FAUNA AND FLORA O F MANGROVE SWAMPS
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the marine flora, chiefly the algae and marine angiosperms. Few, if any,
endemic elements replace the Malayan elements in the mangrove flora
of other localities.
The divisions which appear to be relatively clearly recognizable on
the basis of the endemic fauna are (Fig. 74) : (1) a western division
including Eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, and the
shores of the Red Sea and Arabian Sea; (2) a west central division
including the shores of Ceylon, the Bay of Bengal with the Aiidaman
and Nicobar Islands, the coasts of Burma, the Mergui Islands, the west
FIG. 74. Subdivisions of the Indo-west-Pacific biogeographic region as indicated by
locally endemic species of animals. tTnit no. 5 is somewhat speculative-there are
too few easily accessible faunal lists for this region.
coast of Malaya and Sumatra and the south coast of Java ; (3) an east
central division including the east coast of Malaya and Siam, southeastern Sumatra, northern Java, southern and north-western Borneo ;
(4) a north-eastern division including the Philippines, Taiwan, northern
Viet Nam, South China, the Ryii-Kyii IsIands and subtropical Japan ;
( 5 ) Eastern Borneo, Celebes and the Moluccas; (6) New Guinea and
Queensland; ( 7 ) the Lesser Sunda Islands and Western Australia, and
(8) the island groups of the western Pacific.
It must not be forgotten, moreover, that over the whole of this vast
area there occur several trees, several herbs and some animals which
are common to all its parts. It is these widespread species that are
responsible for the recognition of the region as a distinct unit. Such
ubiquitous species include Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorhiza,
8.