Wallace Line

English

Etymology

Wallace +‎ line. Named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who noticed this clear division during his travels through the East Indies in the 19th century.

Proper noun

the Wallace Line

1. A faunal boundary line that separates the ecozones of Asia and Wallacea, a transitional zone between Asia and Australia.

   Synonym: Wallace's Line

   • 2016, James Lambert, “Ornithonymy and Lexicographical Selection Criteria”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 30, number 1, pages 39–62:

     There are numerous species of bulbul in India, yet there are also numerous species of bulbul in China, Southeast Asia, and thence all the way eastwards to the Wallace Line.

Related terms

• Wallacea

Translations

line that separates the ecozones of Asia and Wallacea

• Portuguese: linha de Wallace f