laɪn/ (say woluhsuhz luyn) noun an imaginary line passing between the islands Bali and Lombok, of Indonesia, through the Makassar Strait, to east of the Philippines. It separates the Australian and Oriental biogeographical realms; the… …  

  • Wallace's line — noun Etymology: Alfred Russel Wallace Date: circa 1868 a hypothetical boundary that separates the highly distinctive faunas of the Asian and Australian biogeographic regions and passes between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia, between… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Wallace’s Line — separates tropical Asian flora and fauna from that typical of Australia; runs between Bali and Lombok, Indonesia, to the east (named for A R Wallace) …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • WALLACE (A. R.) — WALLACE ALFRED RUSSEL (1823 1913) Naturaliste anglais, l’un des fondateurs de la zoogéographie. Wallace accompagne son maître, l’entomologiste H. W. Bates, dans son exploration de l’Amazonie (1848), puis s’en sépare et demeure au Brésil jusqu’en… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Wallace, Alfred Russel — born Jan. 8, 1823, Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales died Nov. 7, 1913, Broadstone, Dorset, Eng. British naturalist. Though trained as a surveyor and architect, he became interested in botany and traveled to the Amazon in 1848 to collect specimens. In… …   Universalium

  • Wallace Line — The Wallace Line (or Wallace s Line) is a boundary that separates the zoogeographical regions of Asia and Australia. West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, mostly organisms related to Australian species. The …   Wikipedia

  • Wallace , Alfred Russel — (1823–1913) British naturalist Wallace, who was born at Usk in Wales, received only an elementary schooling before joining an elder brother in the surveying business. In 1844 he became a master at the Collegiate School, Leicester, where he met… …   Scientists

  • Wallace-Line — Verlauf der Wallace Linie Die Wallace Linie ist die biogeografische Trennlinie zwischen asiatischer und australischer Flora und Fauna. Sie ist benannt nach dem Naturwissenschaftler Alfred Russel Wallace, der die Inseln zwischen 1854 und 1862… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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