The Atacama Desert at its margins harbors a unique biodiversity that is still very poorly known, especially in coastal fog oases spanning from Perú towards the Atacama coast. An outstanding species-rich fog oasis is the latitudinal fringe Paposo-Taltal, that is considered an iconic site of the Lomas formation. This contribution is the first to reveal the knowledge on arthropods of this emblematic coastal section. We used pitfall traps to study the taxonomic composition, richness, and abundance of terrestrial arthropods in 17 sample sites along a 100 km section of the coast between 24.5 and 25.5 southern latitude, in a variety of characteristic habitats. From a total of 9154 individuals, we were able to identify 173 arthropod species grouped into 118 genera and 57 families. The most diverse group were insects, with 146 species grouped in 97 genera and 43 families, while arachnids were represented by 27 species grouped into 21 genera and 14 families. Current conservation challenges on a global scale are driving the creation and evaluation of potential conservation sites in regions with few protected areas, such as the margins of the Atacama Desert. Better taxonomic, distributional, and population knowledge is urgently needed to perform concrete conservation actions in a biodiversity hotspot at a desert edge.

Although the burrowing activity of some species (e.g., gophers) is well studied, a comprehensive inventory of burrowing animals in adjacent biomes is not yet known, despite the potential importance of burrowing activity on the physical and chemical evolution of Earth's surface. In this study, we review the available information with a focus on the following: (a) an inventory of burrowing vertebrates and invertebrates along the climate and ecological gradient in Chile; (b) the dimensions and characteristics of burrows; and (c) calculation of excavation rates by local species compositions. Methods used include a literature compilation (> 1000 studies) of Chilean burrowing animal species integrated with global, species-specific excavation rates. A field study augments literature findings with quantification of the zoogeomorphic effects on hillslope mass transport at the animal community level and along the arid to humid–temperate climate gradient within the Chilean Coastal Cordillera (27–38^∘ S latitude). The literature review indicates a minimum of 45 vertebrate and 345 invertebrate burrowing species distributed across Chile in different biomes. Burrowing depths for Chilean mammals range between 3 m (e.g., for skunks, Conepatus) and 0.25 m (for rock rats, Aconaemys). For invertebrates, burrowing depths in Chile range between 1 m for scorpions to 0.3 m for spiders. In comparison, globally documented maximum burrow depths reach up to more than 6 m for vertebrates (gopher tortoises and aardvarks) and 4 m for invertebrates (ants). Minimum excavation rates of local animal communities observed from field sites in Chile are 0.34 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the arid site, 0.56 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the semiarid site, 0.93 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the mediterranean site and 0.09 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the humid–temperate site, with the latter likely an underestimation. The calculated minimum Chilean excavation rates are within the large range of globally observed single species rates ranging between 0.01 and 56.20 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for vertebrates and from 0.01 to 37.31 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for invertebrates. Taken together, results not only highlight the diverse and latitudinally varying number of burrowing vertebrates and invertebrates present in different biomes, but also foster the understanding of how burrowing activity changes over a gradient and is influenced by mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, slope aspect and latitudinal-related incoming solar energy.

Two new scorpion species from Paposo, in the Coastal desert of Taltal, Chile (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae, Brachistosternus )

Five new scorpion species of genus Brachistosternus of Chile and Peru are described. Brachistosternus gayi n. sp. is a high Andean species of north central Chile. Brachistosternus philippii n. sp. occurs near the coast of Antofagasta. Brachistosternus misti n. sp. occurs at intermediates altitudes of southern Peru. Brachistosternus contisuyu n. sp. occurs in Lomas formation in southern Peru. Brachistosternus anandrovestigia n. sp. occurs in coastal areas of southern Peru, and is the second known species of the genus without metasomal glands or androvestigia. Two diagnostic characters are discussed: the Internal Laminar Apophysis of the right hemispermatophore, and the sternum macrosetae.