Island-wide inventory for endemic ground-dwelling arthropods in extreme environments of Rapa Nui

Abstract

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has undergone an environmental transformation over the past several hundred years. Today, no stands of native vegetation remain and all terrestrial vertebrates have gone extinct. The recent discovery of 10 endemic cave-restricted arthropods (including eight new species) prompted an island-wide search for endemic arthropods in areas somewhat sheltered from human activities, livestock and rats, as well as within patches of native vegetation. We sampled 47 sites across the island including 20 caves, 10 cliff faces, the three crater lakes, eight rocky coastlines, the two main beaches, four control sites, and two inland surface areas containing patches of native ferns. Less than 2% of the ~20,000 specimens have been examined. From the examined materials, at least 32 distinct morphospecies have been identified including nine potentially undescribed (i.e., new and potentially endemic) species, three new island records of nonnative species, and the range expansions for three well-established invasive species. We provide recommendations for future research and monitoring, as well as a framework for managing the area supporting the 10 previously discovered endemic species.

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Island-Wide!Inventory!for!Endemic!Ground-dwelling!Arthropods!in!!
Extreme!Environments!of!Rapa!Nui!
!
Final!Report!!
Explorers!Club!Flag!Report!
Flag!#!139!
!
Submitted!12!October!2016!
!
J.!Judson!Wynne1,2,!Francisco!Ika3,!Sebastian!Yancovic!Pakarati4,!Lillian!Gonzales3,!Pedro!Lazo!
Hucke3,!Sergio!Manuheuroroa3,!Lazaro!Pakarati5,!Drew!Bristow6,!Rafael! Rodríguez! Brizuela7,!
Eric!Fies8,!Nicholas!Glover9,!Walter!Lynn!Hicks10,!Dustin!Kisner11,!Ivory!Marinakis1,!Benjamin!
Shipley12,!Byron!Yeager13,!Cristian!Villagra14,!Enrique!Tucki3,!and!Rosa!Scherson15!
!
1Department!of!Biological!Sciences!and! 2Merriam-Powell!Center!for!Environmental!Research,!Northern!Arizona!
University,!Flagstaff,!jut.wynne@nau.edu;!3Parque!Nacional!Rapa! Nui,!CONAF,!Isla!de! Pascua,!Chile;!4Consejo!de!
Monumentos!Nacionales! and! Manu! Project,!Isla! de! Pascua,! Chile;! 5Consejo! de! Ancianos,! Isla! de! Pascua,! Chile;!
6Explore! Trees,! Inc.,! Barefoot! Island,! Fiji;!7Escuela! de! Geología,! Universidad! Nacional! de! Córdoba,! Argentina;!
8North! Star! Adventure! Consulting,! Washington,! D.C.;! 9Western! University! of! Health! Sciences! of! the! Pacific,!
College! of! Osteopathic! Medicine-Pomona,! CA;! 10Glynn! Immediate! Care,! Southeast! Georgia! Health! System,!
Brunswick,!GA;! 11University!of!Cincinnati,!Ohio;! 12University!of! Colorado-Boulder;! 13Good!Grain!Tree!Services,!
Kula,!Hawaii;!14Instituto!de!Entomología,!Universidad!Metropolitana!de!Ciencias!de!la!Educación,!Santiago,!Chile;!
and,!15Facultad!de!Ciencias!Forestales!y!de!la!Conservación!de!la!Naturaleza,!Universidad!de!Chile,!Santiago.!
!
!
Abstract!
Rapa!Nui!(Easter!Island)!has!undergone!an!environmental!transformation!over!the!past!several!hundred!
years.!Today,!no!stands!of!native!vegetation!remain!and!all!terrestrial!vertebrates!have!gone!extinct.!The!
recent! discovery! of! 10! endemic! cave-restricted! arthropods! (including! eight! new! species)! prompted! an!
island-wide!search!for!endemic!arthropods!in!areas!somewhat!sheltered!from!human!activities,!livestock!
and!rats,!as!well!as!within!patches!of!native!vegetation.!We!sampled!47!sites! across! the!island!including!
20!caves,!10!cliff!faces,!the!three!crater!lakes,!eight!rocky!coastlines,!the!two!main!beaches,!four! control!
sites,! and! two! inland! surface! areas! containing! patches! of! native! ferns.! Less! than! 2%! of! the! ~20,000!
specimens! have! been! examined.! From!the!examined!materials,!at!least! 32! distinct! morphospecies! have!
been!identified!including! nine!potentially!undescribed! (i.e.,! new!and!potentially! endemic)! species,! three!
new! island! records!of! nonnative! species,! and! the! range! expansions! for! three!well-established! invasive!
species.! We! provide! recommendations! for! futur e! research! and! monitoring,! as! well! as! a! framework! for!
managing!the!area!supporting!the!10!previously!discovered!endemic!species.!
!!
1.0!Introduction!
Rapa!Nui!(Easter!Island)!is!one!of!the!most!ecologically!degraded!islands!in!the!South!Pacific.!
A! number! of! environmental! factors! including! geographic! isolation,! small! size,! shallow!
topographic! relief,! low! latitude! relative! to! the! equator,! and! aridity! (when! compared! with!
other!South!Pacific!islands)!predisposed!the!island!to!dramatic!human-induced!environmental!
change! (Rolett! and! Diamond! 2004).! Following! Polynesian! colonization! (800–1200! CE;!
Martinsson-Wallin! and! Crockford! 2001;! Hunt! and! Lipo! 2006;! Shepardson! et! al.! 2008;!
Wilmshurst! et! al.! 2011)! and! sometime! before! European! contact! in! 1722! (Fischer! 2005),! a!
catastrophic! ecological! shift! occurred!where! the! palm-dominated! shrub! forests! yielded! to!
grassland! (Wynne! et! al.! 2014).! The! sensitivity! of! the! palm-shrub! forest! ecosystem! to! fire!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
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(Mann! et! al.! 2008)!and! an! extended! drought! during! the! time! the! megalithic! civilization!
emerged!(Orliac!and!Orliac!1998;!Mann!et!al.!2008;!Sáez!et!al.!2009;!Stenseth!and!Voje!2009)!
likely!exacerbated!the!severity!of!human!impacts!on!the!environment.!Several!hundred!years!
later!(during!the! the! mid-nineteenth!century),! nearly! the!entire! island! was!converted!into! a!
century-long! sheep-grazing! operation! (Fischer! 2005)! leading! to! further! environmental!
degradation.!These!factors!constituted!the!loss!of!most!native!animal!and!plant!species.!
!
Today,!no! significant! stands!of! native! vegetation! remain! and!all! terrestrial! vertebrates!have!
gone! extinct.! Of! the! nearly! 400! arthropod!(insects! and! kin)!species,! roughly! 8%! (or! 31!
species)!are!considered!endemic!(Mockford!and!Wynne!2013;!Wynne!et!al.!2014;!Bernard!et!
al.!2015;!Taiti!and!Wynne!2015).!From!2008-2011,!research!in!10!caves!and!two!surface!areas!
(Wynne!2014;!Wynne!et! al.!2009,!2010,!2011,!2014)!resulted!in!the!identification!of!at!least!
10! new! species! –! increasing! the! number! of! endemics! by! one-third! from! 21! to! 31! species.!
Island!endemics!included!a!bark!louse!(Psocoptera,!Mockford!and!Wynne!2013),!two!species!
of!isopods!(Taiti!and!Wynne!2015),!and!five!species!of!Collembola!(or!springtails;!Bernard!et!
al.! 2015).! Two! additional! species,! identified! from! a! small! number! of! South! Pacific! islands,!
probably!arrived!with!early!Polynesian!colonizers!(Wynne!et!al.!2014).!!
!
The! remaining! 21! endemic! species! have! not! been! documented! in! several! decades.! In! most!
cases,!these! species!have! not!been! observed! since! taxonomists! initially! described! them.! We!
suggest! these! species! have! either! gone! extinct! or! have! such! small! populations! as! to! evade!
detection.!
!
The!discovery!of!10!endemic!species!despite!hundreds!of!years!of!anthropogenic!change!and!
competition! and! predation! by! nonnative! invasive! species! prompted! the! need! for! additional!
research.! We! suggested! additional! endemic! species! would! be! detected! in! areas! somewhat!
protected!from!humans,!livestock!and!rats,!as!well!as!within!patches!of!native!vegetation.!Our!
hypotheses!were:! (H1)! endemic! arthropod! species! persist! in! areas! which!humans,! livestock!
and!rats! are! unable!to! access! frequently;!(H2)! native!vegetation! serves! as!relict! habitats!for!
native!(endemic)!insects;!and,!(H3)!troglomorphic!(or!cave-adapted)!arthropods!exist!despite!
extensive!surface!disturbance.!To!address!our!hypotheses,!we!conducted!the!first!island-wide!
survey! targeting! environments! with! the! greatest! likelihood! for! supporting! endemic! insects.!
Specifically,! we:!(1)! inventoried!caves! using! a! variety! of! sampling! techniques;! (2)! collected!
insects!along!select!cliff!faces;!(3)!deployed! pitfall!traps! and! hand-collected!within!the!three!
crater! lakes;! (4)! surveyed! rocky! coastlines! and! beaches;! and,! (5)! sampled! select! surface!
control!sites.!
!
2.0!Methods!
2.1!Study!Area!
Rapa!Nui,!more!widely!known!as!Easter!Island!(or!Isla!de!Pascua),!is!approximately!164!km2!
(102!mi2).!Located!in!the!southern!Pacific!Ocean!at!latitude!27!09S,!longitude!109!25W,!this!
island!is!3,600!km!(2,237!mi)!west!of!continental! Chile,!2,933!km!(1823!mi)!west!of!the!Juan!
Fernandez!Islands,!and!2,075!km!(1,290!mi)!east!of!the!Pitcairn!Islands.!!
!
Our! research! was! limited! to! study! sites! occurring! within! the! boundary! of! Parque! Nacional!
Rapa! Nui! (PNRN),! Corporación! Nacional! Forestal! (CONAF).! We! sampled! a! total! of! 47! sites!
including:!20!caves;!10!cliff!faces;!the!three!crater!lakes;!eight!rocky!coastlines;!the!two!main!
beaches;!four!surface!control!sites;!and,!two!inland!surface!areas!containing!patches!of!native!
ferns!(Table!1;!Figure!1).!Appendix!1!is!a!map!of!Rapa!Nui!place!names.!!
!

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Table&1.!Summary! of!environments,!number!of!study!sites,! and!place!name!areas!sampled!on!Rapa!Nui!(Easter!
Island),!Polynesia,!Chile.!!
!
Environments!
Study/Sites!
Place/Names/
Caves!
20!
Anakena,!Omohi,!Orongo,!Ovahe,!Roiho,!Unai!
Cliffs!
10!
Poike,!Vai!a!Tare,!Rano!Kau!
Craters!
3!
Rano!Aroi,!Rano!Kau,!Rano!Raraku!
Rocky!shoreline!
8!
Akahanga,!Anakena,!Ovahe,!Tahai,!Vinapu!
Beach!
2!
Anakena,!Ovahe!
Surface!(Control)!
4!
Anakena,!Omohi,!Poike,!Roiho!
TOTAL!
47!
!
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2.2!Field!Operations!
We! examined! and! selected! study! sites! from! 09! June! through! 03! July! 2016.! Sampling! for!
ground-dwelling!arthropods!was!conducted!between!05!July!and!01!September!2016.!
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Figure&1.!Study!sites! of! caves! (red!points),!cliffs!(purple! points),!beaches!(blue!points),!crater!lakes!(turquoise!
circles),!rocky!coastlines! (orange!points),!surface!fern!gardens!(yellow!points)! and! surface! grids!(hollow!green!
squares)!sampled!between!05!July!and!01!September!2016,!Rapa!Nui,!Chile.!Point!locations!of!caves!were!offset!
to!protect!these!sensitive!resources.!Symbols!are!not!to!scale.!
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2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
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2.3!!Arthropod!Sampling!
2.3.1& Caves!
Caves! were! sampled! within! Anakena,! Omohi,! Orongo,! Ovahe,! Poike,! Roiho,! and! Unai.! We!
conducted!timed!direct! intuitive!searches!of!nine!caves!within!the!fern-moss!gardens,!baited!
and!leaf-litter!trapped!within!the!estimated!deep!zones!of!10!caves,!and!applied!a!combination!
of! direct! intuitive! searching! in! fern-moss! gardens,! and! baiting! and! leaf-litter! trapping! of!
estimated! deep! zones! within! one! cave.! Observers! also! collected! selectively! collected!
arthropods!opportunistically!as!encountered!within!each!cave.!
!
Fern-moss!gardens:!This!habitat!is!considered!a!relict!habitat!supporting!at!least!10!endemic!
cave-restricted! arthropods! in! Roiho!sector! caves! (Mockford! and! Wynne! 2013;! Wynne! et! al.!
2014;!Bernard! et! al.!2015;! Taiti! and!Wynne! 2015).! Vegetation!within! cave! entrances!across!
the!island!typically!included!three!species!of!nehe!nehe!or!fern!(Asplenium!obtusatum!G.!Forst!
var.! obtusatum,! Blechnum! paschale! (C.! Chr.)! Christenh.,! and! Pneumatopteris! costata!
(Brackenr.)! Holttum!var.! hispida! Holttum),!kava! kava! atua! (Vittaria! ensiformis! Sw.)! and!
several! moss! species! including! the! endemic! bryophyte! (Fissidens! pascuanus! Brotherus;! see!
Ireland!and!Bellolio!2002).!At!least! two! observers!spent!one!hour!carefully!searching!within!
the! vegetation! and! beneath! rocks! (after! which! the! rocks! were! carefully! returned! to!their!
original!locations).!Arthropods!were!collected!using!aspirators,!watercolor!paintbrushes,!and!
forceps.!A!total!of!18!person!hours!was!spent!examining!fern-moss!gardens!of!nine!caves.!
!
Deep!Zone! Sampling:!Within! each!estimated! cave! deep! zone,! we! deployed!an! array! of! baits!
and!at!least!one!leaf-litter!trap.!Baiting!deep!zones!is!commonly!used!to!detect! cave-adapted!
arthropods!(Howarth!et!al.!2007;!Wynne!2014;!Wynne!et!al.!2014).!Baits!included!three!types:!
(1)!camote!(or!sweet!potato;!Ipomoea!batatas!(L.)!Lam.),!(2)!fish!meat,!and!(3)!small!diameter!
branches! of! hibiscus! (Hibiscus! rosa-sinensis! L.).! We! placed! two! to! three! baits! of! each! type!
directly!on!the!ground!or!within!cracks!and! fissures! on! cave!walls!and!floors.!Two!leaf-litter!
traps! were! placed! on! the! cave! floor! within! each! deep! zone.! Leaf-litter! trap! construction!
consisted!of!a!piece!of!nylon!screen!(22!X!22!cm)!with!wet!leaves!of!hibiscus!(H.!rosa-sinensis)!
placed!directly!on!the!screen.!Baits!and!leaf-litter!traps!were!deployed!for!10!days.!On!the!last!
day,!baits! were!checked,! arthropods!collected,! and!baits! were! removed! from! each! sampling!
area.!Leaf-litter!traps!were!carefully!placed!in!one-gallon!ziplock!bags!and!processed!using!a!
Berlese!funnel!extractor! upon!return!to!basecamp.!Total!sampling!effort! for!baiting!and!leaf-
litter!trapping! of! estimated! deep! zones!was! approximately!1,440! bait!hours! (six!baits! at! 10!
days)!and!240!trap!hours!(two!leaf-litter!traps)!per!cave!at!11!caves.!!
!
Microclimate!Data!Collection:!At!each!sampling!station,!we!placed!HoboPro©!U-23-001!remote!
data!loggers.!Sampling!stations!consisted!of!fern-moss!gardens!in!cave!entrances!and!bait-leaf!
litter!trap!arrays!within!cave!deep!zones.!Data!was!collected!hourly!for!10!days.!
!
Cave!Mapping:!We!mapped!15!caves!in!the!regions!of!Anakena,!Omohi,!Ovahe,!Poike,!and!Unai.!
A!two!to!three!person!mapping!team!(cartographer,!instrument!reader!and!sketcher)!mapped!
most!of! the! caves! for! which! maps! have! not! been!developed.! The!cartographer! selected! and!
established! survey! stations,! measured! distance! between! stations,! and! determined! passage!
dimensions.! The! instrument! reader! measured! the! horizontal! and! vertical! angles,! while! the!
sketcher!recorded!the!numeric!data!and!produced!a!descriptive!drawing!of!the!cave!passage.!
For!the!two!person!mapping!team,!one!person!served!as!cartographer!and!sketcher,!while!the!
second! was! the! instrument! reader.! Instruments! used! for! mapping! consisted! of! Leica©!laser!
range!finder,!Suunto®!compass!and!Suunto®!inclinometer.!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
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All! notes,! sketches! and! data! have! been! sent! to! Dr.! Patricia! Kambesis! at! Western! Kentucky!
University!to!develop!maps.!Maps!are!presently!under!development.!
!
2.3.2&Cliffs!
We!sampled!four!areas!along!the!southern!cliffs!of!Poike,!four!areas!in!Vai!a!Tare,!one!site!at!
Orongo,!and!the!eastern!crater!wall!of!Rano!Kau.!Cliffs!were!selected!based!upon!the!presence!
of!native!plant!species,!the!presence!of!a!steep!slope,!and!the!ability!to!rig!the!ropes!safely.!At!
each!cliff,!two!sets!of!ropes!(a!rappel!line!and!safety!line)!were!anchored!to!the!front!axle!and!
tire! rims! of! our! field! vehicle.! For! each! set! of! ropes,! spacing! was! ≥5! meters! enabling! two!
observers! to! rappel! and! work! a! ≥5! m! section! of! each! cliff! wall.! Observers! searched! within!
patches! of! endemic! or! indigenous! vegetation! consisting! primarily! of! hiku! kio’e! (Cyperus!
cyperoides!Lam.),!heriki!hare!(Paspalum!forterianum!Flüggé),!and!nehe!nehe!(A.!obtusatum!var.!
obtusatum).!We! applied! timed! direct! intuitive! searches!at! each! cliff! site! for! a! total! of! three!
person!hours!(1.5!hours!per!person!per!cliff!section).!Arthropods!were!collected!arthropods!
using! aspirators,! watercolor! paintbrushes,! and! forceps.! Total! sample! effort! was! 29! person!
hours!at!10!different!cliff!faces.!!
!
2.3.3&Crater&Lakes!
For! each! crater! lake! (Rano! Aroi,! Rano! Kau,! and! Rano! Raraku),! we! deployed! as! many! as! 40!
pitfall!traps.!Each!grid!was!placed!in!endemic!or!indigenous!vegetation;!the!plant!association!
at!the!edge! of!each!crater! lake!is!ngaatu!(Schoenoplectus!californicus!(C.A.!Mey.)!Steud.)! and!
tavari!(Persicaria!acuminate!(Kunth)!M.!Gómez).!!
!
Rano! Kau! is! the! crater! of! the! greatest! interest! biologically.! This! crater! likely! supports! the!
highest! diversity! of! plant! species! on! the! island.! Dubois! et! al.! (2013)! has! listed! at! least! 12!
endemic! or! indigenous! plants! and! at! least! five! Polynesian-introduced! plant! species.!
Additionally,! it! is! a! feature! with! high! habitat! heterogeneity.! Crater! walls! receive! varying!
degrees!of!insolation!given!aspect,!time!of!day!and!season,!and!the!interior!is!characterized!by!
large!boulder!fields,! vertical! cliff!faces,!and!dense!vegetation!ranging!from!thick!grassland!to!
forest.!Additionally,!Rano!Kau!contains!a!perennial!crater!lake!and!is!not!accessible!to!tourists,!
horses,!or!cattle.! High!habitat! heterogeneity!or! complexity!has!been! identified!as! a!variable!
driving!high!species!richness!of!various!arthropod!groups!(Gardner!et!al.!1995;!Humphrey!et!
al.!1999;!Hansen!2000).!!!
!
Efforts!were!made!to!deploy!grids!within!each!cardinal!direction!(north,!south,!east!and!west)!
of! each! crater.!However,! logistics! associated! with! access! within! Rano! Kau! resulted! in! the!
sampling! grids! deployed! at! approximately! 30°,! 120°,! 210°,! and! 300°! with! 40! traps! were!
deployed!and!38!retrieved.!Within!Rano!Aroi,!40!traps!were!deployed!and!retrieved.!In!Rano!
Raraku,! native! vegetation! occurred! as! a! narrow! band! ranging! from! five! to! 10! m! wide.! As! a!
result,! a! single! transect! of!10! traps! was! deployed! in! each! cardinal! direction! contouring! the!
band!of!native!vegetation.!!
!
Trap!spacing!was!5-m!with!a!total!of!≤10!pitfall!traps!per!cardinal!direction!(total!≤!40!surface!
traps).! In! Rano! Kau! and! Rano! Aroi! (where! grids! were! established),! grid! size! was! 5! X! 25!
meters.!Pitfall!traps!were!constructed!(sensu!Wynne!et!al.!2014)!with!a!22-cm!segment!of!SDR!
35!PVC!pipe!(3.2-cm!inner! diameter),!which!served!as!the!outer!sleeve.!A!32!mm! (ID)!X!200!
mm-long!borosilicate!glass!test!tube!was!inserted!within!the!PVC!sleeve.!A!7.6-cm!segment!of!
SDR!35!PVC!pipe!(5.1!cm!inner!diameter)!was!cut!in!half.!One!half!was!used!to!construct!the!
pitfall!trap!cover,!which!was!secured!to!the!PVC!sleeve!with!16!gauge!steel!wire!and!duct!tape.!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
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A!space!of!approximately!2!cm!was!permitted!between!the!cover!and!rim!of!the!test!tube.!The!
test!tube!was!three-quarters!filled!with!propylene!glycol.!All!pitfall!traps!were!countersunk!to!
ground!surface!and!deployed!for!10!days.!Additionally,!one!to!two!observers!spent!up!to!one!
hour!opportunistically!collecting!arthropods!in!random!locations!within!each!crater.!
!
2.3.4& Rocky&Shorelines&and&Beaches!
Rocky!coasts!were!selected!based!upon!minimal!to!no!observable!recent!human! disturbance!
(i.e.,! undeveloped)! and! their! relative! ease! of! access.! We! sampled! eight! rocky! coastlines! in!
Akahanga!(two!locations),!Anakena!(two!locations),!Ovahe!(two!locations),!and!one!location!in!
both!Tahai,!and!Vinapu.!Observers!searched!for!and!collected!arthropods!using!a!timed!direct!
intuitive!search!approach! within! native!vegetation! as! well!as! beneath! rocks,!within! crevices!
and! shallow! cave! features.! We! sampled! small! patches! of! A.!obtusatum!var.! obtusatum!ferns!
within!most!of!the!rocky!coasts;!additionally,!one!large!patch!of!P.!forterianum!was!examined!
at! Vinapu.! Searches! along! the! Akahanga! and! Ovahe! coastlines! were! primarily! within! and!
beneath!rocks.!The!two!main!beaches!were!also!sampled!by!examining!detrital! bands! at! the!
high! tide! boundary,! examining! decomposing! algae! and! animals! washed! ashore! and! by!
searching!within!the! beach-vegetation!boundary.!At!all! locations,!observers!used! aspirators,!
watercolor!paintbrushes,!and!forceps!to!collect!arthropods.!Three!to!four!observers!per!night!
and/or! per! sample! location! spent! two! hours! searching! (as! many! as! eight! person! hours! per!
site).!Total! sampling! effort! for! rocky!shorelines! was!11! nights! (or! 86! person! hours)!and! 33!
person!hours!for!beaches.!
!
2.3.5& Surface&Control&Grids&Adjacent&Cave&Clusters!
We! deployed! surface! grids! using! pitfall! traps! (same! trap! type!used! for! crater! sampling)! in!
Anakena,!Omohi,!Poike!and!Roiho!–!those!areas!containing!clusters!of!cave!sample!sites.!Grids!
were!15!X!20!meter!in!size!with!trap!spacing!at!5-m!and!a!total!of!20!pitfall!traps!per!grid.!We!
used!surface! grids!as! control!sites.!Information! collected! from! control! sites! may! be! used! as!
further! evidence! to! suggest! a! particular! species! may! be! restricted! to! one! of! the! four!
environments!hypothesized!to!support!endemic!ground-dwelling!arthropods.!
!
In!Anakena!and!Omohi!(between!the!ten!day!deployment!of!06!–!17!August!2016),!there!was!a!
significant! amount! of! rain! that! flooded! approximately! half! of! the! traps! in! both! areas.! This!
resulted!in!the!accelerated!decomposition!of!arthropods!within! traps! containing! floodwater.!
As!a!result,!many!of!the!specimens!within!these!traps!were!damaged!or!lost.!!
!
Additionally,! at! four! areas! in! Omohi! one! of! the! northern! most! sectors! of! the! island,! we!
sampled!concentrations!of! indigenous!A.!obtusatum!var.!obtusatum!occurring!on! the! surface!
adjacent! to! a! few! of! our! study!caves.! We! sampled! between! one! to! two! hours! per! patch! of!
native!vegetation.!
!
2.3.6& Arthropod&Collection&and&Curation!
All! specimens! were! collected! and! curated! in! 70! and! 95%! isopropyl! alcohol.! Given! shipping!
restrictions! to! and! from! Rapa! Nui,! it! was! not! possible! to! use! ethanol.! Currently,! we! are!
transferring!all!samples!into!75!and!95%!ethanol.!All!specimens!will!be!temporarily!housed!at!
the!Colorado!Plateau!Museum!of!Arthropod!Biodiversity,!Northern!Arizona!University!(NAU).!
Once! materials! have! been! sorted,! cataloged,! and!analyzed,! select! taxonomic! groups! will! be!
sent!to!specialists!for!conformation!of!species!identifications!and/or!to!formally!describe!new!
species.! Holotypes! and! paratypes! of! all! new! species! will! be! curated! at! Museo! Nacional! de!
Historia!Natural,! Santiago,! Chile.! Voucher! collections! will! be!housed! at! the! Bishop! Museum,!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
7!
Honolulu,!Hawai'i,!Museo!Nacional!de!Historia!Natural,! Santiago,!Chile,!and!Colorado!Plateau!
Museum!of!Arthropod!Biodiversity,!NAU.!
!
2.3.7& Information&Transferal&and&Management&of&Sensitive&Data&
Copies!of!all!photographs,!information!and!data! collected!during!this!project!are!on!file!with!
Parque! Nacional! Rapa! Nui,! Oficina! Provincial,! CONAF,! Isla! de! Pascua,! Chile.! This! includes!
coordinate!data!for!all!sample!sites.!Once!peer-reviewed!science!papers!are!produced,!we!will!
use!cave!codes!provided!by! the!national!park!to!further!protect!these!sensitive!sites!and! the!
resources! they! contain.! Also,! we! will! offset! cave! point! locations! on! all! maps! produced! to!
further!protect!these! resources.!The! national!park!maintains!a!database! of! cave! names!with!
associated! cave! codes.! Copies! of! all! papers! with! both! cave! codes! and! cave! names! will! be!
submitted!to!the!national!park.!!
!
3.0! Results!
We!collected!~20,000!specimens!of!ground-dwelling!arthropods.!We!examined!less!than!2%!
of! these! specimens! resulting! in! the! identification! of! 32! different! arthropod! morphospecies!
(Appendix! 2).! Of! these,! at! least! nine! morphospecies! may! be! undescribed! (i.e.,! new! and!
potentially!endemic;!Figures!2!and!3),!three!morphospecies!represent!new!island!records!of!
invasive!species!(e.g.,!Figure! 3B),!and!four!previously!known!invasive!species!were!detected!
in!some!of!the!more!remote!areas!on!the!island!(Figure!4).!
!
&
&
Figure!2.!Potentially!undescribed!(i.e.,! new!and!possibly!endemic)! species!from!caves,!cliffs!and!an!island!wide!
distribution.![A]!Anthribidae! sp.! 1! (Coleoptera:!Anthribidae),! determined!Michael! Geiser,! and! [B]!Styloniscidae!
sp.!(Isopoda:!Styloniscidae),!determined!Stefano!Taiti,!from!the!aphotic!zone!of!cave!in!Anakena,!northern!Rapa!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
8!
Nui.! [C]! Pteronemobius!sp.! (Orthoptera:! Nemobiinae)! was! collected! from!several! sites! along! coasts,! cliffs! and!
within! surface! control! grids! across! the! island.! Determined! Daniel! Otte.! [D]! Fulgoroidea! sp.! (Hemiptera,!
Infraorder:!Fulgoromorpha,! Superfamily:!Fulgoroidea)! collected!from!Poike! cliffs.! Determined!Hannelore!Hoch!
and!Frank!Howarth.!Photos!courtesy!Byron!Yeager!(A,!B,!D)!and!Sebastian!Yancovic!Pakarati!(C).!
!
The!nine!potentially!undescribed!species!include!one!species!of!isopod,!a!species!of!amphipod,!
one!species!of! tetragnathid! spider,! three!species! of! planthoppers! (Superfamly!Fulgoroidea),!
two! species! of! anthribid! beetles,! and! one! species! of! nemobiin! cricket.! Styloniscidae!sp.!
(Isopoda:! Styloniscidae)! was! collected! from! the! midpoint! and! aphotic! zone! within! a! large!
tunnel! cave! (~280! m! in! length).! Taiti! (pers.! comm.! 2016)! indicated! this! morphospecies!
appeared! different! from! Styloniscus! manuvaka! Taiti! and! Wynne! 2015! and! may! be! a! new!
species.! At! least! one! morphospecies! from! the! family! Talitridae! (Amphipoda)! was! collected!
from!beneath!and!on!rocks!along!the! shorelines! of! Ovahe!and!Anakena.!No!amphipods!have!
been!previously!described! from! Rapa!Nui;! thus,! this!animal! may! be!undescribed! (J.! Lowery,!
pers.!comm.!2016).!Tetragnatha!sp.!(Araneae:!Tetragnathidae)!were!collected!from!individual!
webs! within! S.!californicus! reeds! along! the! shores! of! the! crater! lake! in! Rano! Raraku.! Aside!
from!the!presumed!extinct!Tetragnatha!paschae!Berland,!1924,!no!other!Tetragnatha!species!
are! known! from!Rapa! Nui.! This! animal! does! not! fit! the! morphological! descriptions! of! T.!
paschae,!any!known!Tetragnatha!species!from!Chile!(Nicolet!1849;!Keyserling!1865),!or!other!
Pacific!islands!(R.!Gillespie!pers.!comm.!2015).!Possibly! three!distinct!species!of!Hemipterans!
(Infraorder! Fulgoromorpha:! Superfamly! Fulgoroidea)! were! collected! from! native! grasses! in!
three!different!coastlines.!One!morphospecies!was!collected!from!the!base!of!the! indigenous!
grass! C.!cyperoides!along! the! southern! Poike! cliffs,! a! second! morphospecies! was! found! in! a!
similar! niche! within! the! indigenous! grass! P.! forterianum!in! Vinapu,! while!a! third!
morphospecies!was!collected!at!the!base!of!S.!californicus!reeds!at!Rano!Aroi!crater!lake.!Two!
potentially! undescribed! species! of! anthribid! (Coleoptera:! Anthribidae)! beetles! were! also!
collected!–!one!morphospecies!from!the!midpoint!of!the!same!270!m!tunnel!cave!supporting!
the! styloniscid! isopod! with! the! second! morphospecies! detected! along! the! midsections! of! S.!
californicus! reeds! in! crater! lake! Rano! Raraku.!Pteronemobius! sp.! (Orthoptera:! Nemobiinae)!
was!collected!in!several!sites!including!rocky!and!sandy!shorelines!of!Anakena!and!Ovahe!on!
the!north!shore,!the!rocky!coastline!of!Akahanga!on!the!south!shore,!the!southern!coast!of!the!
Poike!cliffs,!and!inland!from!a!surface!grid!on!the!north!shore!at!Anakena.!!
!
Three!morphospecies! represent!new! island! records! of! invasive! species.! Littorophiloscia! sp.?!
(Isopoda:! Halophilosciidae)! was! collected! from! beneath! rocks! about! 100! m! east! of! Ovahe!
Beach.!While!species!of!Littorophiloscia!are!known!for!the!Pacific!!(S.!Taiti,!pers.!comm.!2016).!
Specimens! from! the! millipede! family! Cambalidae! (Diplopoda:! Cambalidea;! W.! Shear,! pers.!
comm.!2016)! were!collected! from! the! rocky! shorelines! of! Ovahe.! Additionally,! a!collembola!
species! with! a! habitus! pattern! similar! to! Entomobrya! atrocincta! Schott,! 1896! (Collembola:!
Entomobryidae;! E.! Bernard,! pers.! comm.! 2016)! was! collected! at! several! locations! on! the!
southern! Poike! cliffs.! Bernard! (pers.! comm.! 2016)! indicates! this! species! has! a! wide!
distribution! and! is! known! from! at! least! two! continents.! None! of! these! groups! have! been!
previously!documented!on!Rapa!Nui.!
!
Three! previously! known! invasive! species! (Porcellio! scaber!Latreille,! 1804,! Armadillidium!
vulgare!(Latreille,! 1804),!and! Oxidus! gracilis!(Koch,! 1847))! were! detected! in! remote!
environments! on! the! island.! All! of! these! species! were! found! in! both! remote! caves! in! the!
Anakena,!Omohi!and!Unai!in!the!northern!most!extent!of!the!island!and!along!the!Poike!cliffs.!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
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Previously,! none! of! these! species! were! known! from! these! new! localities! –! expanding! the!
geographical!range!of!these!animals.!
!
No!cave-adapted!arthropods! were! confirmed! during!our!preliminary! examination! of! a!small!
number!of!arthropod!specimens.!!
!
4.0! Discussion!
The!results! presented! here! are! preliminary.!We! collected! ~20,000! arthropod! specimens;!of!
these,!less!than!~2%!have!been!sorted!and!preliminarily!analyzed.!The!remaining!specimens!
will! take! between! six! months! to! a! year! to! sort,! analyze! and! ship! (as! needed! to! taxonomic!
specialists).! We! estimate! it! will! take!between! two! to! five! years! before! species! identified! as!
undescribed! (or! new! and! endemic)! can! be! formally! described! and! the! results! published! in!
scientific!papers.!
!
Figure! 3.!Potentially! undescribed!(i.e.,!new! and! possibly!endemic)! species! from!crater!lakes,!rocky!shorelines!
and! beaches,! Rapa! Nui.! [A]! Tetragnatha!sp.! (Araneae:! Tetragnathidae)! collected! from! individual! spider! webs!
within!Schoenoplectus!californicus!reeds! along! the! shore! of! the!crater!lake! in! Rano! Raraku.! Determined!Darko!
Cotores.![B]!An!undetermined!species!of!the!genus!Littorophiloscia!(Family!Halophilosciidae),!which!represents!a!
new!island!record!for!this!family!and!genus,!but!may!also!represent!an!undescribed!species.!Determined!Stefano!
Taiti.! [C]! Anthribidae! sp.! 2! (Coleoptera:! Anthribidae)! detected! within! same! locality! as! Tetragnatha! sp.!
Determined!Michael!Geiser.![D]!Terrestrial!amphipod!of!the!Family!Talitridae!was!found!beneath!rocks!along!the!
shoreline!on!the!beaches!of!Ovahe!and!Anakena.!No!amphipods!have!been!described!from!Rapa!Nui;!this!is!likely!
a!new!and!endemic!species.!Determined!James!Lowery.!Photos!courtesy!Byron!Yeager!(A,!C)!and!Nicholas!Glover!
(B,!D).!
!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
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Of!the!possible!undescribed!species,!Tetragnatha!sp.!is!potentially!endemic!(Cotoras!et!al.!In!
Review).! However,! additional! taxonomic! work! will! be! required! to! make! this! determination.!
Additionally,! this! species! may! have! a! narrowly! defined! range! –! Rano! Raraku! crater.! This!
animal! was! not! detected! in! the! Roiho! area! by! Wynne! (2014),! 13! areas! sampled! across! the!
island! (Cotoras! et! al.! In!Review),! or! in! the! various! other! environments! sampled! during! this!
study.!We! recommend! expanding!the! search! into!other! areas!to!further!assess! this! animal’s!
range.!!
!
Another! potentially! endemic! species! is! Pteronemobius! sp.! (Family! Nemobiinae).! In!2009,!
Wynne!(2014)!collected!two!immature!individuals!of!this!nemobiin!cricket.!Daniel!Otte!(pers.!
comm.!2013)!suggested!it!may!represent!a!new!species,!but!adult!males!would!be!required!to!
make!this!determination.!During!this!study,!more!than!30!individuals,!including!several!large!
males,! females,! immatures! and! nymphs,! were! collected.! Additionally,! we! collected! the!
specimens!from!several!localities!including!rocky!and!sandy!shorelines!of!Anakena!and!Ovahe!
along!the!north!shore,!rocky!coastline!at!Akahanga!along!the!south!shore,!the!southern!Poike!
cliffs!in!the!eastern!corner!of!the!island,!and!inland!from!a!surface!grid!on!northern!extent!of!
the! island! in! Anakena.! With! this! large! number! of! individuals! of! various! life! stages,! we! now!
have! the! specimens! required! to! determine! whether! this! is! an! undescribed! (and! potentially!
endemic)!species.!
&
Figure!4.!Examples!of!invasive!species!identified!in!various!localities!across!the!island,!Rapa!Nui.! [A]!Araecerus!
fasciculatus!collected!from!Poike!cliffs.![B]!Porcellio!scaber.! Specimen! collected!from!Poike!cliffs! but! detected! in!
all!habitats!across!island.![C]!Steatoda!cf.!grossa.!Specimen!collected!from!Poike!cliffs,!but!also!common!in!caves.!
Determined!Darko!Cotoras.![D]!Isometrus!maculatus!collected!from!surface!fern!gardens!in!Omohi,!northern!most!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
11!
extent!of!the!island,!but!also!detected!in!caves!in!Roiho!(Wynne!2014)!and!Ovahe.!Photos!courtesy!Byron!Yeager!
(A,!B,!C)!and!Sebastian!Yancovic!Pakarati!(D).!
!
While!this!reaches!slightly!beyond!the!purview!of!the!present!work,!the!lead!author’s!was!able!
to!use!his!time!on!the!island!to!meet!with!several!community!members!and!Parque!Nacional!
Rapa!Nui-!CONAF!staff!personnel!to!develop!a!framework!for!a!natural!and!cultural!resource!
management!plan!for!all!of!Roiho!(Appendix!3).!We!are!hopeful!the!focal!elements!presented!
will! be! considered! as! the! island! addresses! the! challenges! of! balancing! natural! resource!
management!with!the!demands!of!tourism.!Currently,!Roiho!is!the!only!area!known!to!support!
the! 10! endemic! cave-restricted! arthropod! species.! Through! developing! this! management!
framework!and!with!the!initial!recommendations!provided!by!Wynne!et!al.!(2014),!we!believe!
these! recommendations! will! serve! as! a! roadmap! for! protecting! the! island’s! only! known!
populations!of!endemic!arthropods.!!
!
Wynne! et! al.! (2014)! suggested! these! endemic! species! of! Roiho! are! imperiled.! We! suggest!
other!endemic!species!will!be!equally!imperiled!as!they!face!many!of!the!same!threats!as!the!
cave-restricted!species!of!Roiho.!These!impacts!include!(1)!competition!with!and!predation!by!
nonnative!invasive! arthropod! species;! (2)! on-going!and! heightened! human! activities! on! the!
island;!(3)! increased!drought! conditions! driven! by! global! climate! change;! and,! (4)!intensive!
and!extensive!livestock!grazing!(Wynne!2014;!Wynne!et!al.!2014).!Additionally,!the!nonnative!
invasive! plant! species’! encroachment! into! pockets! of! native! vegetation! may! also! further!
threaten!the!ability!of!endemic!arthropods!to!persist.!!
!
The!three!invasive!species!(P.!scaber,!A.!vulgare,!and!O.!gracilis)!were!detected!in!the!remote!
regions! of!the! island! suggest! all! of! these! animals! are! well-established! and! likely! have! large!
populations.! In! particular,! Porcellio! scaber! may! be! of! greatest! concern.! First! detected! by!
Fuentes!(1914)!over!100! years!ago,!it!was!the!most!abundant! species!detected!during!2008-
2011!cave!and!surface!surveys!in!the!Roiho!Sector!(n!=!402!caves;!n!=!4,100!surface;!Wynne!et!
al.!2014),!and!is!now!known!to!occur!on!the!remote!cliffs!of!Poike!cliffs,!surface!control!grids!
in! Anakena,! and! the! rocky! coastlines! and! beaches! of! Anakena! and! Ovahe.! The! lead! author!
observed!this! species! in! large! numbers! across! most! sites! surveyed.! Tentatively,! this! animal!
appears! to! be! the! most! abundant! alien! species! from! our! work.! Howarth! et! al.! (2001)!
considered!P.!scaber!one! of! the! most!damaging!alien!arthropods!to!the! native! ecosystems! of!
Hawai'i.!Thus,!it!may!pose!similar!problems!for!endemic!species!on!Rapa!Nui.!!
!
With!endemic! and! indigenous!plants! comprising! a!fraction! of!the! plant! community!on! Rapa!
Nui!(n!≈!48;!Dubois!et!al.!2013),!nonnative!invasive!plants!predominate!the!island!landscape.!
Nonnative!invasive!plants!are!in!competition!with!native!plants!for!the!same!finite!resources.!
By!extension,!the!loss!of!native!plants!may!adversely!affect!native!insect!populations.!In!most!
cases,! we! found! possible! endemic! (undescribed)! species! in! association! with! native! plants.!
Additionally,!Bernard!et!al.!(2015),!Taiti!and!Wynne!(2015)!and!Mockford!and!Wynne!(2013)!
described!10!endemic!arthropods!from!endemic!ferns!within!caves!in!Roiho.!Thus,!we!suggest!
promoting! and! managing! native! plant! habitats! will! also! serve! to! protect! endemic! insect!
populations.!
!
We!hypothesized! cliff!faces,! in! general,!represented! a! protected! environment.! Wood! (2012)!
identified!steep!cliff!faces!on!the!Hawaiian!Islands!as!supporting!endemic!relict!plant!species,!
which! have! been! extirpated! elsewhere! on! the! islands! due! to! competition! with! nonnative!
invasive!plant!species,!predation!by!invasive! pigs! and!goats,!and!human!development.!While!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
12!
we! did! find! pockets! of! native! plants! (A.! obtusatum! var.! obtusatum! and! C.! cyperoides)!along!
most!of!the!cliff! faces! examined,!we!also!observed!a! nonnative! invasive!plant!species!kaiore!
(Cirsium! vulgare!(Savi)! Ten.)!interspersed! within! the! native! vegetation.! This! species! is! a!
noxious! and/! or! invasive! weed! in! nine! states! in! the! United! States! (USDA! 2016),! as! well! as!
other!countries!including!Australia!(WAH!2016)!and!parts!of!east!Africa!(BioNET-EAFRINET,!
2016).!Cirsium!vulgare!is!a!successful!invader!of! disturbed! areas,! producing!as!many!as! 200!
wind-dispersed!seeds!per!flower!(Klinkhamer!et!al.!1988;!Forcella!and!Randall!1994).!Dubois!
et! al.! (2013)! indicates! this! species! was! introduced! around! 1970,! and! its! “explosive”! range!
expansion!on!the!island!was!due!to!wind,!overgrazing,!and!fire.!Whether!this!species!poses!a!
threat!to!the!persistence!of!native!plants!on!Rapa!Nui!is!not!presently!known,!but!is!likely.!We!
suggest! efforts! to! monitor! this! plant! within! remote! and! relatively! inaccessible! areas!
containing!native!plants!(and!potentially!endemic!insects).!!
!
Although! we! have! yet! to! identify! any! cave-adapted! arthropods! from! this! work,! we! do! not!
exclude!the! possibility!of! their!occurrence.! Firstly,! it! is! possible! some! of! the! smaller! bodied!
taxa! (e.g.,! Acari! and! Collembola)! collected! may! represent! cave-adapted! forms.! We! have! not!
examined! all! the! specimens! collected! during! the! cave! sampling! effort.! Thus,! our! statement!
that! no! troglomorphic! arthropods! were! identified! from! this! study! may! be! premature.!
Secondly,!of!the!estimated!800!caves!are!known!to!Rapa!Nui,!only!30!caves!have!been!sampled!
thus!far!–!10!by!Wynne!(2014)!and!Wynne!et!al.!(2014)!and!20!during!this!study.!Thus,!there!
are!many!other!sites!that!need!to!be!sampled.!In!particular,!cliff!caves!may!yield!the!highest!
likelihood!for!supporting!cave-adapted!taxa.!A!comprehensive!survey!of!cliff!caves!is!needed.!
Once!completed,!the!caves!identified!may!be!assessed!for!rope!access,!and!then!prioritized!to!
sample!for!troglomorphic!arthropods.!
!
The! neighboring! islets! of! Rapa! Nui! represent! another! high! priority! target!in! the! search! for!
endemic! arthropods.! These! islets! have! been! infrequently! visited! by! humans,! most! support!
native!plant!species,!and!are!not!populated!by!rats!and!livestock.!
!
This! expedition! represents! the! largest! study! to! search! for! endemic! ground-dwelling!
arthropods! in! some! of! the! most! difficult! to! access! areas! on! the! island.! Although! our! final!
results!and!conclusions!will!be!important!for!guiding!future!management!decisions,!this!study!
was!a!baseline!effort.!Only!a!fraction!of!caves,!cliffs,!and!coasts!were!sampled,!and!additional!
sampling!is!required!in!the!crater!lakes.!!
!
Thus,!a!follow-on! study!is!necessary.! We! recommend!additional! sampling! the!environments!
previously!studied,! as! well!as! expanding! the!search! effort! to!cliff! caves!and! the!neighboring!
islets.!We!recommend!a!study!design!using!multiple!visits!per!study!site!(see!MacKensie!et!al.!
2002),!applying!many!the! same! sampling!techniques!used!during!this! work,! and!conducting!
work!during!the!summer!when!productivity!of!arthropods!is!expected!to!be!highest.!Through!
this!effort,! we! will! improve! our! understanding! of! the! island’s!natural! history,! further! refine!
the!distributions!of!known!endemic!arthropods,!and!likely!discover!additional!new!species!of!
endemic!arthropods.!Information!acquired!through!this!effort!will!aid!in!developing!resource!
management!plans!required!to!protect!the!imperiled!endemic!arthropod!species’!populations!
of!Rapa!Nui.!
!
5.0!! Preliminary!Findings!
• Tentative!identifications!of!at!least!nine!ground-dwelling!endemic!arthropods!detected!in!
each! of! the! four! environments! (caves,! cliffs,! coasts,! and! crater! lakes)! underscores! the!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
13!
importance!of!these!environments!to!future!conservation!and!management!efforts.!
• Two!possible!new!endemic!species!were!identified!from!one!cave!in!the!northern!sector!of!
Anakena.! This! discovery,! in! addition! to! the! 10! cave-restricted! species! confirmed! from!
Roiho,!further!emphasizes!the!importance!of!cave!habitats!for!endemic!species.!
• The! protection! and! enhancement! of! native! plant! habitat! will! likely! be! important! to!
protecting!endemic!arthropod!populations.!!
• Cliff! caves! and! the! neighboring! islets! represent! new! high-priority! targets! for! future!
research.!
!
6.0!!Team!Composition!&!Explorers!Club!Flag!Photos!
Three! teams! conducted! field! operations! during! three! three-week! field! sessions! (Table! 2):!
team!1!(02!–!22!July!2016),! team! 2! (26!July!–!11!August!2016),!and!team!3!(14!August!–!01!
September! 2016).! Team! 1! (Brizuela,! Glover,! Hicks,! Ika,! Manuheuroroa,! Shipley,! Wynne! and!
Yancovic)! successfully! sampled! Rano! Kau! crater,! as! well! as! caves! and! coasts,! while! team! 2!
(Brizuela,!Fies,!Ika,! Kisner,! Marinakis,!Wynne!and!Yancovic)! primarily! sampled! and!mapped!
caves,! as! well! as! searched! for! insects! along! coasts! and! within! Rano! Raraku! crater.! Team! 3!
(Bristow,! Ika,! Wynne,! Yancovic,! and! Yeager)! sampled! the! cliffs! of! Poike,! Orongo,! and! Vai! a!
Tare.!Explorers!Club!flag!(#139)!expedition!photos!for!each!team!are!provided!in!Appendix!4.!
!
Table! 2.! 2016! Rapa! Nui! Endemic! Insects! Expedition! team! members,! affiliations! and! roles.! Unless! otherwise!
noted,!team!members!participated!throughout!the!entire!field!operational!period.!
!
Member/
Affiliation/
Role/
Jut!Wynne,!Ph.D.,!FN’06!
Northern!Arizona!University!
Expedition!lead;!Ecologist!
Francisco!Ika!
Parque!Nacional!Rapa!Nui,!CONAF!
Project! Deputy-lead;! Park! Ranger;! Naturalist;! Biological!
Technician!
Sebastian!Yancovic!Pakarati!
Consejo! de! Monumentos!
Nacionales!and! Manu! Project,!Rapa!
Nui!
Advisor;!Photographer;!Naturalist;!Biological!Technician!
Pedro!Lazo!Hucke!
Parque!Nacional!Rapa!Nui,!CONAF!
Park!Ranger;!Naturalist;!Biological!Technician!
Sergio!Manuheuroroa!
Parque!Nacional!Rapa!Nui,!CONAF!
Park! Ranger;! Naturalist;! Archaeologist;! Biological!
Technician!
Lillian!Gonzales!
Parque!Nacional!Rapa!Nui,!CONAF!
Logistics,!permitting!and!on-island!support!
Lazaro!Pakarati!
Consejo!de!Ancianos,!Rapa!Nui!
Logistics!and!Study!Site!Selection!
Rafael! Rodríguez! Brizuela,!
M.S.!
Universidad! Nacional! de! Córdoba,!
Argentina!
Geologist;! Logistics! and!Planning;! Team! 1! Cave!
Cartographer;!Team!1!and!2!Biological!Technician!!
Cristian!Villagra,!Ph.D.!
Universidad! Metropolitana! de!
Ciencias!de!la!Educación,!Santiago!
Mainland!logistics!and!support!
Rosa!Scherson,!Ph.D.!
University!of!Chile,!Santiago!
Mainland!logistics!and!support!
Nicholas!Glover,!EMT,! OMS!
II,!SM’12!
Western! University! of! Health!
Sciences!of!the!Pacific!
Team! 1! Deputy! Expedition! Lead! and! Deputy! Medical!
Officer;!Photographer;!Biological!Technician!
Lynn!Hicks,!M.D.,!MN’09!
Glynn!Immediate!Care!
Team!1!Senior!Medical!Officer;!Biological!Technician!
Benjamin!Shipley!
University!of!Colorado!–!Boulder!
Team!1!Lab!Director;!Biological!Technician!
Eric!Fies,!CSM(R),!FRGS!
North!Star!Adventure!Consulting!
Team! 2! Deputy! Expedition! Lead;! Deputy! Cave!
Cartographer;!Biological!Technician!!
Ivory!Marinakis,!EMT!
Northern!Arizona!University!
Team! 2! Senior! Medical! Officer;! Lab! Director;! Biological!
Technician!
Dustin!Kisner!
University!of!Cincinnati,!Ohio!
Team!2!Lead!Cave!Cartographer;!Biological!Technician!
Drew!Bristow!
Explore!Trees,!Inc.,!Fiji!
Team! 3! Deputy! Expedition! Lead;! Senior! Rigger! and!Safety!
Officer;!Biological!Technician!!
Byron!Yeager!
Good!Grain!Tree!Services!
Team!3!Photographer;!Biological!Technician!
!!
!
!

2016!Rapa!Nui!Endemic!Insects!Expedition!–!Final!Report!! !!!Wynne!et!al.!
14!
7.0!Additional!Appendix!
We!included!an!additional!appendix!(Appendix!5)!listing!public!lectures!and!symposia!given!
by! the! lead! author,! as! well! as! popular! press! and! web! media! that! covered! the! project.!
Educational! outreach! is! as! important! as! scientific! research.! Furthermore,! discussing! the!
importance!of!conservation!and!management!of!endemic!insects!with!the!local!community!is!
required!if!these!populations!are!to!be!protected.!Subsequently,!it!is!of!the!utmost!importance!
to!include!this!information!in!a!report!of!this!nature.!
!
8.0!!! Acknowledgements!
We!extend!our!gratitude!and!tremendous!thanks!to!the!staff!of!CONAF-Parque!Nacional!Rapa!
Nui!(Ninoska!Hucke,!Michel!Pate,!Katherine!Moreira,!Andrea!Valdez!Riroroko,!Raul!Palominos,!
Christophe!Soon,!and!Ramone!Martinez!Tepihe),!Consejo!de!Monumentos!Nacionales!(Jimena!
Ramirez!and! Merahi!Atam! López).!Paula! Valenzuela,!Francisco! Torres,!Paula! Aguirre! Reyes,!
and!Katherine!Atan!provided!our!team!with!laboratory!facilities!and!administrative!support!at!
Museo! Antropologio! P.! Sebastian! Englert;! Jocelyn! Hey!and! Marlene! Hernández! Vásquez!
(Museo! Antropologio! P.! Sebastian! Englert)! coordinated! lectures! for! the! lead! author.! Dale!
Simpson,!Jr.! provided! critical! logistical! support!throughout! the! developmental! phase!of! this!
project.!Drs.!Ernest!Bernard,!Darko!Cotoras,!Hannelore!Hoch,!Frank!Howarth,!James!Lowery,!
Daniel!Otte,!William!Shear,!and!Stefano!Taiti!provided!tentative!identifications!of!arthropods!
based! upon! laboratory-rendered! photographs.! Ripcord! Emergency! Travel! Protection!
provided! daily! coordination! and! stand-by! extrication! support! with!Kyle! Voyles,! Patricia!
Kambesis,!and! Andy! and!Bonnie! Armstrong! serving!as! our! stand-by!cave!search! and! rescue!
team.! Aaron! Smith! and! the! NAU! Colorado! Plateau! Museum! of! Arthropod! Biodiversity!
provided! lab! supplies! and! administrative! support.! We! thank! our! sponsors! at! Yale! Cordage!
(Sarah! Burr! and! Jamie! Goddard)! for! rope,! ActSafe! (Britt! Trude! Christensen)! for! the! power!
ascender,! and! RockExotica! (Brandon! Lane)! for! climbing! gear.! Hostel! Vai! Here! (Soraya!
Laharoa,!Patricia!Lillo!Chinchilla,!and!Dale!Simpson,!Jr.)!and!Hotel!Tupa!(Sergio!and!Mata’u!S.!
Rapu)!provided!accommodations!for!the!research! team,! and!Hitu!7/!Rentacar!Po-Ky!(Anesia!
Araki! and! Leopoldo! Manutonatoma)! provided! the! rental! vehicle.! Special! thanks! to! The!
Explorers! Club! (David! Concannon! and! The! Flag! and! Honors! Council)! for! recognizing! this!
expedition! as! an! Explorers! Club! Flag! Expedition.!Scott! Nicolay! kindly! provided! comments!
greatly! improving! this! manuscript.! This! project! was! supported! by! The! Fulbright! Visiting!
Scholars!Program,!CONAF-Parque!Nacional!Rapa!Nui,!and!the!National!Speleological!Society’s!
International!Exploration!grant!program.!
!
9.0!Literature!Cited!
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17!
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Appendix(1.(
(
Map$of$place$names$representing$the$areas$sampled$from$05$July$and$01$September$2016.$$
(

!""#$%&'()*(
!
Working! List! of! Ground-dwelling! Arthropod! Species,! Rapa! Nui,! Chile*( Status! is! alien! (Aln.),!endem ic!
(End.),!and!unknown!(?).!Distribution!refers!to!the!geographical!distribution!of!the!animal.!Detections!
denote!the!published!studies!where!the!morphospecies!has!been!detected.!Environment!refers!to!the!
five! habitats! sampled! (Beaches,! Caves,! Cliffs,! Craters! and! Rocky! Coasts).! Place! name!represent! the!
traditional!Rapa!Nui!area!where!the!morphospecies!was!detected!(refer!to!Appendix!1).(
ORDER:&Family,&Genus,&
Species&
Status&
Distribution&
Detections&
Environment&
Place&Name&
AMPHIPODA!
Talitridae!
Talitridae!sp.!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
This!study!
Rocky!coasts;!Rocks!
at!beach!border!
Anakena;!Ovahe!
!
ISOPODA!
Philosciidae!
Littorophiloscia,sp.!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
This!study!
Rocky!coasts!
Akahanga;!Ovahe!
!
Armadillidiidae!
Armadillidium,vulgare,
(Latreille,!1804),
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Fuentes!1914!
Surface;!Caves;!
Cliffs!
Anakena;!Omohi;!
Unai;!Poike;!Roiho!
!
Styloniscidae!
Styloniscidae!sp.!!
End?!
Rapa!Nui?!
This!study!
Caves!
Anakena!
!
Porcellionidae!
Porcellio,scaber,Latreille,!
1804,
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Fuentes!1914!
Caves;!Cliffs;!Coasts!
Roiho;!Unai;!
Poike;!Anakena;!
Ovahe!
!
ARACHNIDA!
Araneae!
Pholicidae!
Smeringopus,pallidus!
Moenkhaus,!1898!
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Wynne!
(2014)!
Caves!
Anakena;!Omohi;!
Roiho;!Unai!
!
Tetragnathidae!
Tetragnatha!sp.,
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
Cortoras!et!
al.!(In!
Review)!
Crater!
Rano!Raraku!
!
Theridiidae!
Latrodectus,geometricus!
CL!Koch,!1841!
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Wynne!
(2014)!
Coasts;!Caves!
Ovahe;!Anakena;!
Roiho;!Unai!
Steatoda,grossa!(C.L.Koch,!
1838)!
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Wynne!
(2014)!
Caves;!Cliffs!
Roiho;!Poike!
!
Oecobiidae!
Oecobius,cf!navus,
Blackwall,!1859!
Aln.!
!
Wynne!
(2014)!
!
!
!
Agelenidae!

Tegenaria,cf!domestica!
(Clerck,!1757)!
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Cortoras!et!
al.!(In!
Review)!
Cliffs!
Poike!
!
Gnaphosidae!
Gnaphosidae?!sp.!
?!
?!
This!study!
Caves!
Roiho!
!
SCORPIONES!
Buthidae!
Isometrus,maculatus!
(DeGeer,!1778)!
Aln.!
Pantropical!
Wynne!
(2014)!
Fern!gardens!
surface;!Caves!
Unai;!Ovahe;!
Roiho!
!
DIPLOPODA!
SPIROSTREPTIDA!
Cambalidae!
Cambalidae!sp.!
Aln.!
SE!Asia?!
This!study!
Fern!gardens;!Caves!
Omohi;!Unai;!
Anakena!
!
POLYDESMIDA!
Paradoxosomatidae!
Oxidus,gracilis,(C.L.!Koch,!
1847),
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan!
Verhoeff!
1924!
Caves;!Cliffs;!Craters!
Anakena;!Ovahe;!
Poike;!Rano!Kau!
,
MICROSPIROBOLIDA!
Julidae!
Julidae!sp.!
Aln.!
Eurasia!
This!Study!
Crater!
Rano!Kau!
,
CHILOPODA!
GEOPHILOMORPHA!
Geophilomorpha!sp.!
Aln?!
?!
This!Study!
Caves!
Roiho!
!
LITHOBIOMORPHA!
Henicopidae!
Lamyctes,sp?!
Aln?!
?!
This!Study!
Caves;!Coasts;!
Craters!
Anakena;!Orongo;!
Roiho;!Rano!Kau!
!
Lithobiidae!
Lithobiidae!sp.!
Aln?!
?!
This!Study!
Caves!
Roiho!
!
ORTHOPTERA!
Gryllidae!
Teleogryllus,commodus!
(Walker,!1869)!
Aln.!
Australia,!
Arabian!
Peninsula,!Asia!
(Temperate!
Regions),!
Medina,!Saudi!
Arabia!
Kevan!(1965)!
Surface!grid;!Coast;!
Cliffs!
Anakena;!Roiho;!
Akahanga;!Ovahe;!
Poike!
&
Nemobiinae!
Pteronemobius!sp.!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
Wynne!
(2014)!
Surface!grid;!Caves;!
Coasts;!Cliffs!
Anakena;!Ovahe;!
Roiho;!Poike!
!

HEMIPTERA!
Nabidae!
Nabis,capsiformis,Germar,!
1838,
Aln.!
Pantropical!
Olalquiaga!
(1946)!
Caves!
Omohi!
!
Fulgoroidea!
Fulgoroidea!sp.!1!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
!
Rocky!Coast!
Vinapu!
Fulgoroidea!sp.!2!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
!
Crater!
Rano!Aroi!
Fulgoroidea!sp.!3!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
!
Cliff!
Poike!
!
COLLEMBOLA!
Entomobryidae!
Entomobrya,cf!
multifasciata,(Tullberg!
1871),
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan?!
!
Cliffs!
Poike!
Entomobrya,cf!atrocincta,
Schott,!1896,
Aln.!
Cosmopolitan?!
This!study!
Cliffs!
Poike!
!
DERMAPTERA!
Carcinophoridae!
Euborellia,annulipes!
(Lucas,!1847)!
Aln.!
Europe!
(Native?);!
Canada,!
Continental!
U.S.!(including!
Hawaii;!
Introduced)!
Olalquiaga!
(1946)!
Caves;!Cliffs;!Coasts!
Roiho;!Akahanga,!
Omohi;!Ovahe;!
Poike;!Unai!
!
COLEOPTERA!
Anthribidae!
Anthribidae!sp.!1!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
?!
Caves!
Anakena!
Anthribidae!sp.!2!
End.?!
Rapa!Nui?!
?!
Crater!
Rano!Aroi!
Araecerus,cf!fasciculatus,
(De!Geer,!1775),
Alien!
Cosmopolitan!
Campos!and!
Peña!(1973)!
Cliffs!
Poike!
!
Carabidae!
Notiobia,cupripennis!
(Germar,!1824)!
Aln.!
South!America!
Campos!and!
Peña!(1973)!
Surface!grid;!Coasts;!
Cliffs!
Anakena;!Roiho;!
Omohi;!
Akahanga;!Poike;!
Unai!

!""#$%&'(+*(
,-$.#/012&-$(31$14#5#$2(671$(8/15#9-/:;(<-&=-;(<1"1(>?&(
(
I. @&2#/12?/#( A(B121( ,-5"&712&-$:! Compile! digital! databases! and! all! literature! on! sector.! This!
should!include!all!GIS!layers,! all! databases! describing! archaeology,! biology,!geology!and!human!
use.!All!cave!maps!should!be!obtained!from!the!Polish!expedition!team.!These!cave!maps!should!
be!integrated!into!GIS!to!identify!the!distribution!of!caves!on!the!landscape,!identify!any!potential!
hazards!associated!with!how!caves!occur!on!the!landscape,!and!determine!if!any!caves!lead!from!
interior!to!sea.!
!
II. !/C=1#-7-4&C17( <#.-?/C#.:!Roiho! is! considered!the!most! important!area!for!cave! archaeology!
on!the!island.!Archaeological! features!include!ahu,!house!foundations,!and! human! use! of! caves.!
Caves! were! used! as! kionga,! dams! for! water!retention! for! providing! water! to! manavai,! and!
staircases!and!cisterns!for!access!to!subterranean!water!resources.!Additionally,!an!aggregation!
of! rocks! behind! the! school! may! also! be! an! important! archaeological! site,! and! should! be!
thoroughly! investigated.! All! archaeological! features! in! sector! should! be! inventoried,! mapped,!
photographed,!and!coordinate!data!collected.!
!
III. D2=$-4/1"=E:!(1)! The! oral!history! of! Roiho! (and! many! areas! on! the! island)! has! not!been! well!
documented.!The!stories!associated!with!the!Roiho!caves!should!be!documented.!This!will!likely!
result! in! the! identification! of! caves! that! have! cultural! importance,! but! may! lack ! archaeological!
evidence!to!support!their!importance.!(2)!Rapa!Nui!place!names!of!all!cave!entrances!and!surface!
archaeological!features!should!be!recorded.!Lazaro!Pakarati!may!lead!a!group!of!elders!retained!
by! the! national! park! to! discuss! the! names! of! cave! entrances! and! features.! This! will! require!
several! site! visits! to! the! area! to! document! the! Rapa! Nui! names.! Where! disagreement! arises!
concerning! a! given! place! name,! the! different! place! names! will! be! recorded.! (3)! A! literature!
review!of!ship!manifests!should!be!conducted!to!document!human!use!of!the!area!for!agriculture.!
According!to!Lilian!Gonzales,!this!is!an!important!region!for!farming.!
(
IV. >12?/17(A(F#-7-4&C17(<#.-?/C#(6/-2#C2&-$:!(1)!Removal!of!nonnative!trees!in!the!entrances!of!
some!caves.!This!will!require! consultation! with! Rapa! Nui! community! members,! cave! biologists,!
and! geologists! to! identify! those! areas! where! trees! can! be! safely! removed,! will! not! result! in!
entrance!or!cave!collapse!once!root!structure!has!rotted,!or!will!not!aversely!affect!cave!biology.!
For! example,! the! roots! of! the! fig! tree! in! the! entrance! of! Ana! Toki! Toki! (Mahina)! provides!
nutrients!in!the!cave,!and!represents!one!of!the!most!important!known!ecosystems!on!the!island.!
(2)!Inventory,!monitoring!and!protection!of!bee!(Apis%sp.)!hives.!(3)!The!unregulated!removal!of!
rock!for!home!construction!and!landscaping!is!a!problem!in!Roiho.!To!aid!in!the!reduction!of!the!
random! and! unregulated! removal! of! rock,! one! area! should! be! identified! where! this! activity! is!
permitted.!This!area!should!be!in!an!area!that!is!not!culturally!and/or!archaeologically!sensitive.!
Additionally,!a!permitting!process! should!be!implemented! by!the!national!park!where! they! can!
monitor!how!much!rock!is!being!removed.!In!all!other!areas!of!the!sector,!rock!removal!will!be!
prohibited.!!
!
V. G-?/&.5:! The! management! of! Roiho! should! balance! the! needs! of! both! tourism! and! natural!
resources! protection.! There! are! three! caves! in! the! Roiho! sector! that! have! been! significantly!
degraded!by!human!use!(Ana!Te!Pora,!Ana!Kakenga!and!Ana!Te!Pahu).!These!are!the!best!sites!to!
continue! use! by! tourists.! (1)! Work! with! Hotel! Explora! and! other! guide! companies,! cave!
biologists,!and!community!members!to!identify!caves!where!tourism!should!continue!in!addition!
to!the!caves!listed!above.!Some!of!these!caves!may!include!important!archaeological!and!cultural!
features.! Thus,! tourists! should! not! be! allowed! to! enter! caves! without! a! guide.!(2)! All! guides!
should!be!trained!concerning!how!to!access!and!guide!in!caves!while!protecting!cave!biology,!as!
well!as!sensitive!geological!and!archaeological!features.!!
!

VI. <&.:(1..#..5#$2:!Potential!hazards!(unstable!cave!entrances!and!passageways,!as!well!as!cliffs)!
should!be!identified!and! mitigation! strategies! to! reduce! the! likelihood! of!injury!to!tourists!and!
other!visitors!should!be!proposed.!This!should!be!an!effort!undertaken!in!collaboration!with!the!
national!park,!guides,!community!members!and!the!fire!department.!
!
VII. ,10#( H&-7-4E( 3-$&2-/&$4( A( 31$14#5#$2:! Monitoring:! (1)! The! fern-moss! gardens! of! Roiho!
have! been! identified! as! one! of! the! most! important! habitats! for! endemic! insects! on! the! island.!
Additionally,!root!masses!in!Ana!Toki!Toki!are!also!considered!an!important!habitat!in!that!they!
support! endemic! insects,! as! well! as! a! new! species! of! endemic! millipede.! These! areas! warrant!
conservation!so!these!animals!may!be!protected.!The!establishment!of!photo-monitoring!stations!
within! caves! will! aid! land! managers! in! monitoring! change! in! these! important! habitats.! Photo!
monitoring!will!enable!land!managers!to!identify!changes!in!fern-moss!gardens!due!to!tourism!
and! climate! change.! The! photographs! captured! may! be! compared! over! at! the! determined!
monitoring!interval!(e.g.,!every!six!months!or!per!year).!(2)!Obtain!complete!maps!of!all!caves!in!
Roiho! (and! Island)! from! Polish.! Complete! maps! of! each! cave! will! greatly! enhance! both!
conservation!and!management!of!these!caves!–!researchers!and!managers!will!be!able!to! more!
accurately!plot!locations!of!habitats!and!other!features!of!interest.!(3)!Expand!inventory!work!to!
all! caves! in! sector.! This! will! enable! community! members! and! land! managers! to! identify! other!
areas! in! caves! where! endemic! plants! and! animals! occur! that! may! require! protection.!
Management:!(4)! Fern-moss!gardens!should!be!roped!off! to!prevent!tourists!and! other!visitors!
from!walking!in!these!areas.!(5)!Trailheads!and/or!the!entrances!of!certain!caves!should!contain!
signs!with!high-resolution!images!of!the!endemic!plant!and!animal!species.!An!explanation!as!to!
why!these!areas!are!critical!habitats!should!be!provided!in!both!Spanish!and!English.!!
!
VIII. 6/-2#C2&-$( A(D$=1$C#5#$2( -I( J?/I1C#( D$0&/-$5#$2:! Roiho! represents! an! area! where!
experimental!plots!with!vegetation!native!to!Polynesia!may!be!introduced!and!maintained!by!the!
national! park! and! botanical! garden.! These! experimental! gardens! may! also! be! used! as! an!
additional!tourism!attraction.! (1)!To!accomplish!this!goal,! there!should!be!areas!designated! for!
both!livestock! grazing! and! exclusion.! (2)! Within! these! areas! identified! for! livestock! exclusion,!
experimental!plots!with!Rapa! Nui! and! Polynesian! endemic! plants,!as!well!as!plants! used! for! by!
the! Rapanui! people! should! be! established.! (3)! Also,! all! areas! where! agricultural! plants! exist!
(manavai,! mahute! and! fruit! trees! within! cave! entrances)! should! be! identified,! photographed,!
coordinates!captured!and!the!areas!monitored!by!the!national!park.!
!
IX. F#-7-4&C17( A( KE%/-7-4E:! The! geological! history! and! hydrologic al! processes! within! the! sector!
should!be!studied!and!documented.!Additionally,!given!the!long!term!use!of!the!area!by!livestock,!
a! water! quality! study! should! be! conducted! to! identify! present! quality,! as! well! as! how! to!
remediate!any!issues!with!water!quality!(should!it!exist).!All!geological!and!hydrological!features!
should!be!described,!mapped!and!monitored.!This!will!include! areas! where! subterranean! lakes!
occur,! areas! where! tree! casts,! and! areas! where! fossils! (e.g.,! palm! nut! fossils)! occur! or! have!
occurred!in!the!past.!Through!this!process,!the!national!park!and!guides!should!identify!points!of!
interest!for!guides!to!take!tourists.!!
(

!""#$%&'(L*(
D'"7-/#/.(,7?M(8714(6=-2-.(N8714(OP+QR(
(
(
G#15( P( 8714( 6=-2-S( Left! to! Right! Nicholas! Glover! SN’12,! Benjamin! Shipley,! Sebastian! Yancovic!
Pakarati,!Pedro!Lazo! Hucke,! Lynn! Hicks! MN’09,! Rafael! Brizuela,!and!Jut!Wynne!FN’06,! Maunga! Vai! a!
Heva,!Volcan!Poike,!Rapa!Nui!(22!July!2016).!Photo!courtesy!Nicholas!Glover.!
!

!
G#15( )( 8714( 6=-2-S( Left! to! right,! Dustin! Kisner,! Eric! Fies,! Francisco! Ika,! Ivory! Marinakis,! Rafael!
Brizuela,!and!Jut!Wynne!FN’06,!Eastern!interior!of!Rano!Raraku!crater,!Rapa!Nui!(30!July!2016).!Photo!
courtesy!Ivory!Marinakis.!
!
(

(
G#15( +( 8714( 6=-2-S( Left!to! right! Jut! Wynne! FN’06,! Francisco!Ika,!Drew!Bristow,!and!Byron!Yeager,!
South! coast,! Te! Pa! Haha! Tea,! Volan! Poike,! Rapa! Nui! (01! September! 2016).! Photo! courtesy! Byron!
Yeager.!

!""#$%&'(T*((
U?2/#1C=;(JE5"-.&1(A(6-"?71/(6/#..(
(
A.%Public%Lectures%
Museo!Nacional!de!Historia!Natural,!Santiago,!Chile.!Los!insectos!endémicos!y!hábitat!antiguos!de!Rapa!
Nui,!09.23.2016!(Invited;!audience!30).!
!
Fulbright!Commission,!Santiago,!Chile.!Conservation!and!Management!of!Endemic!Insects!of!Rapa!Nui,!
09.22.2016!(audience!12).!!!
!
Ciencias! Forestales! y! Conservación! de! la! Naturaleza,! Universidad! de! Chile,! Santiago.! Conservación!y!
manejo!de!los!insectos!endémicos!y!hábitat!antiguos!de!Rapa!Nui,!09.20.2016!(Invited;!audience!55)!
!
Parque! Nacional! Rapa! Nui,! CONAF,! Easter! Island.!Inventario,! conservación! y! manejo! de ! los! insectos!
endémicos!de!Rapa!Nui,!09.12.2016!(Invited;!audience!10).!
!
Museo! Antropológico! Padre! Sebastián! Englert,! Rapa! Nui.! Inventario,! conservación! y! manejo! de! los!
insectos!endémicos!de!Rapa!Nui,!09.08.2016!(Invited;!audience!36).!
!
Consejo! de! Monumentos! Nacionales,! Rapa! Nui.! Inventario,! conservación! y! manejo! de! los! insectos!!
endémicos!en!Rapa!Nui:!informe!provisional,!09.08.2016!(audience!15).!
!
Explora!Hotel,!Easter!Island.!Conservación!y!gestión!de!las!cuevas!y!biología!de!cueva!en!Rapa!Nui!(Isla!
de!Pascua).!Lecture!to!tourist!guides,!08.14.2016!(Invited;!audience!8).!
!
ECC!Dunalastair,!Santiago,!Chile.!11th!and!12th!Grade!Classes.!Working!with!NASA!and!conservation!of!
threatened!cave!insects!on!Rapa!Nui.!Tupa!Hotel,!Easter!Island,!07.28.2016!(Invited;!audience!78).!
!
Parque! Nacional! Rapa! Nui,! CONAF,! Easter! Island.! La! carrera! para! salvar! los! insectos! endémicos! de!
Rapa!Nui,!06.06.2016!(Invited;!audience!20).!
!
B.%K-12%Instruction%
Colegio!San!Sebastián!de!Akivi,!Rapa!Nui,!Chile.!Conservación!y!manejo!de!los!insectos!nativas!de!Rapa!
Nui,!09.13.2016!(34!students).!
!
Colegio! Hermano! Eugenio! Eyrau,! Rapa! Nui,! Chile.! Conservación! y!m anejo! de! los!inse ctos! nativas! de!
Rapa!Nui,!09.09.2016!(12!students).!
!
C.%Scientific%Symposia%
Avances! en! el! Conocimiento! sobre! la! Diversidad! y! Distribución! de! Insectos! de! Chile,! Instituto! de!
Entomología,!Universidad!Metropolitana!de!Ciencias!de!la!Educación,!Santiago.!Los!insectos!endémicos!
y!hábitat!antiguos!de!Rapa!Nui,!09.27.2016!(audience!54).!(
%
D.%Popular%Press%
Moe!Varua!magazine,!Rapa!Nui,!Chile.!Protecting!the!Native!Insects!of!Easter!Island!(11.2016).!
!
Programa! Tecnica! Ciencia,! Canel! 13,! Santiago,! Chile.! Interview! regarding! importance! of! endemic!
insects!project!to!Rapa!Nui!natural!history!and!community!(10.09.2016).!
Mate!Ote!TV,!Rapa!Nui,!Investigación!Insectos!Endémicos!de!Rapa!Nui.!Produced:!Katherine!
Moreira,!Parque!Nacional!Rapa!Nui,!CONAF,!09.11.2016.(http://youtu.be/TbglHnHZUgM(
!
Radio! Manukena,! 88.9! FM,! Rapa! Nui! (Easter! Island).! Programa! de! CONAF.! Discussion! on! future!
conservation!and!management!of!endemic!insects!on!Rapa!Nui,!09.12.2016.!
!
Radio!Manukena,!88.9!FM,!Rapa!Nui!(Easter!Island).!Programa!de!Consejo!de!Monumentos.!Discussion!
on!Rapa!Nui!endemic!insects!project,!09.05.2016.!
!
Discover!Magazine,!Extinction!looms!for!Easter!Island’s!remaining!native!species,!07.19.2016.!

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2016/07/19/extinction-looms-for-easter-islands-remaining-native-species/#.V-hDWWVSaf5!
%
E.%Web%Media%
Comisión! Fulbright! –! Chile.! Académico! de! Fulbright! de! investigación! intensa! sobre! insectos!
nativos!de!Rapa!Nui.!(09.29.2016).!http://www.fulbright.cl/2016/09/29/rapa-nui-es-una-advertencia-para-la-humanidad-
2/!
!
Facultad!de!Ciencias! Forestales! y!de!la!Conservación!de! la!Naturaleza!-!Universidad!de! Chile,!
Santiago.! Científico! descubre! nuevas! especies! de! insectos! en! cavernas! de! Rapa! Nui!
(09.23.2016).!http://www.forestal.uchile.cl/noticias/126621/cientifico-descubre-nuevas-especies-de-insectos-en-cavernas-de-rapa-
nu!
!
Ripcord! Travel! Protection,! Scientist! searches! for! native! insects! in! Polynesia! (07.07.2016).!
http://www.ripcordrescuetravelinsurance.com/explorers-club-fellow-jut-wynne-discovers-native-insects-rapa-nui-ripcord-backed-
expedition/!
!
%
!