. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Zoology. 162 Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 142, No. 2 C 3000 M C 2000 M. C 1000 M LOW LANDS Figure 7. Diagram of distribution of species in relation to altitude among New Gulnean Corabidae. Tfie diagram is not exactly quantitative, but each fiorizontal line, whether broken or not, represents c. 50 species; each unbroken vertical line, c. 10 species; and each broken vertical line, less than 10 species. Unbroken horizontal lines represent species that extend over c. the whole length of New Guinea; broken horizonta
. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Zoology. 162 Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 142, No. 2 C 3000 M C 2000 M. C 1000 M LOW LANDS Figure 7. Diagram of distribution of species in relation to altitude among New Gulnean Corabidae. Tfie diagram is not exactly quantitative, but each fiorizontal line, whether broken or not, represents c. 50 species; each unbroken vertical line, c. 10 species; and each broken vertical line, less than 10 species. Unbroken horizontal lines represent species that extend over c. the whole length of New Guinea; broken horizontal lines, species that are more localized. The diagram emphasizes that increase in altitude is accompanied both by decrease in number of species at single localities and by increasing locali- zation of species. strikingly different on Madagascar. The Carabidae of Madagascar include many very large forms especially in the tribes Scaritini and Pterostichini, some of the Madagascan scaritines being among the largest Carabidae in the world. The small size of New Guinean Carab- idae is not easy to explain. Mere existence on a large island does not necessarily favor smallness: witness the gigantic carabids on Madagascar. Nor does existence in rain forest necessarily favor smallness: witness Mecynognathus and the large Tricho- stermis in tropical rain forest in Australia (following paragraph), Comparison of New Guinean species with the same or related species in Austra- lia and southern Asia indicates no general decrease of size on New Guinea [93]. New Guinean Carabidae are small because small rather than large Carabidae have reached and established themselves on the island. This suggests that difficulty of access has barred large forms, but this explanation is too simple or at least incomplete. New Guinea was connected to Australia at times in the Pleistocene. Many Australian Carabidae including many Scaritini and Pterostichini are large: one of the largest and finest Carabidae in the
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