The Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Community of Península Valdés in Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

This is the first study based on a planned and intensive sampling effort that describes the community composition and structure of the ground-dwelling arthropod assemblage of Península Valdés (Patagonia). It was carried out using pitfall traps, opened for two weeks during the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007. A total of 28, 111 individuals were caught. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) dominated this community, followed by beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae). The most abundant species were Pheidole bergi Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Blapstinus punctulatus Solier (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Two new species were very recently described as new based on specimens collected during this study: Valdesiana curiosa Carpintero, Dellapé & Cheli (Hemiptera, Miridae) and Anomaloptera patagonica Dellapé & Cheli (Hemiptera, Oxycarenidae). The order Coleoptera was the most diverse taxa. The distribution of abundance data was best described by the logarithmic series model both at the family and species levels, suggesting that ecological relationships in this community could be controlled by a few factors. The community was dominated by predators from a trophic perspective. This suggests that predation acts as an important factor driving the distribution and abundances of surface-dwelling arthropods in this habitat and as such serves as a key element in understanding desert, above-ground community structure. These findings may also be useful for management and conservation purposes in arid Patagonia.

Leaf traits, water stress, and insect herbivory: Is food selection a hierarchical process?

“…At the same time, Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles) is the most common family (Cheli et al 2010), and of these, Nyctelia circumundata (Lesne) is one of the most frequently observed (Cheli et al 2009). This species is endemic to Monte Phytogeographical Province (Roig Juñent and Flores 2001).…”

De artrópodos y plantas: Diversidad de la artropodofauna en un gradiente de vegetación en Los Llanos riojanos, Argentina

“…La diversidad de artrópodos se puede explicar por la heterogeneidad vegetal, pero también por características propias de cada grupo; por ejemplo, la gran abundancia de colémbolos y ácaros en las trampas de caída puede deberse a su función como descomponedores de hojarasca (Gergócs and Hufnagel 2016). Por otro lado, la alta representatividad de insectos se debe a que son el grupo de mayor diversidad entre los invertebrados del suelo (Decaëns et al 2006); puntualmente, Tenebrionidae (Coleóptera) y Formicidae (Hymenoptera) son los grupos de insectos más abundantes en diversas zonas áridas de la Argentina (Lagos 2004;Cheli et al 2010;Peñaloza et al 2012;Lescano et al 2017). La abundancia de Tenebrionidae podría atribuirse a sus adaptaciones fisiológicas y comportamentales para vivir en ecosistemas áridos como, por ejemplo, mecanismos para evitar la pérdida de agua mediante criptonefridios y para aprovechar las precipitaciones durante la temporada de lluvias (Cloudsley-Thompson 2001;Flores et al 2004).…”

Endemic tenebrionids (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from the Patagonian steppe: a preliminary identification of areas of micro‐endemism and richness hotspots

“…; Cheli et al . ). Their ability to survive in arid conditions lies in the several morphological, physiological and ethological adaptations they present (Zachariassen ; Flores ; Cloudsley‐Thompson ).…”

“…Tenebrionid beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are one of the most conspicuous insects to inhabit arid ecosystems (Cepeda-Pizarro et al 2005;Cheli et al 2010). Their ability to survive in arid conditions lies in the several morphological, physiological and ethological adaptations they present (Zachariassen 1996;Flores 1998;Cloudsley-Thompson 2001).…”