Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 79 (4): 407-421, 2006
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Communities of scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) of the transitional coastal desert of
Chile
In Chile, the order Scorpiones has 35 species, included in the families Bothriuridae,
Iuridae, and Buthidae. Most of them are endemic species, well adapted to xeric environments. We studied the taxonomic structure of
the scorpiofauna with regards to the plant formations present in the transitional coastal desert of Chile (25-32º S). Captures of
scorpions were conducted with pitfall traps and UV light. Data from de field were complemented from literature and reference material.
We identified the presence of 9 species in a total of 226 specimens captured, in the families Bothriuridae and Iuridae. The most
abundant genera of Bothriuridae, represented by eight species, were Brachistosternus and Bothriurus, with
55.4 % and 11 % respectively of total captured specimens. Regarding Brachistosternus, Br. (Leptosternus) roigalsinai
was the most abundant species, with 38.9 % of total captured specimens. Caraboctonus keyserlingi (Iuridae) made
the 33.2 % of total captured specimens. The highest species richness of scorpions, with six and seven species were respectively, the
plant formations of the coastal desert of Huasco (27°52’ S, 71°05’ W; 29°24’ S, 71°18’ W) and those of the coastal shrubby steppe
(29°24’ S, 71°18’ W; 30°34’ S, 71°42’ W). The coastal deserts of Tal-Tal (23°52’ S, 70°30’ W; 27°51’ S, 71°05’ W) and Huasco
presented exclusive species. The analysis of correspondence showed that, to the scorpiofauna studied, the coastal shrubby steppe
would represent a transitional zone of geographic distribution. Finally, we discussed in function of substrate preference, some aspects
related to habitat occupation showed by some of the recorded species.
Key words:
Scorpiones,
Bothriuridae, Iuridae, coastal desert, arid zones, Chile
