Diversity and distribution of the Aegorhinus genus in the La Araucanía Region of Chile, with special reference to A. superciliosus and A. nodipennis

The Araucanía region is a berry producing area where important behavioral aspects of species in the genus Aegorhinus, a pest that affects crops, are still unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution, abundance and richness of these species in agroecological zones of La Araucanía Region and to determine the hosts in which they were found. The sites where these species were found were represented on a map divided into grids of 25 x 25 km. Eight species of Aegorhinus were found in the area, and Aegorhinus nodipennis and Aegorhinus superciliosus were the most abundant.The diversity was analyzed using the Shannon-Wiener index, and the equitability was determined using the Pielou index. The agroecological zone with the greatest diversity of the region corresponded to mountain ranges; however, the central plain registered the highest abundance of individuals. This study introduces new hosts for six of the eight species found in the region.