Systematic revision of the South American genus Praocis Eschscholtz, 1829 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Part 1: Introduction and subgenus Praocis s. str.
Author
Flores, Gustavo E.
Author
Pizarro-Araya, Jaime
text
Zootaxa
2012
2012-06-06
3336
1
35
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3336.1.1
bbc32875-b65a-4dd1-8977-55527edd2440
1175-5326
281312
Praocis
(
Praocis
)
bicentenario
sp. nov.
(
Figs. 2
,
17
,
29
)
Diagnosis.
Praocis
(
Praocis
)
bicentenario
sp. nov.
may be identified by the pronotum with posterior angles acute and apex pointed; elytron with two longitudinal grooves and intervals flat (
Fig. 17
). It differs from
P.
(
Praocis
)
rufipes
which has pronotum with posterior angles right and apex rounded; elytron with three longitudinal grooves and intervals arched.
Description.
Length 6.0–9.0 mm. Body black to dark brown, antennae and legs dark brown. Head. Clypeus and frons with round punctures, each with a central seta; antennae reaching midpoint of lateral margin of pronotum; antennomere 9 wider than long, with apical tomentose sensory patches arranged in two areas closed dorsally; antennomere 10 wider than antennomere 11 (
Fig. 2
). Thorax. Pronotum widest behind midpoint; disc and lateral quarters with fine, golden setae; punctures of disc same size as punctures of elytron; width of anterior margin exceeding half the width of posterior margin; lateral quarters convex, dorsal surface of lateral margin bearing a tuft of long, golden setae; posterior angles acute, apex pointed (
Fig. 17
); prosternum horizontal, with edge on anterior margin broadened below gula; prosternal process subrectangular forming a right angle, not produced backwards (as in
Fig. 12
); prosternum and mesosternum with protuberances. Elytron lacking carinae, with two grooves bearing short, broad, golden, scaly setae, intervals flat, wider than grooves; dorsal surface with short, golden setae; the narrow inner groove runs from apex of elytron reaching only the posterior third, not surpassing the midpoint of elytron towards anterior, converging at the apex with the inner groove of the other elytron, outer groove wider than inner, runs over lateral margin from apex of elytron reaching the base towards anterior and broadened in central part (
Fig. 17
), in females sometimes this broadening is longitudinally interrupted; pseudopleuron with long setae arising on protuberances; epipleuron with short setae arising on protuberances, bearing a row of setae on the edge of anterior quarter. Legs. Ventral surface of meso– and metafemora with a row of setae on posterior edge. Inner surface of meso– and metatibiae with long, fine setae. Metatibiae curved outward. Male genitalia. Rods of sterna IX close to each other at basal third. Basal lamina of tegmen equal width throughout, with base concave. Lateral styles of tegmen with proximal margin ventrally concave, widest at base, with setae on distal 1/5 of ventral surface. Median lobe moderate (0.75 <L/T
≤
1.00), equal width throughout, with apical aperture small and apex acute. Female genitalia. Paraprocts long (2.0 <P/C
≤
3.0); baculi of coxite horizontal; proctigeral baculus extending proximad much beyond paraproct baculus; apicodorsal lobe of proctiger extending about ½ length of coxite.
Etymology.
Named “
bicentenario
” celebrating the bicentennial independence of
Chile
and
Argentina
.
Type
material.
Holotype
,
male
: [
CHILE
:
Region Coquimbo/ Prov. Choapa Quereo
/
31º 55´35.2´´ S
,
71º 30´44.2´´ W
/
17 m
25-x-2009
/ coll:
J. Pizarro
] [
Praocis
(
Praocis
)
/
bicentenario
sp. n.
/
HOLOTYPUS
male
/ Det.
G. Flores
and/
J. Pizarro-Araya
2011] (
MNNC
)
;
allotype
,
female
(
MNNC
)
and 52
paratypes
with the same data as
holotype
:
9 (
MNNC
),
8 (
LEULS
),
9 (
IADIZA
),
8 (
UCCC
),
4 (
MNHN
),
3
(
NHMB
),
3 (
MNHUB
),
2 (
HNHM
),
2 (
BMNH
),
2 (
MACN
),
2 (
MLPA
)
.
Paratypes
:
CHILE
.
Coquimbo Region
:
Elqui Province
:
Choros Bajos
,
xi.1989
,
J.E. Barriga
, 7 (
JEBC
),
Caleta de Hornos
,
5.iii.2005
,
J. Pizarro-Araya
1 (
LEULS
).
Choapa Province
:
Huentelauquén
,
20.x.1988
, 1 (
PVGH
),
6.x.1947
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
MNNC
),
3 (
FMNH
),
6.xi.1957
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
FMNH
),
4.x.1967
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
FMNH
),
Punta Chungo
,
Los Vilos
,
25.vii.2007
,
A. González
, 1 (
LEULS
),
Puerto Manso
,
24–31.vii.1960
,
L.E. Peña
, 2 (
IADIZA
),
Los Vilos
,
7–9.x.1947
,
L.E. Peña
, 3 (
FMNH
),
1
(
NHMB
),
12.x.1994
,
J.E. Barriga
, 1 (
JEBC
),
S
Puerto Manso
,
18–19.ix.1947
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
FMNH
),
N
Los Vilos
,
19.xi.1969
,
L.E. Peña
, 3 (
FMNH
),
Ñague,
Los Vilos
,
Coquimbo
,
5.xi.1981
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
IADIZA
),
1 (
FMNH
),
Los Vilos
,
28.x.1970
,
M. Pino
, 2 (
UCCC
),
Quereo
,
ix.1983
,
G. Carrasco
, 1 (
FMNH
),
1.xi.2008
,
F. Alfaro
, 1 (
LEULS
),
Huaquén
,
24.xi.1961
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
FMNH
),
26.x.1965
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
FMNH
),
Los Molles
,
22.x.1961
,
L.E. Peña
, 1 (
FMNH
)
.
Remarks
. Most of the
paratypes
collected by L.E. Peña previously deposited in FMNH and NHMB were determined by Kulzer as
Praocis audouni
Solier 1840
and he used these specimens for his redescription of
P. audouini
(
Kulzer, 1958
)
. Probably Kulzer did not see the
type
of this species. Recently one of us (GEF) examined the
types
of
P. audouini
in the miscellaneous boxes of the old collection in MNHN and concluded it was a junior synonym of
P. sanquinolenta
Gay & Solier (
Flores
, 2007: 411
)
. Because this misidentification of Kulzer we interpreted these specimens and the ones recently collected by JPA as a new species of
Praocis
,
P. bicentenario
.
Habitat.
Praocis
(
P.
)
bicentenario
sp. nov.
inhabits the
Gajardo’s (1994)
mesic vegetational formation named arborescent steppe shrub associated with
Piptochaetium montevidense
(Poaceae)
,
Hypochaeris radicata
(Asteraceae)
,
Nolana
sp. (
Nolanaceae
),
Stachys grandidentata
(Lamiaceae)
and
Plantago
sp. (
Plantaginaceae
).