Terrestrial arthropod fauna of arid areas of SE Spain: Diversity, biogeography, and conservation

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The goal of this paper is to provide a general description of the terrestrial arthropod fauna of arid areas of SE Iberian Peninsula. The available data show that invertebrate communities in these environments are dominated by arthropods and that the composition of the assemblages are similar to those described in other arid regions of the world. The number of species of different arthropod groups (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Araneae) in these environments show that arid regions of SE Iberian Peninsula are inhabited by a diverse terrestrial arthropod fauna. An ecological feature of arthropod communities in arid zones of SE Spain is the spatial and temporal variability of assemblage composition at different scales, a characteristic of faunal assemblages in arid environments. Similarity in composition of assemblages between sites (Beta diversity) shows a high variability in faunal composition between apparently similar environments. The distribution patterns of species show that 8.4–9.6% of the species in these environments are local and SE Iberian Peninsula endemics. A number of eremic Mediterranean or Palaearctic species are also associated exclusively with these environments, highlighting the singularity of the invertebrate fauna in these arid habitats. Differences in assemblage composition of arid areas with more mesic surrounding environments show that arid zones of SE Spain are inhabited by a distinct fauna, increasing faunal diversity in SE Spain. A recent analysis of endangered and threatened invertebrate species in southern Spain recognizes the arid environments of SE Spain as priority areas for conservation, where habitat loss and fragmentation, changes in agricultural and grazing uses, and inadequate management constitute the main threats. We conclude that the fauna of the SE Iberian arid zones represents an important component of the high ecological diversity of the Mediterranean ecosystem in SE Spain, not only because of their arthropod diversity but also due to the important implications that these areas have for conservation in the entire SE region of the Iberian Peninsula.