Praocis (Praocis) bicentenario, Flores, Gustavo E. & Pizarro-Araya, Jaime, 2012

Flores, Gustavo E. & Pizarro-Araya, Jaime, 2012, Systematic revision of the South American genus Praocis Eschscholtz, 1829 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Part 1: Introduction and subgenus Praocis s. str., Zootaxa 3336, pp. 1-35 : 16-17

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 ).

Figures

FIGURE 29. Geographical distribution of four species of Praocis (Praocis): P. (P.) bicentenario, P. (P.) elliptica, P. (P.) medvedevi, and P. (P.) sulcata.

FIGURES 1 − 4. Scanning electron micrographs of body details of Praocis (Praocis) species. 1. Praocis (P.) subaenea, head in dorsal view. 2. P. (P.) bicentenario sp. nov., antennomeres 9 – 11 in dorsal view. 3. P. (P.) spinolai, lateral margin of pronotum in dorsal view. 4. P. (P.) spinolai, scaly setae of elytron into a groove.

FIGURES 15 − 20. Habitus in dorsal view. 15. Praocis (Praocis) costata; 16. P. (P.) sanquinolenta; 17. P. (P.) bicentenario sp. nov., holotype; 18. P. (P.) hirtella; 19. P. (P.) subsulcata; 20. P. (P.) marginata.

FIGURES 5 − 14. Male and female genitalia and body details of Praocis (Praocis) species. 5. Fore tibia and tarsus in anterior view of Praocis (P.) sanquinolenta. 6 − 9: Male: 6, 7. P. (P.) rufipes, dorsal and ventral views; 8, 9. P. (P.) elliptica, dorsal and ventral views. Abbreviations: bl, basal lamina of tegmen, ls, lateral styles of tegmen, ml, median lobe. 10. Ovipositor (ventral view), spiculum and internal female reproductive tract of P. (P.) hirtella. Abbreviations: c, coxite, o, oviduct, p, paraproct, s, spermatheca, sag, spermathecal accessory gland, sp, spiculum, v, vagina. 11 – 14. Prosternum and mesosternun, lateral aspect. 11. P. (P.) costata; 12. P. (P.) quadrisulcata; 13. P. (P.) elliptica; 14. P. (P.) marginata. Abbreviations: p, prosternum, m, mesosternum. Scale bars: 1 mm.