Aim We investigated the biogeographic pattern of the species‐rich genus Psectrascelis (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in the Central Andes and the Chilean Atacama Desert as an example for insect evolution in such a geologically and climatically highly dynamic arid region. The main aim was to test two alternative hypotheses about the main drivers of diversification of biotas from deserts in the region: Andean uplift versus Pleistoc...