Insect biodiversity of the Socotra Archipelago – underlined and counted

Bezděk Jan, Hájek Jiří
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 57(supplementum): 1-39, 2017
Published online: 31st December 2017
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Abstract: Altogether 1,564 species taxa (identifi ed at least to the genus level) from 25 orders of Hexapoda have been recorded from the Socotra Archipelago to date. In addition, members of Diplura and Ephemeroptera are known from the archipelago as well, but they have not been identifi ed so far. The most speciose order in Socotra are beetles (Coleoptera) with 540 species. The total number of endemic taxa described from the archipelago is 662 species, which represents 42% of all known species. The vast majority of species is known from the main Socotra Island (1,520 species, 635 endemic taxa). The diversity of insects in Socotra is briefly commented on and compared with the nearest archipelago – the Seychelles.
Key words: Hexapoda, biodiversity, endemism, insect survey, Socotra, Yemen