Praocis (Praocida) Flores & Pizarro-Araya

Flores, Gustavo E. & Pizarro-Araya, Jaime, 2014, Towards a revision of the South American genus Praocis Eschscholtz (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae), with estimation of the diversity of each subgenus, ZooKeys 415, pp. 53-80 : 68-70

(9) Subgenus Praocis (Praocida) Flores & Pizarro-Araya subgen. n. Figs 14, 31-32

Type species.

Praocis zischkai Kulzer, 1958, present designation.

Diagnosis.

Clypeus with anterior margin extending beyond to lateral expansion of frons, width of anterior margin not exceeding half the interocular width, clypeal suture as a horizontal groove not covered by frons, clypeus lower than frons; antennomere 9 longer than antennomere 10, antennomere 11 longer than antennomere 10; apical tomentose sensory patches on antennomere 10 in two areas subequal in size, on antennomere 11 on distal third; prosternum without a narrow edge on anterior margin; lateral margin of elytron well defined; ventral surface of profemora without a row of setae on anterior edge, protibiae explanate.

Distribution.

Species of Praocis (Praocida) inhabit southern Peru, central and southern Bolivia and northern Argentina. They occur from 12°South (Cuzco, Peru) to 31°South in Cordoba (northern Argentina), in the biogeographic provinces of Puna, Chaco, and Pampa ( Morrone 2006) (Fig. 31). Praocida is the only subgenus of Praocis inhabiting the biogeographic province of Chaco.

New records.

We present a new record of Praocis (Praocida) teniucosta Kulzer for the mountains in South Buenos Aires province (38°S).

Diversity.

This subgenus contains 4 species ( Kulzer 1958; Flores 2009) plus 3 species to be described, 7 species in total, with a 75 percent increase in number of species (Fig. 33).

Habitat.

Species of Praocis (Praocida) have nocturnal habits, hiding during the day under shrubs, stones or logs in clayey, poorly permeable soils. They occur from 1200 m in the Chacoan forest to an altitude of 4000 m in Puna (collection data FMNH, IADIZA and pers. obs.) (Fig. 32).

Species included.

Praocis tenuicosta Kulzer, 1958; Praocis zischkai Kulzer, 1958; Praocis kuscheli Kulzer, 1958; Praocis montana Kulzer, 1958 (= Praocis baloghi Marcuzzi, 2001, synonymy by Flores 2009).

Species of Praocis incertae sedis.

Praocis pentagona Lacordaire, 1830; Praocis squalida Lacordaire, 1830; Praocis silphoides Lacordaire, 1830; Praocis spinipes Laporte, 1840; Praocis hirticollis Laporte, 1840. Type material belonging to these five species is missing ( Kulzer 1958; Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2010) and the original descriptions do not provide information for the subgeneric assignment.