Arthropod Assemblages from La Chimba National Reserve (Antofagasta Region,Chile):Biodiversity,Threats and Conservation

We provide the first inventory of terrestrial arthropods from La Chimba National Reserve (Antofagasta Region, Chile), a protected area whose purpose is to preserve the biota of the Coastal desert of Tocopilla embedded in the larger transitional coastal desert. The study was conducted during spring o...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Pizarro Araya, Jaime, Alfaro, Fermín M., Ojanguren Affilastro, Andres Alejandro, Mora Carreño, Mauricio
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2023
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/229713
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/229713
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Atacama desert
Conservation
Coastal desert
Endemism
Richness estimation
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Description
Summary:We provide the first inventory of terrestrial arthropods from La Chimba National Reserve (Antofagasta Region, Chile), a protected area whose purpose is to preserve the biota of the Coastal desert of Tocopilla embedded in the larger transitional coastal desert. The study was conducted during spring of 2019. A total of 2,852 specimens were recorded, distributed across 188 species. Among the collected specimens, 5 new species were identified: two species of scorpions, Brachistosternus chimba Ojanguren-Affilastro, Alfaro & Pizarro-Araya, 2021 and Rumikiru sp. nov. (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae); a solpugid (Solifugae: Ammotrechidae); a spider (Araneae: Filistatidae), and a centipede (Scutigeromorpha: Scutigeridae). The richness estimations showed large values for most arthropod groups, which is evidence of an incomplete inventory of species richness. The article also discusses the current threats faced by these communities of endemic arthropods and suggests immediate actions to preserve these groups in extremely fragile semiarid ecosystems.

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