Aim In simulation exercises, mid-domain peaks in species richness arise as a result of the random placement of modelled species ranges within simulated geometric constraints. This has been called the mid-domain effect (MDE). Where close correspondence is found between such simulations and empirical data, it is not possible to reject the hypothesis that empirical species richness patterns result from the MDE rather than being the outcome (wholly or largely) of other factors. To separate the influence of the MDE from other factors we therefore need to evaluate variables other than species richness. The distribution of range sizes gives different predictions between models including the MDE or not. Here, we produce predictions for species richness and distribution of range sizes from one model without the MDE and from two MDE models: a classical MDE model encompassing only species with their entire range within the domain (range-restricted MDE), and a model encompassing all species with the theoretical midpoint within the domain (midpoint-restricted MDE). These predictions are compared with observations from the elevational pattern of range-size distributions and species richness of vascular plants