palearctic

or, especially British, pa·le·o·arc·tic

[pey-lee-ahrk-tik, -ahr-tik, pal-ee-]

adjective

1. Zoogeography.,  belonging or pertaining to a geographical division comprising Europe, Africa north of the tropic of Cancer, the northern part of Arabia, and Asia north of the Himalayas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of palearctic¹

First recorded in 1855–60; pale- + Arctic

Example Sentences

"There have only been five previous records in the whole of the Western Palearctic with recent records in Holland, Norway, Turkey and Slovenia."

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A 395-page book that cataloged specimens of spider wasps — where they were collected; where they were stored — of the western Palearctic said “1948-2008” on the cover.

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When spring rolls around, they return to the temperate Palearctic zone to mate and raise their offspring.

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Because most Palearctic birds first evolved in the tropics and later spread northward, the researchers suspect these species developed less MHC-I diversity.

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Of said ant, the study authors explained that, much like my own immigrant ancestors, “this Palearctic species was introduced to North America more than 100 years ago, is common in urban areas, and—consistent with its occurrence in medians—prefers to nest near pavement.”

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