A biogeographic regionalisation of the Neotropical region is proposed as a hierarchical classification of sub-regions, dominions, provinces and districts. This regionalisation is based on biogeographic analyses of terrestrial plant and animal taxa, and seeks to provide universality, objectivity and stability, such that it can be applied when describing distributional areas of particular taxa or comparing different biogeographic analyses. The Neotropical region is currently comprised of three sub-regions (Antillean, Brazilian and Chacoan), two transition zones (Mexican and South American), seven dominions (Mesoamerican, Pacific, Boreal Brazilian, Southwestern Amazonian, Southeastern Amazonian, Chacoan and Parana) and 53 provinces. For some of the latter, sub-provinces and districts are recognized. Complete synonymies and brief descriptions of the areas are provided, as well as the endemic taxa that diagnose the different provinces.

▪ Abstract Track and cladistic biogeographic analyses based on insect taxa are used as a framework to interpret patterns of the Latin American and Caribbean entomofauna by identifying biogeographic areas on the basis of endemicity and arranging them hierarchically in a system of regions, subregions, dominions, and provinces. The Nearctic region, inhabited by Holarctic insect taxa, comprises five provinces: California, Baja California, Sonora, Mexican Plateau, and Tamaulipas. The Mexican transition zone comprises five provinces: Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Transmexican Volcanic Belt, Balsas Basin, and Sierra Madre del Sur. The Neotropical region, which harbors many insect taxa with close relatives in the tropical areas of the Old World, comprises four subregions: Caribbean, Amazonian, Chacoan, and Parana. The South American transition zone comprises five provinces: North Andean Paramo, Coastal Peruvian Desert, Puna, Atacama, Prepuna, and Monte. The Andean region, which harbors insect taxa with close relatives in the Austral continents, comprises three subregions: Central Chilean, Subantarctic, and Patagonian.

We provide a map and shapefile of the 57 biogeographic provinces of the Neotropical region. Recognition of these provinces is based on their endemic species, but their delimitation on the map is based on ecoregions combining climatic, geological, and biotic criteria. These provinces belong to the Antillean, Brazilian and Chacoan subregions, and the Mexican and South American transition zones. We provide a vector file of the biogeographical regionalization by converting the map into a polygon shapefile and a raster file with all provinces.

We provide a map of the 14 biogeographic provinces of Mexico based on the ecoregions recognized for the country, which combine climatic, geological and biotic criteria. These provinces belong to the Nearctic region (Californian, Baja Californian, Sonoran, Chihuahuan Desert and Tamaulipas provinces), Neotropical region (Pacific Lowlands, Balsas Basin, Veracruzan and Yucatán Peninsula provinces) and the Mexican transition zone (Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Transmexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre del Sur and Chiapas Highlands provinces). In order to facilitate future biogeographic analyses, we provide a file of the biogeographical regionalisation of Mexico by converting the map into a polygon shapefile and a raster file with all provinces. We also separately provide each of the provinces in vector and raster format. All the maps are in geographical and Lambert Conformal Conic projections.

EL RECONOCIMIENTO DE COMPONENTES BIÓTICOS CONSTITUYE UNA PRIMERA ETAPA HACIA UNA TEORÍA BIOGEOGRÁFICA SINTÉTICA. EN MÉXICO PODEMOS CARACTERIZAR 3 COMPONENTES BIÓTICOS PRINCIPALES, CADA UNO CON UNA COMBINACIÓN DIFERENTE DE ELEMENTOS BIÓTICOS. EL COMPONENTE NEÁRTICO (REGIÓN NEÁRTICA) INCLUYE LAS ÁREAS ÁRIDAS SUBTROPICALES DEL NORTE DEL PAÍS, EN LAS PROVINCIAS BIOGEOGRÁFICAS DE CALIFORNIA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, SONORA, ALTIPLANO MEXICANO Y TAMAULIPAS. EN ESTE COMPONENTE PREDOMINA EL ELEMENTO ORIGINAL (SEPTENTRIONAL ANTIGUO O PALEOAMERICANO), JUNTO CON OTRO DE DISPERSIÓN MÁS RECIENTE (NEÁRTICO) Y UN TERCERO NEOTROPICAL ANTIGUO. LOS EVENTOS VICARIANTES ASOCIADOS CON LA EVOLUCIÓN BIÓTICA DEL COMPONENTE NEÁRTICO SE RELACIONAN CON LA FORMACIÓN DE LA SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL, QUE AISLÓ EL DESIERTO DE CHIHUAHUA DE LOS DESIERTOS DE SONORA Y MOHAVE; Y LA EXPANSIÓN DEL MAR DE CORTÉS, QUE AISLÓ LA PENÍNSULA DE BAJA CALIFORNIA DEL CONTINENTE. EL COMPONENTE TRANSICIONAL (ZONA DE TRANSICIÓN MEXICANA) INCLUYE LAS ÁREAS BÁSICAMENTE MONTAÑOSAS DEL CENTRO DEL PAÍS, QUE SE ASIGNAN A LAS PROVINCIAS BIOGEOGRÁFICAS DE LA SIERRA MADRE ORIENTAL, SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL, EJE VOLCÁNICO TRANSMEXICANO, CUENCA DEL BALSAS Y SIERRA MADRE DEL SUR. EN ESTE COMPONENTE COEXISTEN LOS ELEMENTOS PALEOAMERICANO, NEÁRTICO, MESOAMERICANO TROPICAL Y MESOAMERICANO DE MONTAÑA. LOS EVENTOS VICARIANTES ASOCIADOS CON LA EVOLUCIÓN BIÓTICA DEL COMPONENTE TRANSICIONAL SE RELACIONAN CON EL DESARROLLO DE LAS SIERRAS MADRE Y EL VULCANISMO DEL EJE VOLCÁNICO TRANSMEXICANO. EL COMPONENTE NEOTROPICAL (REGIÓN NEOTROPICAL) INCLUYE ÁREAS TROPICALES HÚMEDAS Y SUBHÚMEDAS DEL SUR DE MÉXICO, ASIGNADAS A LAS PROVINCIAS BIOGEOGRÁFICAS DE LA COSTA PACÍFICA MEXICANA, GOLFO DE MÉXICO, CHIAPAS Y PENÍNSULA DE YUCATÁN. EN ÉSTE PREDOMINA EL ELEMENTO MESOAMERICANO TROPICAL, AUNQUE TAMBIÉN PRESENTA LOS ELEMENTOS NEÁRTICO Y ANTILLANO. LOS EVENTOS VICARIANTES ASOCIADOS CON LA EVOLUCIÓN BIÓTICA DEL COMPONENTE NEOTROPICAL SE RELACIONAN CON EL DESARROLLO DE LOS ISTMOS DE TEHUANTEPEC Y PANAMÁ Y LA INUNDACIÓN DE LAS TIERRAS BAJAS DE NICARAGUA Y DE LA PENÍNSULA DE YUCATÁN.

A biogeographic regionalisation of the Andean region is proposed as a hierarchical classification of sub-regions, provinces, sub-provinces and districts. It is based on biogeographic analyses of terrestrial plant and animal taxa, and seeks to provide universality, objectivity and stability. The Andean region is currently comprised of the Central Chilean, Subantarctic and Patagonian sub-regions and the South American transition zone, 15 provinces, five sub-provinces and 81 districts. Complete synonymies and brief descriptions of the areas are provided, as well as the endemic taxa that diagnose the provinces.