ABSTRACT
Bryozoa have not been well studied biogeographically, except for recent work in Antarctica (Barnes & De Grave 2000, 2001) and surrounding areas of the South Pacific (Moyano 1991, 1996). These areas are particularly suited to such work owing to recent, extensive and thorough taxonomic studies (e.g. Hayward 1995). Whilst Seo (1996) recently published on the geographical distribution of cheilostome bryozoans from temperate Korean waters, only one paper has been written on the biogeography of the Bryozoa from the tropical western Pacific Ocean (Okada & Mawatari 1958). Soule & Soule (1967) dealt with the biogeographical affinities of 13 species of Hawaiian Bryozoa, all of which were noted as being rather cosmopolitan in their distributions. However, several are now known to be species complexes, e.g. Hippopodina feegeensis (Busk, 1884) (see Tilbrook 1999) and Trypostega venusta (Norman, 1864) (Tilbrook unpubl. data), while others, as they note themselves, are possibly misidentified, e.g. Rhynchozoon rostratum (Busk, 1855) and
Schizoporella unicornis (Johnston, 1847). Okada & Mawatari (1958) divided the entire Indian and Pacific Oceans into eight provinces: two in the Indian Ocean, three in the Western Pacific Ocean, and three in the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Whilst most of the data used by Okada & Mawatari (1958) were gleaned directly from the existing literature, some of which may now be thought of as less than reliable, many of their broader conclusions make intuitively reasonable sense. In the Indo-West Pacific region, they note their Malayan Province (Malay Archipelago, South China Sea, the Philippines) appears more intimately connected with their Chinese Province (East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Southern Japan) than it does with their Papuan Province (Southern New Guinea, tropical Australia, Coral Sea). The Papuan Province in turn is intimately connected with their Polynesian Province (Polynesia).
