Biogeographical classification schemes such as the Marine Ecoregions of the World (MEOW) have been developed for continental shelf depths. The lack of faunal data in the deep sea has led to the development of biogeographical units based on oceanographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to propose biogeographical schemes for the Upper Bathyal (200–1000 m) across the Pacific Ocean using octocoral distributions. We retrieved over 200 000 octocoral data records from the Deep Sea Coral Data Portal (DSCDP), Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program (French National Museum of Natural History), Queensland Museum from the CIDARIS expeditions, and records retrieved from the Siboga expedition reports. We used cluster analysis to examine octocoral distributions against four different biogeographical classification schemes. The classification schemes produced mostly concordant patterns with three major faunal distribution barriers: the North Pacific Current isolates the subarctic units by creating a steep temperature gradient; the Subantarctic Front separates the Subantarctic from the rest of the Pacific; and the East Pacific Barrier separates the East Pacific from the Central and West Pacific. Two other smaller but distinct provinces are the Indo-Pacific where Lower Bathyal genera are found in the Upper Bathyal, and Torres Strait/Coral Sea characterised by mesophotic genera. We propose 12 biogeographic provinces across the Pacific Ocean Upper Bathyal region from 200 to 1000 m depth based on octocoral distributions. The main driver for these units seems to be temperature, a defining feature of water masses. These units could potentially be subdivided into smaller regions based on habitat. Additionally, the clustering of Ecological Marine Units (EMUs) provides evidence that the Upper Bathyal should in certain regions be divided vertically into two depth zones based on water masses.

已经针对大陆架深度开发了生物地理分类方案，例如世界海洋生态区（MEOW）。深海缺乏动物数据导致基于海洋特征的生物地理单位的发展。这项研究的目的是利用八角形分布，为横跨太平洋的上贝代尔（200-1000 m）提出生物地理方案。我们从深海珊瑚数据门户（DSCDP），海洋生物地理信息系统（OBIS），热带深海Benthos计划（法国国家自然历史博物馆），昆士兰博物馆（来自CIDARIS考察）中检索了20万多个八进制数据记录，以及从Siboga探险报告中检索到的记录。我们使用聚类分析来针对四种不同的生物地理分类方案检查八角形分布。分类方案产生的模式基本一致，具有三个主要的动物分布障碍：北太平洋洋流通过产生陡峭的温度梯度来隔离亚弧单元；亚南极线将亚南极线与太平洋其他地区分开；东太平洋屏障将东太平洋与中太平洋和西太平洋分开。另外两个较小但截然不同的省份是印度太平洋地区，在该地区的上巴蒂亚尔发现了下巴斯蒂尔的属，以及以介导属为特征的托雷斯海峡/珊瑚海。根据八角形分布，我们建议在太平洋上巴底亚尔地区建立200至1000 m深度的12个生物地理省。这些单位的主要驱动因素似乎是温度，这是水团的主要特征。这些单位可能会根据栖息地细分为较小的区域。此外，生态海洋单位（EMU）的聚类提供了证据，表明应根据水团在某些区域将上次海床垂直划分为两个深度区域。