BEETLES DIVERSITY FROM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY PENINSULA DE HUALPEN (REGION BIO-BIO, CHILE)

Abstract

An inventory of beetles of the Wildlife Sanctuary “Península of Hualpén”, an important biogeographic
area in the Bio-Bio Región of Chile, was carried out in order to characterize the taxonomic composition
of Coleóptera. A data base based on published research, sporadic samples and material of reference
collections was made. The beetle fauna of the sanctuary is represented by 20 families, 60 genera and
76 species. The most di verse families were Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae, Chrysomelidae, Cerambycidae
and Carabidae, whereas Cleridae, Melyridae, Mordellidae, Staphylinidae and Zopheridae were very scarcely
represented. More studies are needed in Península of Hualpén to obtain a better characterization of
Coleóptera, in order to establish a biodiversity knowledge necessary to propose protection measures
against the growing human pressure.