Predictions and test of multiple climate-species richness hypotheses to explain the spatial distribution of tenebrionid beetles in mountain environments.

Few studies have evaluated how climate is mechanistically related to species richness in mountain environments. We used path analysis to evaluate predictions of several mechanistic hypotheses based on their hypothesized mechanism relating climate with richness of darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). We modeled the influence of spatial covariation on climatic variables and tenebrionid richness.

Exploring the role of climatic niche changes in the evolution of the southern South American genus Baripus (Coleoptera: Carabidae): optimization of non-hereditary climatic variables and phylogenetic signal measurement.

Baripus is a ground beetle genus endemic to southern South America, currently distributed across grassland and shrub habitats in mountain and lowland regions. The species of this genus are known to have been affected by the Andean orogeny and the climate changes that occurred during this process. In this study, we seek to understand how the orogeny of the Andes may have led to changes in the climatic niches of the species of Baripus over time.

Species diversity of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) in mountaintops of extra-Andean volcanoes of Payunia (Argentina), with descriptions of two new species.

The north of Neuquén province shares with the south of Mendoza province the subprovince Payunia of the biogeographical province of Patagonic steppe, which is characterized by the presence of approximately 800 volcanoes. Although we have conducted several samplings in volcanoes of Mendoza in past years to recognize the biodiversity of tenebrionids, it is still pending which is the role that these mountains have in the biota of tenebrionids in Neuquén. In this work we reported the results of two consecutive years of prospection in two volcanoes separated by 120 km between each other, Tromen and Auca Mahuida which have 3978 and 2215 meters above sea level respectively.

Distribution and environmental determinants of darkling beetles assemblages (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Península Valdés (Argentinean Patagonia).

Arid lands provide several products and services to humankind, but human activities affect this environment, increasing the extinction risk of the native species. Thus, to successfully conserve the biodiversity of these ecosystems, it is necessary to identify which environmental factors influence the spatial distribution of the organisms that offer these benefits. Darkling beetles play a relevant role on the functioning of deserts.

Endemic epigean Tenebrionids (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from the Andean Region: exploring the patagonian-diversification hypothesis.

Tenebrionidae is a diverse insect family of Coleoptera that shows high levels of endemicity in epigean species. For the Andean region, which is divided into three subregions: Central Chilean, Subantarctic and Patagonian, it has been hypothesized that epigean tenebrionids have diversified in the Patagonian subregion and subsequently, they dispersed to Subantarctic and Central Chilean subregions. In this work, based on information obtained from museum collections and scientific studies, we presented the first list of endemic epigean tenebrionids from the Andean region with their taxonomic arrangement and geographic distribution.