Samples of the superfamily Curculionoidea (Coleoptera) were collected along altitudinal transects in various regions of the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (RBEC) of northeastern Mexico. A total of 96 species were identified in 49 genera of which the tribes, Anthonomini, Zygopini, and Baradini had the largest number of species. Epicaerus and Baris were the genera with the greatest number of individuals. The majority of the Curculionoidea registered in the reserve had distributions restricted to Mexico or Mexico and Central America, and only 6% had distributions that extended into the United States. Five of the species found in the reserve represent new records for Mexico. An important component of this entomofauna is apparently restricted to the Sierra Madre Oriental. The relationship of the biogeographic affinities of the Curculionidae with their altitudinal distribution will be discussed, as well as the need for further systematic studies of the Curculionoidea in the region.
Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidae
Keywords: biological diversity
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