Colecciones de Invertebrados del LOUNAZ

The invertebrate collection of the Museo de Zoología at the Universidad Nacional de Loja, LOUNAZ, a foundational dataset compiled from 2019 over a four-year period, as part of the initial efforts to document the invertebrate fauna of southern Ecuador. The 5059 records correspond to physical specimens collected across various ecosystems and elevational gradients, following standardized sampling protocols. The database includes key georeferenced information (coordinates, elevation, locality) and basic taxonomic data (class, order, family).

Specimens were collected in locations such as Yantzaza (Zamora Chinchipe) at 811 m a.s.l., in Amazonian tropical humid forest; the Numbami, Higuerones, and Río Nea reserves, located in the Jamboé River Valley at 1300 m a.s.l., within evergreen piedmont forest; the Madrigal del Podocarpus Reserve in Loja Province, between 2200 and 3300 m a.s.l., characterized by montane cloud forest and páramo; the El Carmen micro-watershed in the Loja basin, with an elevational range of 2076 to 3412 m a.s.l.; the city of Loja at 2100 m a.s.l., with a temperate climate; and Oil Block 66 (Tigüino), in Orellana Province, within the Ecuadorian Amazon