Table 4 Summary of major biogeographic trends in different taxa and across New Guinea
Taxon | Timing of early diversification in New Guinea | Area of early diversification | Early interaction Central Range/north coast areas? | Timing of Bird's Head colonization/diversification | Ancient diversification on or along "island arcs" (Proto Papuan Archipelago)? | Central Range as barrier causing N-S vicariance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flora | ||||||
Schefflera, Shee et al. [42] | Late Oligocene, ca. 26 Ma | "Woodlark", i.e. present day Eastern PNG Central Range/Papuan Peninsula, and some PNG north coast ranges | Possibly | Not clear, possibly from early Miocene, diversification from c. 5 Ma | Not clear | Late Oligocene, ca. 26 Ma |
Insects | ||||||
Diving beetles, this study | Early Miocene, ca. 17 Ma | Present day Eastern PNG Central Range/Papuan Peninsula | Yes | Mid/late Miocene | Early interaction since late Miocene, ca. 11 Ma, diversification from 5 Ma | Possibly late Miocene, ca 8 Ma |
Mayflies (Corrarolo et al. 2019) | Eocene, ca. 40 Ma | Ambiguous: north coast region or southern lowlands | Yes | Late Oligocene/mid Miocene | Not applicable | Not clear |
Ants, Janda et al. [26] | Mid-late Miocene 13–5 Ma | Unclear | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | No |
Damselflies, Kalkman et al. [28] | Not dated | Present day Eastern PNG Central Range/Papuan Peninsula | Possibly | Not clear | Possibly | Not clear |
Ground beetles, Liebherr [35] | Not dated | ? Emerging Central Range | Possibly | Not applicable | Possibly | Yes |
Aquatic bugs, Polhemus & Polhemus [51] | Starting late Eocene–Oligocene based on geological evidence | Not applicable | Possibly | Early tertiary? | Yes | Not applicable |
Microveliinae aquatic bugs, Polhemus & Polhemus [50] | Late Oligocene—early Miocene, since 25 Ma | Papuan Peninsula and its satellite islands | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Mammals | ||||||
Tree kangaroos, Eldridge et al. [36] | Late Miocene, ca. 7 Ma | Australia | No | ? Late Miocene | No | Maybe, Pleistocene, ca. 2 Ma |
Herpetofauna | ||||||
Scincidae New Guinea skinks, Slavenko et al. [72] | Mid Miocene, from ca. 14.4 Ma | Central Range/Papuan Peninsula | Mid Miocene, from ca. 11.6 Ma | Not applicable | No | No |
Agamidae forest dragons, Tallowin et al. [48] | Late Oligocene—early Miocene, since 23 Ma | Australian craton | Early-mid Miocene, from ca. 23–10 Ma | Mid Miocene, ca. 14 Ma | Yes | Possibly late Miocene-Pleistocene |
Frogs, Rivera et al. [45] | Late Oligocene to early Miocene, ca. 25-20 Ma | N Australian plate margin/Central Range | Possibly | Possibly | Possibly | Possibly |
Lizards, Oliver et al. [44] | Early Oligocene, ca. 30 Ma | North coast ranges and Papuan Pensinsula | Early Miocene, ca. 22 Ma | Late Miocene ca. 10 Ma | Yes | Not clear |
Cyrtodactylus Lizards, Tallowin et al. [33] | Early Miocene, ca. 24 Ma | Southern New Guinea/north coast ranges/from mid Miocene Papuan Peninsula | From early Miocene ca. 22 Ma | Late Miocene ca. 10 Ma | Yes | Not clear |
Green python, Natusch et al. [30] | Not applicable | Not applicable | not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Yes, starting late Miocene ca. 6–3 Ma |
Microhylid frog, Oliver et al. [31] | Not dated | Papuan Peninsula and its satellite islands | Possibly | Not applicable | No | Check |
Microhylid frog, Oliver et al. [32] | Early Miocene, ca. 17 Ma | Central Range | Early-mid Miocene, from ca. 17–10 Ma | Not applicable | Not applicable | Yes, late Miocene ca. 10 Ma |
Catbirds, Irestedt et al. [25] | Late Miocene, 10 Ma | Australia or proto-New Guinea | Not applicable | Late Miocene/Pleistocene | Not applicable | Yes, late Miocene, ca 6 Ma to Pliocene |
Freshwater turtle, Georges et al. [24] | Early Miocene, ca. 19 Ma | ? NG southern lowlands | Not applicable | Mid Miocene | Not applicable | Yes, early Miocene, ca 17 Ma |
Freshwater turtle, Todd et al. [37] | Late Miocene, 10–7 Ma | ? N Australia/? NG southern lowlands | Not applicable | Late Miocene | Not applicable | Yes, late Miocene, ca 6 Ma |
Birds | ||||||
Corvoid birds, Jønsson et al. [27] | Late Eocene, ca. 40 Ma | Proto Papuan Archipelago | Not applicable | Not applicable | Yes, late Eocene | Not applicable |
Passerine birds, Aggerbeck et al. [43] | Early Oligocene, ca. 32 Ma | Australia/New Guinea | Not clear | Not applicable | Yes | Not applicable |
Fruit doves, Cibois et al. [38] | Early Oligocene, ca. 32 Ma | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Lories and lorikeets, Schweizer et al. [40] | Late Miocene ca. 10 Ma | Proto Papuan Archipelago | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Songbrids, Moyle et al. [29] | Mid Miocene, ca. 15 Ma | Australia | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Crowned pigeons, Bruxaux et al. [47] | Late Miocene ca. 5 Ma, root goes back to early Miocene | Not applicable | No | Between late Miocene ca. 5 Ma and Pleistocene | No | Yes, between late Miocene ca. 5 Ma and Pleistocene |
Fish | ||||||
Rainbow fish, Unmack et al. [34] | Early Oligocene, ca. 30 Ma | Not applicable | Not applicable | Early Oligocene, ca. 32 Ma | Yes | Not clear, north/south vicariance dated at 27.0 Ma |