NEW APPROACH TO THE DISTRIBUTION OP FISHES 415 



Since there are practically no careful comparisons of the wide-rang- 

 ing species and genera common to these major faunal regions too much 

 significance has been given to different scientific names, which show 

 neither relationship nor differences. Careful comparisons have not been 

 made in a sufficient number of examples. 



I am fully aware of the almost non-existence of coral reefs in the 

 eastern tropical Pacific and the Marquesas Islands since perhaps the 

 time of the Tethys Sea. Ecological conditions are not wholly suitable 

 in the eastern Pacific for a typical coral reefs fauna because of the mas- 

 sive upwelling of relatively cold water. In addition there are few 

 island "stepping stones" forming a suitable habitat. 



Within the tropical Indo- West-Pacific region, in spite of the homo- 

 geneity of the fauna, occur several subfaunas. Although extensive pro- 

 fessional ichthyological collecting and study has been somewhat limited, 

 enough has been accomplished during the last 50 years to indicate cer- 

 tain island groups and regions as containing distinctive endemic species 

 and subspecies. Roughly these regions are: (1) East Africa, Red Sea, 

 Madagascar and Mauritius; (2) East Indies to Northern Australia and 

 the Great Barrier Reef to the Philippines; (3) Ryukyu Islands and 

 southern Japan; (4) Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Islands; (5) Ma- 

 rianas, Marshalls, Gilberts, Line Islands, Phoenix and Samoa Islands 

 and perhaps others; (6) The Marquesas and Tuamotu Archipelago. 

 Other island groups may be distinctive, too, but to prove it more careful 

 ichthyological revisional analysis of species will need to be made. 



My comparative studies of wide-ranging genera, species and sub- 

 species in the tropical Indo-West-Pacific and Eastern Pacific indicate a 

 much closer relationship of these faunas than has been stated by zoo- 

 geographers. As might be expected on the generic level the relation- 

 ship is very close, but on the species and subspecies levels there are dis- 

 tinctnesses between Eastern and Western Pacific. Among the Island 

 groups of the Indo-West-Pacific the differences show up strongest on the 

 subspecies and racial level. This new approach or concept requires 

 careful analysis of species and of genera on a world-wide revisionary 

 basis. 



Widely ranging species (used on a broad concept, perhaps super- 

 species) extending from the Pacific American shores to the east coast 

 of Africa, when studied intensively with the use of statistical methods, 

 color photographs of living fishes and basic color patterns of preserved 

 specimens, reveal that some of these so-called species actually are com- 

 posed of two_ or more species, subspecies or races each more or less in- 

 habiting subfaunal areas. 



