How Did Hawaii Accumulate Its Biota? A Test from the Amphipoda

An analysis was carried out of the distributions of Hawaiian gammaridean Amphipoda of the families Aoridae and Melitidae to determine (a) whether there was a correlation between perceived dispersal potential and extent of endemicity, and (b) whether the biogeographic affinities of the two families differed. A new application of PAE is developed and applied to all families of gammaridean Amphipoda from the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean to attempt to interpret the history of space occupancy by lineages. Resulting PAE cladograms suggest a shift in the biogeographic relationships of Hawaii from the eastern Pacific and Caribbean in the past to the south west and central Pacific in modem times.