Arthropods constitute more than 75% of the terrestrial world’s biodiversity and deserve increased attention in regions of the world, such as Madagascar, where species-rich habitats are under threat. This project will provide data on patterns of species richness, turnover, and endemism of arthropods in Madagascar, one of the major conservation priorities and one of the least explored biogeographic regions for arthropods on earth. The proposed inventories are critical for efforts to understand the origin and evolution of the arthropods of Madagascar and are essential for developing conservation priorities on the island that preserve the most diversity, an effort seriously impeded by a lack of collections and trained biologists.
Given the current levels of habitat loss, continued high rates of deforestation, and the Malagasy government’s open commitment to conservation planning, now is the time to document and analyze arthropod diversity within the island before the chance is forever lost. The proposed project represents a collaboration between the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Tsimbazaza Botanical and Zoological Park (PBZT). Our project has 7 primary goals: (1) conduct intensive inventories of terrestrial arthropods in 15 localities in western and southern Madagascar; (2) sort, curate, and identify at least to morphospecies all species of Araneae (Spiders), Scorpiones, Formicidae (ants), Sphecidae (solitary wasps), Carabidae (ground beetles), Cercopoidea (spittlebugs), Fulgoroidea (plant hoppers), Neuropterida (lacewings, fishflies, antlions), Acroceridae (spider-parasite flies), and Therevidae (stiletto flies); (3) supply taxonomic collaborators with sorted material for their systematics research; (4) provide conservation agencies in Madagascar with baseline biodiversity data for sound conservation planning; (5) establish a digital database consisting of keys, check lists, catalogues, and specimen data on line; (6) assist in developing a national arthropod collection in Madagascar; (7) promote Malagasy understanding of entomology through training of student field assistants, conducting workshops on arthropod identification and curation, depositing identified reference collections in Madagascar, and training two Malagasy M.Sc. students in the USA.
Previous inventories by the PIs and others have concentrated in the eastern humid forest of Madagascar and demonstrated high levels of species richness and endemism for ants and spiders. The proposed inventories in the dry deciduous forest, spiny succulent thicket, and the isolated western patches of central plateau forest will fill this gap in knowledge of the arthropod fauna of Madagascar and provide the necessary specimens for a comprehensive overview of the arthropods of the island. The proposed survey builds upon 7 years of development and testing by the PIs of arthropod inventory methods and analysis in Madagascar. The specimen processing and data management protocol will ensure that specimens from megadiverse arthropod groups quickly reach taxonomic experts and that the data return to institutions in Madagascar. The database developed from this project will allow well-founded decisions regarding priority areas for conservation actions and estimates of the degree of protection the Malagasy arthropod fauna receives in existing protected areas. Finally, during this study, young Malagasy and US students will be trained in inventory, curation, and identification techniques, resulting in a new generation of host-county scientists capable of conducting and continuing such studies.
Funding
The Madagascar Project is currently funded by the NSF Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program (BSI 0072713), McBean Family Foundation, Lakeside Foundation, and the Schlinger Foundation.
Institutional support from the California Academy of Sciences and the South African Museum has been crucial to the success of the project.
Want To Become A Taxonomic Collaborator?
Contact Norm Penny at Npenny@CalAcademy.org