PyBio | Paraguay Biodiversidad

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Looking from the bottom of the geological fault near the city of Paraguarí the Cordillera de los Altos seems like isolated mountains		On the rocky slopes are the last remains of the forest, which formerly covered all the mountains		Basaltic cones in the valley near Sapucay. Some of these cones preserve rests of the original vegetation , while the vegetation in the valley is secundary and mixed with introduced species		Small creeks running down the slopes with an extreme irregular waterflow
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Forest on one of the basaltic cones		Deforestation and freely running cattle produced a new vegetation mixed with a great number of exotic species		Ybycui National Parc         foto: S. Drechsel		“Cerrado” vegetation  on the rocky parts with cacti of genera Gymnocalycium and Frailea         foto: S. Drechsel
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The ecosystem of the mountains seems to be of very old origin. The presence of a species of Coleoptera of the family Torridincolidae (Coleoptera, Myxophaga) in a small waterfall of one of these creeks suggests a colonization since the mesozoic. The suborder Myxophaga departed from the other coleopters at least since trassic, may be since permian (Crowson 1960, Hennig 1969). The hygropetric way of life of all instars  (egg, larva, pupa and imago, unique between  Coleoptera) in the water and the world distribution of the family Torridincolidae in Japan, China, Madagascar, Southafrica, Brasil and in this place in Paraguay (Jäch 1998), indicate a relict character

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“Salto Cristal” of the Minas creek in the Ybycui National Parc		Sandstone layers are forming steps in the streambed		Huge rocks in the streambed are showing quantity and force of the water after heavy rainfalls		behind the curtain of the Mbocaruzu waterfall  Cypseloides senex (Apodidae) is hatching         foto: S. Drechsel
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Caañabe Creek		Cerro Yaguaron
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