Comparison of the bivariate distribution in the M_⋆−λ_SAR plane between the observations (symbols) and the prediction from the best-fit model (black contours) in the three redshift bins as labeled. The upper panels show the comparison for our default model A), the middle panels show the prediction from the best-fit M_⋆-independent SARDF model B), and the lower panels show the best-fit solution if no XLF data are included in the likelihood function (“no XLF”). Open symbols indicate upper limits in M_⋆.