Higher taxa and the identification of areas of endemism

Abstract

Quantitative analyses of areas of endemism have rarely considered higher taxa. This paper discusses aspects related to the use of higher taxa in the analysis of areas of endemism, and computer implementations. An example of the application of the method is provided, with a data set for Nearctic mammals, showing that some of the areas recognized by species-level taxa also adjust well to the distribution of other taxa of higher level (genera, monophyletic groups).