The Neotropic ecozone includes South America, most of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands, and southern North America. It was originally part of the supercontinent Gondwana before breaking apart over 100 million years ago. The climate is mostly tropical but extends into temperate zones in southern South America. The region has high biodiversity, including unique families of mammals like hippopotamuses and lemurs, as well as many endemic bird, fish, insect, reptile, amphibian and plant families and species, such as potatoes, tomatoes, maize and cacao trees. The Neotropic ecozone can be divided into several subregions including the Chilian, Brazilian, Mexican, and Antille

1. ECOZONE
Presented to: Dr. Razia Bashir
Presented by: Mah para
Roll number : Mcf-1801880
Program : M.sc zoology (M)

2. Neotropic ecozone
• In biogeography, the Neotropic ecozone or
neotropical realm is one of the eight terrestrial
realms.
• This ecozone includes South America most of
Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands,
and Southern North America
• Physically, it includes the Tropical terrestrial
ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South
American temperate zone

5. History
• South America was originally part of the
supercontinent of Gondwana which includes
Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand and
Antarctica
• About 110 million years ago a breakup in
Gondwana results in separation of South
America from Africa and drifted north and west
• Much later about 2 to 3 million years ago, South
and North America was joined with the formation
of Isthmus of Panama

6. Climate of Neotropic ecozone
• The climate is generally tropical from 10° to 25°
S lat. which is Subtropical with a transition to
moderate .
• Mostly tropical but the southern part extends into
the temperate zone.
• Rain forests on the western side. Grasslands in
the middle in Argentina. Andes mountain on the
western coast.

8. Biodiversity of Neotropic region

9. • Mammals:
• There are 38 families of mammals, out of which 12 are
exclusive and the rest are shared with Neotropical and
Oriental Regions.
• Animals having worldwide distribution include shrews,
rabbits, squirrels, cricetid mice, dogs, mired mice, cats
and bovids, antelopes.
• The exclusive animals include hippopotamus, lemurs
giraffes, rock hyrax, golden mole, elephant shrew, small
deer-like water chevrotain, aye-aye, bush babies.

10. • There are 6 endemic families of rodents and 3 of
insectivores.
• There are no camels, bears and tigers in this
region.
• Animals shared with Oriental are, lories,
monkeys, apes, pangolins, Cheetah, elephants
and rhinoceroses.
• Shared with Palaearctic are dormice, jerboa
(Dipodidae), wild horses.

11. • Aves.
• Bird fauna has affinities with Oriental Region.
There are cuckoos, woodpeckers, hornbill,
sunbirds, herons, orioles, birds of prey, storks,
parrots, pigeons, fowls, pitta, guinea fowl, and
bee-eaters.
• There are 6 exclusive families that include ostrich,
secretary bird, crested touracos ,ground hornbill,
mouse birds and helmet shrike.
• Two species of oxpeckers, yellow billed and red
billed feed on ticks and other ectoparasites of
rhinoceroses. The crocodile bird dares to enter the
mouth of crocodiles to feed on leeches.

12. • Reptiles
• Crocodiles and turtles abound and few lizards
belong to families Lacertian and Agamidae.
Iguanid horned lizards are absent.
• Spiny lizard of family Cordylidae is restricted to
this region. Chameleon also occurs in the
Oriental Region.
• Snakes include pythons, Typhlops and biting
vipers. Crocodiles include, Crocodylus noloticus,
Osteolaemus in West Africa and Osteoblepharon
in Congo.

13. • Amphibians:
• There are no urodeles but frogs and toads
abound such as the African ridged frog and
African shovel-nosed frog. Phrynomerid tree frog
frogs are endemic. Xenopus and aquatic clawed
toads present. Limbless amphibians are present
• Fishes:
• Generally the fish fauna is diverse. There are cat
fishes, carps, characins , Electric eel, Lung
fishes have two species of Protopterus that live
in the rivers and lakes of tropics.

14. • Some fish groups originally unique to the Neotropics
include:
• Order Gymnotiformes: Neotropical electric fishes
• Family Characidae: tetras and allies
• Family Loricariidae: armoured catfishes
• Subfamily Cichlinae: Neotropical cichlids
• Subfamily Poeciliinae: guppies and relatives

15. Insects
• Brassolini and Morphini butterflies
(including Caligo and Morpho)
• Callicorini butterflies, Heliconiini butterflies,
Ithomiini butterflies
• Euglossini bees,Augochlorini bees
• Pseudostigmatidae ("giant damselflies")
• Mantoididae (short-bodied mantises)
• Canopidae, Megarididae,and Phloeidae (pentato
moid bugs)
• Aetalionidae and Melizoderidae (treehoppers)
• Gonyleptidae (harvestmen)

16. • Plants:
• Plant families that originated in the Neotropic
include Bromeliaceae, Cannaceae and Heliconia
ceae.
• Plant species with economic importance
originally unique to the Neotropic include:
• Potato,Tomato,Sweetpotato,Amaranth,Quinoa
• Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), source of cocoa
and chocolate
• Maize ,Lima bean ,Cotton,Cassava

17. Subregions of Neotropic Ecozone
1. Chilian: It includes Western coast of South
America, embracing summits of Andes, Peru
and Bolivia.
• Fauna includes chinchilla, Llama, oil birds and
Rhea.
2. Brazilian: Tropical forests up to Isthmus of
Panama. Also open plains and pasture lands.
• Fauna includes New World Monkeys, vampire
bats, tree porcupine, sloths, armadillo,
opossum, tapirs, cavia, spiny mice.

18. 3. Mexican:
• It consist of Mexico and northern lands of isthmus
of Panama and rocky mountains.
• Fauna consist of mud terrapins, tapirs and
Plethodontids.
4. Antilean or West Indies: It includes Caribbean
Islands except Tobago and Trinidad.
• It contains mountainous and rocky areas covered
with forests.
• Fauna is poor and native mammals are absent.

20. References
• Geptner, V. G. ”Obshchaia zoogeografiia” Moscow-
Leningrad, 1966.
• The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-
1979). Moscow, 1961.
• Diels, L. ”Pflanzengeographie” 5th ed. Berlin, 1958.
• Good, R. ”The Geography of Flowering Plants” 3r
d ed. London, 1964.
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