First Record of Baseodiscus hemprichii (Nemertea: Baseodiscidae) on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and a New Eastern Distribution Boundary for the Species

A new heterotardigrade, Bryodelphax aaseae sp. nov. is described from a small moss sample collected in the Rano Kau Crater on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in 1989. The new species belongs to the group of species within the genus that have ventral plates. B. aaseae sp. nov. is similar to B. weglarskae (Pilato, 1972), B. sinensis (Pilato, 1974) and B. iohannis Bertolani, Guidi & Rebecchi, 1995 but differs from them mainly by a different number and arrangement of ventral plates. This is the first record of the genus Bryodelphax from Easter Island/Rapa Nui.

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First record of the invasive gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris Duméril & Bibron, 1836 in mainland Chile (Squamata, Gekkonidae)

Herpetozoa ◽

10.3897/herpetozoa.33.e53625 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 125-129

Author(s):

Felix A. Urra ◽

Alejandro Zúñiga ◽

Alejandro Bruno Miranda-Calle ◽

Nel Melero

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

South America ◽

First Record ◽

Easter Island ◽

Rapa Nui ◽

Urban Zone ◽

Lepidodactylus Lugubris ◽

Juvenile Specimen

In Chile, the presence of Mourning Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris Duméril & Bibron, 1836 has been recognized for Easter Island (Rapa Nui) from late 19th century. Here, we report the first observation of a juvenile specimen of L. lugubris in an urban zone of Santiago, Región Metropolitana, mainland Chile, representing the southernmost non-insular record in America for this invasive species. Moreover, an updated distributional map of L. lugubris for South America and the Antilles is provided.

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First Records and Descriptions of Early Life Stages of Cephalopods from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and the Nearby Apolo Seamount

Pacific Science ◽

10.2984/73.1.8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 163 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sergio A. Carrasco ◽

Erika Meerhoff ◽

Beatriz Yannicelly ◽

Christian M. Ibáñez

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Easter Island ◽

Life Stages ◽

Early Life Stages ◽

Rapa Nui

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FIRST CHARACTERIZATION OF DRILLING PREDATION ON EASTER ISLAND - RAPA NUI

10.1130/abs/2017am-303900 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Julieta Martinelli ◽

◽

Sandra Gordillo ◽

Maria Carla De Aranzamendi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Easter Island ◽

Rapa Nui ◽

Drilling Predation

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Daily accumulation rates of marine litter on the shores of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the South Pacific Ocean

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112535 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 169 ◽

pp. 112535

Author(s):

Martin Thiel ◽

Bárbara Barrera Lorca ◽

Luis Bravo ◽

Iván A. Hinojosa ◽

Hugo Zeballos Meneses

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

South Pacific ◽

Easter Island ◽

Accumulation Rates ◽

The South ◽

Rapa Nui ◽

Marine Litter ◽

South Pacific Ocean

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Thermal Imaging Shows Submarine Groundwater Discharge Plumes Associated with Ancient Settlements on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile)

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13132531 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 2531

Author(s):

Robert J. DiNapoli ◽

Carl P. Lipo ◽

Timothy S. de Smet ◽

Terry L. Hunt

Keyword(s):

Fresh Water ◽

Submarine Groundwater Discharge ◽

Groundwater Discharge ◽

Water Sources ◽

Easter Island ◽

Human Populations ◽

Rapa Nui ◽

Hydrologic Processes ◽

Submarine Groundwater ◽

Aerial Systems

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important component of many coastal environments and hydrologic processes, providing sources of nutrients to marine ecosystems, and potentially, an important source of fresh water for human populations. Here, we use a combination of unpiloted aerial systems (UAS) thermal infrared (TIR) imaging and salinity measurements to characterize SGD on the remote East Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile). Previous research has shown that coastal freshwater seeps are abundant on Rapa Nui and strongly associated with the locations of ancient settlement sites. We currently lack, however, information on the differential magnitude or quality of these sources of fresh water. Our UAS-based TIR results from four locations on Rapa Nui suggest that locations of variably-sized SGD plumes are associated with many ancient settlement sites on the island and that these water sources are resilient to drought events. These findings support previous work indicating that ancient Rapa Nui communities responded to the inherent and climate-induced hydrological challenges of the island by focusing on these abundant and resilient freshwater sources. Our results highlight the efficacy of using UAS-based TIR for detecting relatively small SGD locations and provide key insights on the potential uses of these water sources for past and current Rapa Nui communities.

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