Fig. 6. Schematic overview of the historical biogeography of Phylliidae.

a–c Palaeogeography of SE Asia and the SW Pacific (adapted from Hall⁷²) showing the northward movement of the Sahul shelf and the drift of the fragments of the Philippines and Wallacea. The dotted line in (a) indicates which landmasses will be connected via the Vitiaz arc (~30 mya). Note that the depiction of landmasses does not necessarily imply that they were emergent at that time. Both Sunda and Sahul shelves may have been exposed as dry land during low sea–level stands. d Main dispersal events of extant leaf insects with origin in the Australasian/Pacific region (0). The numbering illustrates our suggested chronological order of colonisation. Colour code corresponds to Fig. 5. Bo Borneo, Ha Halmahera, Ja Java, Pa Palawan, NC New Caledonia, NG New Guinea, SCA South Caroline arc, So Solomon Islands, Su Sulawesi, Sum Sumatra.