Update of the coastal-marine mollusc assembly catalog of the Archipiélago Diego Ramírez (56°31’s), Chile: a refuge for sustainable economy and Subantarctic conservation

Abstract

The Diego Ramírez archipelago is the last point of the South-America continent, located in the Drake Passage 111 km SW of Cape Horn. Due to its difficult access, information on the marine biodiversity that inhabits its coasts is still limited. This study presents the first report of the assemblage of coastal marine mollusks in this archipelago. Samples were collected during an expedition to Gonzalo Island during the spring of 2016. During the low tide an exhaustive inspection and collection of mollusks was carried out from the upper intertidal zone to 1 m depth. Records of these collections were complemented with reports from previous expeditions. A total 51 mollusk taxa were identified. Among the identified taxa, 42 mollusk species were new to Diego Ramirez Islands. This work is an updated list record of mollusks of the Diego Ramírez archipelago. It is important to continue investigating and monitoring this archipelago which corresponds to the southern limit of the Magellanic Province and the last South American rocky remnants that face the Drake passage.