The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species
The terrestrial arthropod fauna of Rapa Nui has been negatively impacted by human activities, including accidental and purposeful species introductions, which have led to high levels of extinction and extirpation of the native fauna. Unfortunately, the absence of a single, standardized resource docu...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424004840 |
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| author | J. Judson Wynne Francis G. Howarth Darko D. Cotoras Sergio Rothmann Sergio Ríos Carolina Valdez Pedro Lazo Hucke Cristian Villagra Luis Flores-Prado |
| author_facet | J. Judson Wynne Francis G. Howarth Darko D. Cotoras Sergio Rothmann Sergio Ríos Carolina Valdez Pedro Lazo Hucke Cristian Villagra Luis Flores-Prado |
| author_sort | J. Judson Wynne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The terrestrial arthropod fauna of Rapa Nui has been negatively impacted by human activities, including accidental and purposeful species introductions, which have led to high levels of extinction and extirpation of the native fauna. Unfortunately, the absence of a single, standardized resource documenting all Rapa Nui’s native and non-native species hinders protecting surviving native species, as well as recognizing new invasions. Here, we present a comprehensive list of terrestrial arthropod species recorded up to 2024. We compiled this list from the literature, unpublished museum records, and field sampling. We also consulted 29 taxonomic specialists, who assisted in verifying species in this checklist. A total of 539 arthropod species were cataloged including 25 endemic, 27 indigenous, 345 accidentally introduced, and 66 purposefully introduced species, and 76 species of unknown origin. Most, if not all, of the unknown records represent non-native species. Eleven endemic and 14 indigenous species have not been recorded since their original description, which suggests their extinction or extirpation. However, the lack of targeted surveys prevents verification of their persistence on the island. For non-native species, one-third (33 %) have cosmopolitan or nearly cosmopolitan distributions, while 31 % originated from the tropics. Overall, this checklist will serve as a comprehensive resource for the identification of established species and facilitate the detection of new arrivals. It will also contribute to the protection of the island’s surviving native species. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5efc3ac3111245049dd943d4ddb69699 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-5efc3ac3111245049dd943d4ddb696992025-01-23T05:26:51ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-01-0157e03280The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native speciesJ. Judson Wynne0Francis G. Howarth1Darko D. Cotoras2Sergio Rothmann3Sergio Ríos4Carolina Valdez5Pedro Lazo Hucke6Cristian Villagra7Luis Flores-Prado8Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA; Correspondence to: Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA.Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, USADepartment of Terrestrial Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USAServicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Lo Aguirre Office, Talagante, ChileServicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Rapa Nui Office, Easter Island, ChileServicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Quilpué Office, Quilpué, ChileCONAF, Rapa Nui Office, Easter Island, ChileInstituto de Entomología, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, ChileInstituto de Entomología, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, ChileThe terrestrial arthropod fauna of Rapa Nui has been negatively impacted by human activities, including accidental and purposeful species introductions, which have led to high levels of extinction and extirpation of the native fauna. Unfortunately, the absence of a single, standardized resource documenting all Rapa Nui’s native and non-native species hinders protecting surviving native species, as well as recognizing new invasions. Here, we present a comprehensive list of terrestrial arthropod species recorded up to 2024. We compiled this list from the literature, unpublished museum records, and field sampling. We also consulted 29 taxonomic specialists, who assisted in verifying species in this checklist. A total of 539 arthropod species were cataloged including 25 endemic, 27 indigenous, 345 accidentally introduced, and 66 purposefully introduced species, and 76 species of unknown origin. Most, if not all, of the unknown records represent non-native species. Eleven endemic and 14 indigenous species have not been recorded since their original description, which suggests their extinction or extirpation. However, the lack of targeted surveys prevents verification of their persistence on the island. For non-native species, one-third (33 %) have cosmopolitan or nearly cosmopolitan distributions, while 31 % originated from the tropics. Overall, this checklist will serve as a comprehensive resource for the identification of established species and facilitate the detection of new arrivals. It will also contribute to the protection of the island’s surviving native species.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424004840Alien invasive speciesAnthropogenic impactsBiodiversity lossRelict species |
| spellingShingle | J. Judson Wynne Francis G. Howarth Darko D. Cotoras Sergio Rothmann Sergio Ríos Carolina Valdez Pedro Lazo Hucke Cristian Villagra Luis Flores-Prado The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species Global Ecology and Conservation Alien invasive species Anthropogenic impacts Biodiversity loss Relict species |
| title | The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species |
| title_full | The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species |
| title_fullStr | The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species |
| title_full_unstemmed | The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species |
| title_short | The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species |
| title_sort | terrestrial arthropods of rapa nui a fauna dominated by non native species |
| topic | Alien invasive species Anthropogenic impacts Biodiversity loss Relict species |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424004840 |
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