Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 79 (3): 369-388, 2006
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Diversity and distributional patterns of beetles in the Biobío region, Chile: a preliminary
approach to the conservation of the diversity
Beetles constitute bioindicators because of their association with plant formations, their
high abundance, ecological diversity, restricted geographic ranges and high endemism. The Biobío Region is a critical area for
conserving the biodiversity because it represents a biotic transition zone and a hotspot of biodiversity, nevertheless the studies related
with the taxonomic richness and distribution of beetles are very scarce. In this paper, we determined the taxonomic composition, the
regional representation, and the species richness of beetles in this region. On the other hand, we determined areas that concentrate
the majority of the species and the distribution patterns of insects related to plant formations and regional protected wild areas. A
digitalized map of the region divided in quadrants and a database of distribution data of beetles were used to elaborate a matrix of
presence/absence of species. The number of species contained in each quadrant was determined, and parsimony analysis of
endemicity (PAE) was performed to determine areas concentrating the species richness, and its relation with plant formations. A total
of 53 families, 361 genera and 664 species of beetles were found; Staphylinidae and Curculionidae were the most diverse families.
Chillán, Concepcion and Nahuelbuta are localities with the highest species richness. Parsimony analysis of endemicity grouped
species into three areas: (1) a coastal sector, (2) an Andean mountain range, and (3) the Nahuelbuta coastal range. These
concentration areas of species are not related with regional protected wild areas.
Key words:
Insecta, Coleoptera,
plant formations, State Wild Protected Areas, parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE)
