A Fine-Scale Hotspot at the Edge: Epigean Arthropods from the Atacama Coast (Paposo-Taltal, Antofagasta Region, Chile)

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 10; p. 916
• Main Authors: Pizarro-Araya, Jaime, Alfaro, Fermín M., Ojanguren-Affilastro, Andrés A., Moreira-Muñoz, Andrés
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 08.10.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Abundance; Arachnids; arthropod diversity; Arthropoda; Arthropods; Biodiversity; Biodiversity hot spots; coastal desert; Coasts; Coleoptera; Collembola; Composition; Conservation; Deserts; El Nino; Endemism; Fog; fog oases; Genera; Harbors; hidden diversity; homogenocene; Humidity; insect declines; Insects; Oases; Pitfall traps; Precipitation; Protected areas; Sea level; Species; Surveying; Taxonomy; Terrestrial environments; Vegetation; Wildlife conservation; Chile; Peru; Atacama Desert
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects12100916

The Atacama Desert at its margins harbors a unique biodiversity that is still very poorly known, especially in coastal fog oases spanning from Perú towards the Atacama coast. An outstanding species-rich fog oasis is the latitudinal fringe Paposo-Taltal, that is considered an iconic site of the Lomas formation. This contribution is the first to reveal the knowledge on arthropods of this emblematic coastal section. We used pitfall traps to study the taxonomic composition, richness, and abundance of terrestrial arthropods in 17 sample sites along a 100 km section of the coast between 24.5 and 25.5 southern latitude, in a variety of characteristic habitats. From a total of 9154 individuals, we were able to identify 173 arthropod species grouped into 118 genera and 57 families. The most diverse group were insects, with 146 species grouped in 97 genera and 43 families, while arachnids were represented by 27 species grouped into 21 genera and 14 families. Current conservation challenges on a global scale are driving the creation and evaluation of potential conservation sites in regions with few protected areas, such as the margins of the Atacama Desert. Better taxonomic, distributional, and population knowledge is urgently needed to perform concrete conservation actions in a biodiversity hotspot at a desert edge.