Diversity and distribution of the orthopteroid insects of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

New fieldwork has brought the entire "orthopteroid" fauna of the Galápagos Islands to a total of 57 species, in 37 genera, and 7 insect orders. Identification keys and distributional details are given for the 24 species in the order Orthoptera (s.str.) (Ensifera and Caelifera). Of these, 19 species (and 2 genera) are endemic, 2 species are native (naturally occurring elsewhere in tropical America), and 3 species are presumed to have been introduced by humans. It is assumed that ancestral natural colonizations occurred through the air by flying ancestors or through rafting and ocean-surface transport by flightless ancestors (in Gryllidae; Nemobiinae and Mogoplistinae). Of the indigenous (non-introduced) species, 71% of Orthoptera (s.str.) and 72% of all orthopteroids of the Galápagos Islands are now flightless in one or both sexes. Considering the richness of the total orthopteroid fauna in mainland Ecuador, the island fauna is very highly impoverished. Evolution and diversification are modest in the Galápagos orthopteroids compared with some other plants and animals. Some species (probably descendant from coastal arid zone ancestors) are now limited to either moist highland or cave habitats. Species richness is significantly positively correlated with island ecological complexity and island area.

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Baseline data for identifying potentially invasive plants in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc080093 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 93 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. M. Guerrero ◽

P. Pozo ◽

S. Chamorro ◽

A. Guezou ◽

C. E. Buddenhagen

Keyword(s):

Introduced Species ◽

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

New Records ◽

Galapagos Islands ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Santa Cruz Island ◽

Santa Cruz ◽

Number Of Species ◽

And Behavior

We recorded 502 introduced plant species during an inventory of all 2 334 private properties in Puerto Ayora, the largest town on Santa Cruz Island and the Galapagos Islands (population > 10,000) which accounts for about half of the Galapagos population. A third of these species were new records for the Galapagos Islands, 73% were found only in cultivation, 18% were naturalized and not cultivated (in Puerto Ayora), and 9% were found in cultivation and naturalized (escaped). Seventeen species previously known to occur only in cultivation in Galapagos are now considered escaped. A number of species known to be naturalized in the humid highlands of Santa Cruz do not appear to be able to reproduce in Puerto Ayora?s drier climate. To determine which introduced species should be a priority for control or eradication, the potential invasiveness of each species was assessed based on their distribution and behavior in Galapagos and elsewhere. At least 13 species were considered potentially serious invaders that could be feasible to eradicate.

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Taxonomy of tomatoes in the Galápagos Islands: Native and introduced species ofSolanumsectionLycopersicon(Solanaceae)

Systematics and Biodiversity ◽

10.1017/s1477200003001026 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 29-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Sarah C. Darwin ◽

Sandra Knapp ◽

Iris E. Peralta

Keyword(s):

Introduced Species ◽

Galapagos Islands ◽

Galápagos Islands

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Cockroaches of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, with descriptions of three new species (Insecta: Blattodea)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z92-297 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 70 (11) ◽

pp. 2202-2217 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Stewart B. Peck ◽

Louis M. Roth

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Introduced Species ◽

Endemic Species ◽

New Records ◽

Galapagos Islands ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Nauphoeta Cinerea ◽

Per Se ◽

Three New Species ◽

Periplaneta Australasiae

Eighteen species of cockroaches are reported to occur on the Galápagos Islands. Five species are endemic and in this paper three of these are described as new species: Chorisoneura cristobalensis Roth, C. carpenteri Roth, and Ischnoptera santacruzensis Roth. Endemic Ischnoptera snodgrasii (McNeill) COMB.NOV. is transferred from Anisopygia, and redescribed. Previous reports of the introduced species Periplaneta brunnea, Nauphoeta cinerea, and Phoetalia pallida could not be confirmed. These species may not have become established or may have become extinct. New records of native or introduced species are given for Holocompsa nitidula, Holocompsa sp., Anaplecta lateralis, Blaberus parabolicus, and Rhyparobia maderae. Of the introduced species, only Periplaneta australasiae, Symploce pallens, and Pycnoscelus surinamensis seem to have invaded native (undisturbed) habitats. The endemic species are partially or wholly flightless. This may not be a result of island life per se, but may be a specialization for life in more homogeneous litter or cave habitats at higher elevations on the islands.

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Effect of topographic complexity on species richness in the Galápagos Islands

Journal of Biogeography ◽

10.1111/jbi.14230 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 48 (10) ◽

pp. 2645-2655

Author(s):

Yannik E. Roell ◽

John G. Phillips ◽

Christine E. Parent

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Galapagos Islands ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Topographic Complexity

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Millipeds (Diplopoda) of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z87-400 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 65 (11) ◽

pp. 2640-2645 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

William A. Shear ◽

Stewart B. Peck

Keyword(s):

Galapagos Islands ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

First Time

Six species of millipeds are reported for the first time from the Galapagos Islands, raising the known diplopod fauna to eight species. Agenodesmus nullus n.sp. is described (Furhmannodesmidae). Six members of the fauna are in the eyeless order Polydesmida, and one species each are in the orders Polyxenida and Polyzoniida. Most species were probably introduced by man. Only Nesodesmus insulanus Chamberlin may be naturally occurring and endemic.

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A SYNOPSIS OF THE DYTISCIDAE OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR, WITH DESCRIPTION OF RHANTUS GALAPAGOENSIS SP.NOV. (COLEOPTERA: DYTISCIDAE)

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent125259-2 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 125 (2) ◽

pp. 259-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Stewart B. Peck ◽

Michael Balke

Keyword(s):

Galapagos Islands ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Tropical America

AbstractA summary of distribution and biology of the five species of Galapagos Dytiscidae is given, along with a key for identification. Rhantus galapagoensis sp.nov. Balke and Peck is described from San Cristobal Island, Galapagos; important features are illustrated. The source of the dytiscid fauna is tropical America. The limited diversity of the dytiscid fauna is probably caused less by problems of dispersal and more by problems of colonization of islands that experience intense periodic drought.

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Oceanic islands and climate: using a multi-criteria model of drivers of change to select key conservation areas in Galapagos

Regional Environmental Change ◽

10.1007/s10113-021-01768-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Escobar-Camacho ◽

Paulina Rosero ◽

Mauricio Castrejón ◽

Carlos F. Mena ◽

Francisco Cuesta

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Marine Reserve ◽

Galapagos Islands ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Assessment Model ◽

Human Populations ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Drivers Of Change

AbstractThe unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands are highly vulnerable to human-based drivers of change, including the introduction of invasive species, unsustainable tourism, illegal fishing, overexploitation of ecosystem services, and climate change. These drivers can interact with climate-based drivers such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) at multiple temporal and spatial scales, exacerbating their negative impacts on already fragile ecosystems and the socioeconomic system of the Archipelago. In this review, we performed a literature review based on published literature from 1945 to 2020 and local and global climate databases to analyze drivers of change in the Galapagos. We developed and applied a spatial impact assessment model to identify high-ecological value areas with high sensitivity and exposure scores to environmental change drivers. We identified 13 priority HEVA that encompass ca. 23% (14,715 km2) of the Galapagos Archipelago, distributed in nearly 3% of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and 20% Galapagos National Park. Current and future impacts are likely to concentrate on the inhabited islands’ highlands, whereas marine impacts concentrate along most of the Galapagos Islands’ shorelines. These results are important for guiding the design and implementation of adaptation measures aimed at increasing ecosystem resilience and human adaptive capacity in the face of global environmental change. Overall, these results will be valuable in their application for preserving Galapagos biota, securing the provision of vital ecosystem services for resident human populations, and sustaining the nature-based tourism industry.

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