ABSTRACT
Natural areas of endemism have monophyletic geologies and biologies. Natural areas of endemism are formed through the natural processes of biological evolution and tectonic change, and as such are natural rather than artificial. Identification and use of natural areas of endemism are prerequisites for any biogeological analysis whose aim is to infer geological history. Composite biotas represent a type of area of endemism that are biologically polyphyletic but geologically monophyletic. The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands are an example of such an endemic area because the Campbell Plateau is geologically monophyletic but the biota is polyphyletic, a mix of older West Gondwanan and younger East Gondwanan endemics. The islands of the inner Banda arc extend from Lombok and Sumbawa through Flores, Alor, Atauro, Wetar and Romang to Banda Island just south of Seram. The opening of extensional basins has subsequently fragmented the region and biologically isolated individual islands.
