Arthropod assemblages from La Chimba National Reserve (Antofagasta Region, Chile): Biodiversity, threats and conservation

Abstract

We provides the first inventory of terrestrial arthropods from La Chimba National Reserve (Antofagasta Region, Chile), a unit 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 sp. nov. and Rumikiru sp. nov. (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae); a solpugid from the family Ammotrechidae (Solifugae); a spider from the family Filistatidae (Araneae), and a centipede from the family Scutigeridae (Scutigeromorpha). 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.