Revealing the hidden biodiversity of Antarctic and the Magellanic Sub-Antarctic Ecoregion: A comprehensive study of aquatic invertebrates from the BASE Project

Background

Antarctica, its outlying archipelagoes and the Magellanic Subantarctic (MSA) ecoregion are amongst the last true wilderness areas remaining on the planet. Therefore, the publication, citation and peer review of their biodiversity data are essential. The new Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), a Chilean scientific initiative funded by the National Agency of Research and Innovation, contributes 770 new records of aquatic invertebrates as a point of reference for present-day biodiversity research at these latitudes.

New information

The occurrence dataset presented here has never been released before and is the result of the systematic recording of occurrences of several taxa across the Antarctic, Subantarctic and Magellanic Subantarctic ecoregions. We collected data from marine and freshwater invertebrates across numerous samplings from 2008 to 2023. From the 770 occurrences, we identified 160 taxa, 125 at species level and 35 at the genus level. The database has been registered in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The publication of this data paper was funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO, contract n°FR/36/AN1/AntaBIS) in the Framework of EU-Lifewatch as a contribution to the SCAR Antarctic biodiversity portal (biodiversity.aq).

Records of Parochlus steinenii in the Maritime Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions

This study provides the summary of the reports of the geographical distribution in the Maritime Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions of Parochlus steinenii (Gercke, 1889) (Diptera, Chironomidae), the only flying insect occurring naturally in the Antarctic continent. The distribution encompasses the South Shetland Islands (Maritime Antarctic), South Georgia (sub-Antarctic), and parts of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR, southern Chile). In total 78 occurrence records were identified, 53 from our own records, 19 from the literature, and six from other data present in GBIF. Of the 78 records, 66 are from the South Shetland Islands, eight are from South Georgia, and four from the CHBR. This database was developed as one of the main objectives of two Chilean-funded research projects addressing understanding the effects of climate change on sub-Antarctic and Antarctic insects. It provides dataset documenting the distribution of Parochlus steinenii in the Maritime Antarctic, the sub-Antarctic, and the CHBR in southern South America (Chile). The complete dataset is available in Darwin Core Archive format via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).