BIOGEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Thalia democratica is among one of the most abundant  thaliacean species occupying the global ocean. The species has been documented occuring at a range of different temperatures from 12° to 27°C, further emphasising their generalist nature (Paffenhöferand Lee, 1987). Unlike most other open ocean species T. democratica is most abundant in continental shelf regions throughout all ocean basins particularly in regions of the tropics and subtropics (Deibel and Paffenhöfer, 2009). Investigations carried out on T. democratica have taken place in a number of different regions throughout the world, further highlighting their global presence. These regions include the continental shelf of both Florida and California (Deibel and Paffenhöfer, 2009), the coastal waters of Taiwan (Tew and Lo, 2005), both the Cora and Tasman Seas, off the coast of Morocco, in the Gulf of Guinea, and South Africa (Paffenhöferand Lee, 1987).