Potential geographic distribution and ecological niche of New World dobsonflies (Megaloptera: Corydalidae): the case of the Nearctic-Neotropical transition zone

Abstract

The geographic range of New World dobsonflies (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) is studied to address the effect of the Nearctic-Neotropical transition zone on the biogeographic distribution of the species that occurred in and near the transition zone. We present potential geographic distributions based on ecological niche models for several species of dobsonflies. Our results suggest that the geographic range of dobsonflies in the transition zone is associated to mountainous formations and that most species favour warm climates with higher precipitation rates. Climate types tend to be important for species that show narrow geographic ranges, but precipitation tends to be the most important variable to explain species dispersion. Overall, our models support the dispersion of dobsonflies from the Neotropics to North America and explain the two endemic species in Mexico as the result of the formation of the transition zone.