DISTRIBUTIONAL PATTERNS OF SPECIES OF RHYTIRRHININI (COLEOPTERA, CURCULIONIDAE) AND THE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIPS OF THE ANDEAN PROVINCES

Based on distributional data of species of twenty-one South American g enera of Rhytirrhinini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), historical relatio nships of the five provinces herein assigned to the Andean subregion, namely, Paramo, Patagonian, Puna, Central Chilean, and Subantarctic, w ere investigated through a combined biogeographic approach. A track co mpatibility analysis led to recognition of two generalized tracks, whi ch share their first portion (Subantarctic and Central Chilean provinc es), which is here identified as a node. From the Central Chilean prov ince, one track continues to the north (Puna and Paramo provinces), an d the other to the east (Patago-nian province). A parsimony analysis o f endemicity (PAE) indicates that the cladistic sequence of area fragm entation is: (Paramo (Patagonia (Puna (Central Chilean, Subantarctic)) )). It is proposed that these results reflect the progressive depauper ation of the Austral biota, and show that the Subantarctic and Central Chilean provinces are its richest (less depauperate) remnants, and th at the other provinces have become successively isolated biotic portio ns.