Exploring the Species Richness Pattern and Areas of Endemism of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) in Xinjiang, China

Abstract

Species richness and areas of endemicity (AOE) are the basis of biogeography, which is of great significance for understanding the evolution of species and making conservation plans. The present study aimed to investigate the species richness pattern and AOEs of Tenebrionidae in Xinjiang, China. We collected information on the geographical distribution of 556 species from several sources and obtained 2226 distribution records for the analyses. The AOEs were detected using the parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) and endemicity analysis (EA) at 0.5°, 1°, and 1.5° grid sizes, respectively. A total of six AOEs were found, including three mountain ranges (Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains, and Kunlun Mountains) and one basin (Junggar Basin), which was largely congruent with the species richness pattern. The results indicated that the complex terrain and stable climate in the mountainous area played an important role in the formation of tenebrionid species diversity and their endemic areas in Xinjiang.

Keywords

• Tenebrionidae
• species richness
• parsimony analysis of endemicity
• endemicity analysis
• area of endemism
• mountainous areas