REDSHIFT DISTRIBUTION OF GALAXIES IN THE SOUTHERN MILKY-WAY REGION 210-DEGREES-LESS-THAN-L-LESS-THAN-360-DEGREES AND VERTICAL-BAR-B-VERTICAL-BAR-LESS-THAN-15-DEGREES

We have carried out a redshift survey of an IRAS flux-limited (f(60) > 0.6) galaxy sample behind the southern Milky Way, 210 degrees < l < 3 60 degrees at \b\ < 15 degrees. The survey includes redshifts for 951 galaxies, similar to 500 of which are new. Of these 951 galaxies, 462 are in the zone 5 degrees < b < 15 degrees and 353 are in the zone -15 degrees < b < -5 degrees. Though the innermost region of the Milky Wa y (\b\ = 5 degrees) remains opaque except in the longitude near 240 de grees, the detected galaxies show a high degree of completeness (simil ar to 70%) in the zones 5 degrees < b < 15 degrees and -15 degrees < b < -5 degrees. The cone diagrams exhibiting the detailed distribution of IRAS galaxies in the region 210 degrees < l < 360 degrees, \b\ < 15 degrees shows two clusters in the Puppis region (l = 240 degrees, b = -7 degrees, v = 2400 km s(-1); l = 245 degrees, b = -5 degrees, v = 7 500 km s(-1)), the A3627 cluster (l = 325 degrees, b = -7 degrees; v = 4500 km s(-1)), the S4 cluster (l = 280 degrees, b = 7 degrees; v = 5 500 km s(-1)), and a possible void at l = 245 degrees, v = 3000 km s(- 1). The region 270 degrees l < 350 degrees is dominated by overdensity of galaxies representing the extension of the Hydra-Centaurus complex in the positive latitudes and the Pavo-Indus complex in the negative latitudes. A velocity histogram of galaxies in the GA region 290 degre es < l < 350 degrees, \b\ < 15 degrees reveals a substantial overdensi ty of galaxies in the velocity range 2400-5000 km s(-1). The centroid of this overdensity is located at 4000 km s(-1). The broad increased d ensity of galaxies seen in our data corresponds with the distant conce ntration seen at 4500 km s(-1) in the supergalactic plane survey that covers the same longitude range like ours in l, but a larger range in latitude b (-30 degrees to -10 degrees and +10 degrees to +45 degrees) . This lends support to the idea that the overdensity extends all the way from the Centaurus-Hydra complex (l = 302 degrees b = +22 degrees) in the north to the major concentration of the Pavo-Indus supercluste r (l = 332 degrees, b = 24 degrees) in the south, through the Milky Wa y. We conclude that the peak of the overdensity responsible for the pe culiar velocity held in the local region is possibly situated in the M ilky Way itself.