ABSTRACT
Some of the main distributional boundaries and connections in New Zealand have been described in the earlier chapters, and the reader can test these out in groups that he or she has a special knowledge of. The reader can also test the methods used in this book, which are based on a close study of the distributions and the regional geology rather than on fossil ages, clock ages, and centers of origin. Distributions in any group can be explained either by chance dispersal, or by vicariance in a widespread common ancestor (possibly followed by secondary range expansion). Despite this, most authors currently rely on center-oforigin programs that will find a center of origin wherever there is a basal, paraphyletic grade.
