Opiliões da superfamília Gonyleptoidea associados às cavernas brasileiras: diversidade e distribuição

Abstract

Brazil is a country with a high biodiversity. However, the knowledge of such diversity is heterogeneous and extremely scarce. Among the groups that contributes for this diversity are members of the order Opiliones, the third richest among the Arachnida class. Species from this order can be found in soil, litter, rock walls and caves. In Brazil, some species associated to the caves were studied especially in the last three decades, but no study covered a large range of species associated to caves in several biomes and states, leading to a poor knowledge of this group in Brazilian caves habitats. Accordingly, this work aimed to list which species occurs in these subterranean environments and what is their distribution patterns. Furthermore, we intended to show any current knowledge gaps in these habitats. For this, we compiled the records of the superfamily Gonyleptoidea available on literature and those deposited in scientific collections to gather a database on the distribution of this group in Brazilian caves. As a result, we recorded more than 150 species in 972 caves, 146 cities, 17 states, 4 biomes and 20 karst regions. About 30% of these species have not yet been described by science, and considering all species, 12% are troglobites (exclusive cave dwellers). Different regions have different values of diversity as well as unique compositions. Large sampling gaps have also been identified in several regions of the country, and huge areas from of these regions received few faunistic inventories. Such sampling gaps demonstrate the need for intensification of studies regarding this important group occurring in Brazilian caves. The large number of undescribed species (including troglobites) indicates how much there is still to be discovered. In the current Brazilian legislation, knowledge on the distribution of such species can be directly used to improve the relevance of the caves in which they occur. Thus, such data can be used to promote the conservation of these environments, ensuring the maintenance of a high biodiversity in Brazil.