Geographical distribution

Type locality: Mediterranean Sea, off Nice.

H. bonnellii is widely but unevenly distributed in the Atlantic. It is absent from northern subropical and western tropical waters and probably other areas. It is found in a narrow band of subtropical waters that includes areas off Argentina, South Africa and the region between Australia and New Zealand (Voss et al., 1998). Voss et al. (1998) suggest that the species is absent from oligotrophic waters of the world's oceans and that three populations of this species may exist in the Atlantic ocean (i.e., Southwest Atlantic, Eastern Tropical Atlantic, Northwest Atlantic) based on differences in the structure of the spermatophores.

Figure. Distribution chart of H. bonnellii, modified from Voss, et al., 1998.