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Ectinogonia is a genus of jewel beetles from the western slope of the Andes Cordillera, inhabiting arid and semiarid ecosystems in different biogeographical provinces. Most of the species in this genus have undergone several rearrangements and misassignments over time, making the taxonomic history of Ectinogonia particularly complex. Recent studies based on molecular phylogenies suggest that the taxonomy of the genus should be revised using genetic tools. Because some species are polymorphic and others cryptic and monomorphic, species diversity may be over- or underestimated. We performed here the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny for Ectinogonia s.s. using nuclear and mitochondrial genes. We also performed species delimitation analyses to estimate diversity within Ectinogonia. Results show that Ectinogonia is divided into two main groups: the artificial ‘southern group’ and the natural ‘northern clade’. The southern group matched with the current morphology-based taxonomy, whereas the northern clade contained the largest number of species, several of which do not fit with the current taxonomy. There was both genetic-morphological uncoupling and crypsis by convergence, suggesting a complex evolutionary history. We also provide a new taxonomic arrangement based on our results.

Aim: Aggregated species occurrence data are increasingly accessible through public databases for the analysis of temporal trends in species’ distributions. However, biases in these data present challenges for robust statistical inference. We assessed potential biases in data available through GBIF on the occurrences of four flower-visiting taxa: bees (Anthophila), hoverflies (Syrphidae), leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae), and hummingbirds (Trochilidae). We also assessed whether and to what extent data mobilisation efforts improved our ability to estimate trends in species’ distributions. Location: The Neotropics. Methods: We used five data-driven heuristics to screen the data for potential geographic, temporal and taxonomic biases. We began with a continental-scale assessment of the data for all four taxa. We then identified two recent data mobilisation efforts (2021) that drastically increased the quantity of records of bees collected in Chile available through GBIF. We compared the dataset before and after the addition of these new records in terms of their biases and their impact on estimated trends in species’ distributions. Results: We found evidence of potential sampling biases for all taxa. The addition of newly-mobilised records of bees in Chile decreased some biases but introduced others. Despite increasing the quantity of data for bees in Chile sixfold, estimates of temporal trends in species’ distributions derived using the post-mobilisation dataset were broadly similar to what would have been estimated before their introduction. Main conclusions: Our results highlight the challenges associated with drawing statistically robust inferences about trends in species’ distributions using publicly available data. Mobilising historic records will not always enable trend estimation because more data does not necessarily equal less bias. Analysts should carefully assess their data before conducting analyses: this might enable the estimation of more robust trends and help to identify strategies for effective data mobilisation. Our study also reinforces the need for well-designed, standardized monitoring of pollinators worldwide.

Lasia pulla has not recorded since their description in 1865 by Philippi. New specimen records and an updated taxonomical description is provided here. This hummingbird fly species is endemic from the Los Ríos Region, Chile. In this area, many ecosystems are still unexplored, but anthropic activities are currently fragmenting the evergreen forests. A IUCN Red List assessment is suggested.

Forestry companies have replaced and fragmented the native landscapes, generating a large number of unpaved roads, which can have a negative effect on non-flying invertebrates. Polynoncus bullatus is a common necrophagous beetle species depend on fox scats present on unpaved roads in fragmented landscapes in central Chile. Here, the effect of different habitat types (native forest, clear-cuts and unpaved roads) on the abundance of Lycalopex culpaeus scats as well as abundance and survival of P. bullatus in the fragmented landscape was evaluated. Scats and beetles were counted in seven independent fragments during 6 months and through sampling transects. Both responses and factors were associated with GLM, whereas survival was evaluated with a Kaplan-Meier test. Higher scats abundance was found on unpaved roads than other habitat types. Higher P. bullatus abundance was also significantly associated with unpaved roads than clear-cuts and native forest fragments. An additive model between habitat type and scat abundance was correlated with beetle abundance. Survival was significantly lower in unpaved roads, generating up to 42 % of beetles road-killed. Lycalopex culpaeus response positively to fragmentation defecating more on unpaved roads because foxes use it to move through the landscape. This fact attracts more P. bullatus individuals, being run-over by cars and trucks, representing an ecological trap for beetles. This interaction can be predictable and modeled for any period, length or road type avoiding potential massive road-kill events. Implications for insect conservation. Common and threatened invertebrate species are run-over when minor roads cross valuable natural or protected areas, evidencing the need of advance in road designs compatible with their conservation and mitigating negative impacts of forestry.

Neotropical efforts for arthropod conservation are still insufficient. Some species from the Neotropical region have been assessed by the IUCN Red List criteria (IRL), while others have been assessed using local red lists (LRLs). Unfortunately, these two lists are completely unconnected, even when they use similar criteria to evaluate extinction risks. Therefore, an overview of arthropod conservation using the IRL and LRLs to determine general and common patterns for arthropods in the Neotropical region is still missing, and this was the main goal of our study. The LRLs provided significant information about the species under threat in the Neotropical region, particularly on endemic ones. Both the IRL and LRLs determined that habitat loss (agricultural use land than more 50%) is the most critical threat of arthropod diversity in this region, but other main threats were also found. The conservation efforts for arthropods in Neotropical countries have been developed heterogeneously. Special efforts are necessary to countries without red lists as large countries, islands, or island-like bioregions. So far, the most threatened arthropod diversity in the Neotropical region belongs to the Caribbean islands. Insect conservation is not just about red-listing. It is also crucial to conduct conservation action as habitat management and restoration, citizen science or specific policy to fight the illegal trade. The integration of LRLs with the IRL helped identify common threats to arthropod conservation and also facilitated the macroscopic evaluation of this topic. It is crucial to conserve Neotropical arthropods to protect animal biodiversity. The homologation of the LRLs in the IUCN would increase the representation of endemic arthropods generating (1) an increase in funding for research and (2) for local conservation policies such as ecological restoration, and their use as bioindicators of environmental impact on investment projects in agriculture, mining, forestry, and urbanization.

Robber flies (Asilidae) are the main predatory fly family feeding on beetles, butterflies, other flies for true flies, and even spiders; however, Hymenoptera is the most common prey. Invasive Hymenoptera species are common in central and southern Chile; however, few predators of these are known. The hunting behavior and prey of Chilean robber fly species are also poorly known. The aim of this study is to provide the first hunting behavior records of five Chilean giant robber fly species on invasive Hymenoptera. In addition, an updated distribution of these species is provided. Records of hunting behavior were based on fieldwork collections and citizen science observations. The historical distribution was compared with citizen science observations using chi-square analyzes. Twelve predation events were recorded. Obelophorus terebratus was the most common predator. Bombus terrestris was the invasive Hymenoptera most preyed upon. Both the extension of occurrence of Lycomya germainii as Obelophorus species showed changes in his distribution. Only O. landbecki shown changes in area of occupancy. Citizen science is playing a key role in the knowledge of biological interactions and distribution of endemic and native Chilean robber fly species.

The syrphid genus Meromacrus is widespread in the Neotropics, but its presence in Chile has been confirmed just recently. Adults pollinate, and larvae are saprophagous of vegetal materials. In this note, we report Meromacrus cactorum Ricarte et al. for the first time from Chile. New data on adult habitats and flower visitation are also provided for this Meromacrus. Adults were observed on flowers of the cacti Opuntia ficusindica, Cumulopuntia sphaerica, and the vulnerable Browningia candelaris. Species distribution and pollinator potential are discussed for M. cactorum. El género Meromacrus (Diptera: Syrphidae) está ampliamente distribuido en la región Neotropical, pero su presencia en Chile ha sido confirmada recientemente. Los adultos polinizan, mientras que las larvas descomponen materia orgánica asociada a plantas. En esta nota reportamos por primera vez en Chile a Meromacrus cactorum Ricarte et al. Se proporcionan nuevos datos sobre el hábitat y las flores visitadas por los adultos de M. cactorum. Los adultos fueron observados sobre flores de los cactus Opuntia ficus-indica, Cumulopuntia sphaerica, y la especie vulnerable Browningia candelaris. Se discute la distribución de M. cactorum, así como su potencial polinizador. RBS thanks Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID) for his PhD doctoral scholarship (CONICYT 21160404) and postdoctoral grant ANID-FONDECYT 3200817, as well as Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad de Chile (IEB), for the grant FB170008. Antonio Ricarte’s position at the University of Alicante is funded by the ‘Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento’ (Ref. UATAL05).

Simple Summary In recent years, interest has grown in improving the productivity of pure local breeds in Spain using corn silage as an alternative to concentrates. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the lipid oxidation, color and visual color acceptability of meat from the Avileña-Negra Ibérica breed fed with corn silage in total mixed ration. The inclusion of corn silage led to lower lipid oxidation and higher visual color acceptability when the samples were packaged in a modified atmosphere. The use of corn silage could serve as a feeding option for this type of animal without affecting the quality of the derived meat. Abstract In order to increase the economic profitability of Avileña-Negra Ibérica beef production, the inclusion of corn silage in total mixed rations was proposed during the fattening period. Twenty-four Avileña-Negra Ibérica breed entire young bulls were used to evaluate the effects of two feeding systems—concentrate (CON) and corn silage (SIL)—and two packaging systems—vacuum (VAC) and modified atmosphere (MAP)—on the lipid oxidation, color evolution and visual color acceptability of meat throughout display with either oxygen-permeable film (FILM) or modified atmosphere (MAP). Two muscles were assessed: Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semitendinosus (ST). Meat from SIL-fed animals had higher TBA values than CON-fed animals after 7 days in MAP packaging. Lipid oxidation was prevented more effectively by VAC packaging than MAP. Display time highly influenced lipid oxidation, since oxidation rates were lower with VAC than MAP packaging. After 14 days of display in MAP, the LT from CON was lighter than the ST. Meat discoloration after 7 days of display was significantly different between packaging systems. Vacuum-packaged meat kept the same color throughout the storage time. Visual color acceptability for the LT was higher throughout display than for the ST. Samples from the MAP were well accepted by consumers, especially the meat from the SIL group. Alternatively, feeding with corn silage could be used for this type of animals without affecting important aspects of meat quality.

The biology and ecology of wedge-shaped beetles (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae) are scarcely known in the Neotropical realm. Chilean species of this beetle family are currently represented by two genera: Macrosiagon Hentz, 1830 and Ripiphorus Bosc, 1791, and three species, only known from their type localities. Here, we present an updated catalog of Chilean Ripiphoridae, along with the new distributional and biology records. Also, Macrosiagon flavipennis LeConte, 1866 (Ripiphorinae: Macrosiagonini) has been reported for the first time in Chile. We discuss the reasons for the presence of M. flavipennis in urban areas, the state of knowledge of the endemic species presents in Chile in relation to their distribution and the opportunity to use opportunistic records to better understand their natural history.

The intensive management of tree plantations has replaced and fragmented native forests worldwide. A direct consequence of this activity is the creation of new edges, which generate changes in microclimatic conditions in the adjacent forest as well as in the neighboring clearcut stands left over after harvesting by clearcut logging. Thus, newly created anthropogenic thermal gradients could influence ectothermic responses regarding abundance and physiology of native species in fragmented landscapes. Interestingly, the consequences of these changes have not been studied in insects. To test the effects of the anthropogenic thermal gradient on the abundance and physiology of ectothermic species, we chose the fragmented Maulino forest and the ground-dwelling beetle Ceroglossus chilensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as our biological model, working with seven fragments of native forest surrounded by active and clearcut pine plantation stands. We measured temperature variables and beetle abundance in different months using transects perpendicular to the edge and used general linear modelling to explain abundance with temperature. In addition, we assessed the preferential body temperatures (Tb) and Rollover Speed (RoS) of C. chilensis at five different temperatures in controlled conditions to explain field abundance. We found that mean ambient temperatures were up to 42% higher in clearcut stands than in native forest fragments during summer. However, ambient temperatures in autumn were similar between native forest fragments and clearcut stands. The abundance of C. chilensis, is concentrated near the edge in the native forest (between 2 and 10 m to interior of native forest), regardless of month sampled. The abundance of C. chilensis was higher at the edge than inside native forest interiors or clearcut stands, regardless of the month. Ambient temperature surpasses preferential body temperature (14–15.99 °C) and physiological performance of C. chilensis (15 °C), particularly during summer. Ceroglossus chilensis abundance at the edge of clearcut stands could be favored by understory structural complexity in understory vegetation, creating suitable microclimatic conditions and increasing abundance of prey resource. In essence, we found that the higher temperatures found near the edge inside forest interiors might enable individuals of C. chilensis to display thermoregulatory behavior by concentrating activity at these particular regions, resulting in increased abundances and more concentrated occurrences, helping to explain the edge-biased distribution. Thus, we offer evidence that physiological performance might be a key functional trait to explain abundance of ectothermic species in fragmented forest landscapes. We submit to decision makers linked to the forestry industry, that managing the understory of young tree plantations and increasing the structural complexity at remnant forest edges to cushion high temperatures in clearcut stands would enable more effective conservation planning of thermosensitive ectotherms in disturbed forest landscapes.

The global pollination crisis is not only produced by loss of pollinators but also by their homogenization, both processes caused by humans. This crisis impacts the persistence of many native plants species worldwide. In this document we analyze the ecological impacts that warrant the prohibition of new income of commercial bumblebee, Bombus terrestris to Chile. This species is highly invasive, it has been banned in other countries, but in Chile its entry is allowed since 1997. Thousands of colonies and fertilized queens entered the country every year and expand throughout the rest of South America. We give eleven reasons to stop B. terrestris entry to Chile and start controlling it. We justify these reasons based on work done both in the country and outside of it. At the same time, through the conclusions, we mentioned what should be the steps to followed regarding the prohibition B. terrestris entry to Chile.

Syrphidae, more commonly known as flower flies, are considered one of the most important Diptera families worldwide because of their critical role in pollination, biological control and decomposition of organic matter. The study of these flies in Chile has stagnated due to a lack of local experts as well as the absence of an updated catalog of species. This study is an attempt to remedy the latter of these issues by providing an illustrated and updated catalog to the Syrphidae of Chile. Species are presented under currently accepted names, with synonyms and previous combinations listed and original references. Type localities, world and Chilean distribution by geopolitical Chilean regions, taxonomic and biological notes, a complete record of bibliographic references and extinction risk under IUCN Red List criteria are provided. This catalog recognizes 132 species of Syrphidae, belonging to four subfamilies (Eristalinae, Microdontinae, Pipizinae and Syrphinae), 13 tribes and 47 genera. A total of 46 species (34.84 %) is restricted to the geopolitical territory of Chile. Eight species are considered exotic, one is considered incertae sedis and three are based on doubtful records. Seventeen species of 10 different genera (Copestylum Macquart, 1846; Dolichogyna Macquart, 1842; Eosalpingogaster Hull, 1949b; Eupeodes Osten Sacken, 1877; Meromacrus Rondani, 1848; Palpada Macquart, 1834; Paragus Latreille, 1804; Sphiximorpha Rondani, 1850; Sterphus Philippi, 1865 and Toxomerus Macquart, 1855) are reported from Chile for the first time. A total of 44 species (33.33 %) reported from Chile are directly threatened by human activities such as agriculture, forestry, mining and/or urbanization and indirectly by climate change. The gaps found in the geographic distribution of Chilean flower fly species and what it means for its use by disciplines such as ecology, floral biology and agronomy, are discussed. In addition, the use of this illustrated catalog for biological conservation, the potential definition of priority areas and ecosystem management plans based on this group of Diptera are also discussed.

The order Diptera is the second most important group of pollinators worldwide. Many flies are considered generalist pollinators, but specialist flower flies’ associations are rare or uncommon. The present study aimed to determine the level of specialization in pollination for Aneriophora aureorufa (Philippi, 1865) (Diptera: Syrphidae), an endemic species of the South American temperate forests. The study evaluates also the species abundance in different sampling sites and environments. Our data suggest that Aneriophora aureorufa has an exclusive and extremely narrow association with the flowers of Eucryphia cordifolia Cav.¸ an endemic Chilean species. We reviewed the literature on Chilean pollinator species searching for information about Aneriophora Stuardo & Cortes 1952 and compared its exclusive association with other specialist flies. We conducted long-term fieldwork for 22 years in one location during the flowering season and over a period of one to six years in five additional locations. In our field study we recorded all insects which had contact with stigma and/or stamens of 25 plant species. We found that Aneriophora visits flowers of E. cordifolia in both low absolute abundance and low relative percentage, and occasionally visits flowers of two other species. In the northern distributional range of A. aureorufa , where E. cordifolia is absent, the hoverfly was recorded in flowers of Laurelia sempervirens (Ruiz & Pav.) Tul. (Chilean laurel, Atherospermataceae), but in low frequency (0.01 flowers/min). In a site where we have a long-term study, A. aureorufa represented only 0.2% of all flower visitors, and its abundance was higher in canopy forests, visiting 0.03 flowers/min. Based on our observations and the literature review we propose that (1) Aneriophora is one of the most specialized pollinator flies described until now; (2) the species is more frequent in old-growth forests than in forest edges or isolated trees.

Aberrant neural oscillations hallmark the pathophysiology of numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here, we first report a method to accurately track the phase of neural oscillations in real-time by a Hilbert transform that avoids the characteristic Gibbs distortion at the end of the signal, aka endpoint-corrected Hilbert transform (ecHT). The ecHT method maintains the same computational complexity class of the original Hilbert transform allowing implementation in simple digital hardware. We then used the ecHT method to show that the aberrant neural oscillation that hallmarks treatment-resistant essential tremor (ET), the most common adult movement disorder, can be noninvasively supressed via transcranial electrical stimulation at a fixed phase lag over the cerebellar hemisphere ipsilateral to the tremor movement. This was tested in a quadruple-replication randomized way including stimulation at 6 fixed phases, sham and without phase-locking. In a total of 11 subjects, the suppression of ET activity was sustained after the end of the stimulation and was phenomenologically predicted, post-hoc, from the features of the tremor movement before the start of the stimulation. To test for reproducibility, 6 of the original participants werer stimulated exactly the same way three years after the original experiments: the observed, significant stimulation response remained, i.e. responders continued to respond and non-responders did not. Finally, we used a highly-comparative feature extraction (> 8000 features) with statistical learning and neurophysiological computational modelling to show that the suppression of ET activity can be mechanistically attributed to a disruption of the temporal coherence in the tremor movement that can be originated in a higher bursting entropy at the cortico-olivo-cerebello-thalamic circuitry. The suppression of aberrant neural oscillation via phase-locked driven disruption of temporal coherence may represent a powerful neuromodulatory strategy to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders.

The use of agroindustry by-products in animal diets allows the use of residues that are not fit for human consumption. In this study, it was investigated whether fattening commercial rabbits during 30 days with a non-medicated feed, with 20% addition of grape pomace (GPD), affected production traits and the fatty acid composition, antioxidants properties, and the shelf life of the meat compared to a conventional strategy (CON). Furthermore, it was tested, by chromatographic analysis, whether this alternative diet allowed the transfer of phenolic compounds to the meat. Thirty-six weaned rabbits were allotted to the two treatments. In each treatment, 18 rabbits were fattened in three indoor cages, each housing three males and three female rabbits. No significant differences were found in live weights (p &gt, 0.05), but the feed conversion rate and carcass weight and yield were found to be impaired in the GPD group (p ≤ 0.05). The GPD group had a higher intramuscular fat percentage (2.01 vs. 1.54), improved polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio (0.75 vs. 0.66), and better atherogenicity (0.71 vs. 0.83) and thrombogenicity (1.14 vs. 1.24) indexes, while the n-6/n-3 ratio was higher (25.4 vs. 20.3). Total volatile basic nitrogen in meat was lower in the GPD group (p = 0.01), suggesting a delayed spoilage. However, no improvements in total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, reducing power, and lipid oxidation (p &gt, 0.05) were found in the meat. Even though the GPD pellets offered to the animals had several grape-derived phenolic compounds, and higher antioxidant properties compared to the CON diet, none of the phenolic compounds detected in feeds were detected in the meat samples.

Bat populations are threatened in many regions of the world, partly due to the loss of foraging and commuting habitats in farmland and declines in insect prey populations caused by agricultural intensification. Given that bats play an important role as bioindicators and in suppressing crop pests, it is crucial to mitigate negative impacts that arise from these threats. In this study we evaluated the richness, quantified at family level, and abundance of bat prey insects in organic vineyards surrounded by three types of adjacent habitat: urban/semi-urban areas, exotic tree plantations, and remnants of native vegetation. The relationship between the abundance of prey and the foraging activity of bats in the vineyards was also examined. Insects were sampled using ultraviolet light traps, located both inside and at the edge of the vineyards. Bat activity was monitored at each site using acoustic recorders. The insect richness was unaffected by the type of adjacent habitat and did not differ between the edge and the interior of the vineyards. In contrast, insect abundance was significantly influenced by the type of adjacent habitat. Vineyards adjacent to native vegetation and exotic tree plantations showed the highest abundances for most insect orders present in the bat diet compared to urban areas. Bat activity was significantly correlated with the abundance of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, with mixed effects between bat species (negative for Tadarida brasiliensis, positive for Lasiurus varius, Lasiurus villosissimus and Myotis chiloensis). Crop edges adjacent to native vegetation provides important foraging habitat for bats and should therefore be considered in agricultural management. Locating vineyards close to these habitats may promote bat conservation via increased prey insects and may also benefit winegrowers through the ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in this crop.

Forestry plantations of Pinus radiata, managed through clearcutting method, would offer resistance to the movement of native fauna among remnants of native forest. In this study, we evaluate the possibilities of establishing connectivity corridors for native fauna in a forest landscape dominated by P. radiata, focusing on seven species with some level of specialisation in the use of different land covers and that exhibit different movement strategies. We sampled presences and abundances using several types of sampling to determine the abundance and crossing edge probabilities for the ground-dwelling beetle Ceroglossus chilensis; the mesocarnivores Conepatus chinga, Lycalopex culpaeus and Leopardus guigna; the terrestrial frogs Eupsophus septentrionalis and Pleuroderma thaul, and the understory bird Pteroptochos castaneus. We use species distribution modelling and circuit theory to calculate connectivity for each species. Finally, a spatial priorization approach was applied to obtain two scenarios of least-cost corridors. The results show that species with more specific requirements such as L. guigna, P. castaneus, P. thaul and E. septentrionalis, are unlikely to move through clear cuttings and young plantations, but their movement is possible through adult pine plantations with understory. For species that are habitat generalists such as C. chinga and L. culpaeus plantations were suitable for movement. The management of forest plantations should use multi-taxa assessments in the design of biological corridors that allow the connection of forest fragments.

Land planarians (Tricladida:Geoplanidae) comprise about 910 species distributed in four subfamilies and can be found on all continents except Antarctica (Sluys & Riutort 2018; Sluys 2019). The Neotropical region possesses nearly 31% of all the described terrestrial planarian species, most of them belonging to the subfamily Geoplaninae (Sluys 1999; Grau & Carbayo 2010). Land planarians are mostly habitat-specialists, living in the humid soils of native forest, and predating on invertebrates like earthworms, isopods, mollusks and harvestmen, among others (Ogren 1995; Carbayo & Leal-Zanchet 2003; Boll & Leal-Zanchet 2016). Although most planarian species seem to be physiologically sensitive, for example to environmental moisture, a few land planarian genera like Bipalium Stimpson and Obama Carbayo et al., have successfully invaded many habitats, even in highly perturbed areas (Kawaguti 1932; Sluys 2019). Therefore, some of these invertebrate species appear to be good candidates as habitat quality bioindicators according to some authors (Sluys 1998; Gerlach et al., 2013; Negrete et al., 2014).

Acrocerid flies are endoparasitoids of spiders that are distributed in all ecosystems except deserts and the poles. This group was historically classified into three subfamilies. However, molecular analyses have indicated two new subfamilies. One of these is Cyrtinae Newman, which is made up of two clades: the north, with Palearctic species, and the south, with Chilean species (except for the fossil genus Villalites Hennig). In the southern clade, endemic genera Holops Philippi and Villalus Cole have been poorly described over time by different authors. The aim of this study is to re-describe the known species of Holops and Villalus and describe three new Holops species based on collected material: Holops grezi sp. nov., Holops anarayae sp. nov., and Holops pullomen sp. nov. In addition, an identification species key with updated distributions for all species and the first record of Villalus inanis from Argentina is also provided. New species are mainly characterized by the length of flagellum; colors of the postocellar lobe and thoracic segments, pilosity and legs; wing cells and veins, and shape of the abdomen. Holops and Villalus do not share morphological traits with any other known extant genus of Acroceridae in the southern hemisphere. The real biodiversity of this group must be evaluated with a molecular phylogeny in the future. In addition, the new species in the Pehuén and Valdivian forest provinces, areas considered to have been sheltered during the last glacial period, promoting speciation in several taxa. New and cryptic Holops species open the doors to disentangling the real biodiversity of spider flies in Chile.