Abstract

GONZALES, Paúl et al. Flora and fauna of the Huarimayo forest (Canta, Lima-Peru): A little remnant area with high biodiversity. Arnaldoa [online]. 2024, vol.31, n.1, pp.39-84.  Epub Apr 20, 2024. ISSN 1815-8242.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22497/arnaldoa.311.31103.

The relict forest of Huarimayo is located on the western slope of the central Andes of Peru, between 2700-3200 m. Together with Zárate and Linday, they are the only dry cloud forests reported for the department of Lima. These discontinuously distributed forests are considered among the most threatened ecosystems due to the burning of the soils for adaptation to agricultural land and livestock activities. The objective of this study is to provide a biodiversity assessment for the Huarimayo relict forest and to use the data to analyze geographical relationships of restricted species to the dry cloud forest. Evaluations were carried out between 2015 and 2019. The fauna is represented by 54 species, including 49 species of birds, three mammals and two reptiles, while the flora is composed of 238 species of vascular plants, including seven infraspecific taxa (four subspecies and three varieties) and 31 species of non-vascular plants (including one subspecies and one variety). Two liverworts, Cryptomitrium tenerum and Fossombronia lamellata, are newly reported to Peru. Endemism is composed of 55 (23%) species consisting of 46 plants, six birds, two mammals and one reptile. We concluded that the diversity of the Huarimayo relict forest is representative of the western slope, whose most important floristic contributions come from the northwestern zone, which also functions as a strategic site for altitudinal migratory birds.

Keywords : Andes; animals; hotspots; montane forest; plants..

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