Praocis (Mesopraocis) calderana Kulzer, 1958

Flores, Gustavo E. & Pizarro-Araya, Jaime, 2022, Revision of the subgenus Mesopraocis Flores & Pizarro-Araya of the Neotropical genus Praocis Eschscholtz (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Pimeliinae), ZooKeys 1100, pp. 29-55 : 29

Praocis (Mesopraocis) calderana Kulzer, 1958

Figs 3A, B , 4B , 5

Praocis calderana Kulzer, 1958: 32 (rev.); Peña 1966: 431 (cat.); Vidal and Guerrero 2007: 73, 218; Pizarro-Araya et al. 2008: 273 (list.); Pizarro-Araya et al. 2012: 9 (ecol.); Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2014: 60 (list).

Redescription.

Length 6.25-9.00 mm. Body, antennae, legs black, dark brown to light brown, body widest at prothorax. Head. Clypeus with punctures bearing short setae on all surface, width of anterior margin equal to half the interocular width; frons with punctures bearing short setae on all surface, border of punctures not elevated; frontoclypeal suture lacking setae; eyes lacking supraocular groove; antennae reaching anterior third of lateral margin of pronotum; antennomere 9 wider than long, 11 longer than wide, antennomere 9 of equal length to 10 and shorter than 11, antennomere 9 of equal width to 10 and wider than 11, antennomere 10 wider than 11.

Thorax. Pronotum with anterior angles rounded, produced, very close to eyes and epicanthus, lateral margin explanate, disc convex not reaching lateral margins (Fig. 4B ); posterior margin bisinuate, central area not extending beyond lateral extents of posterior margin (Fig. 4B ), posterior angles acute, pointed, produced. Hypomeron with a fringe of long golden setae below lateral margin of pronotum. Metaventrite with punctures on lateral thirds separated by one to two puncture diameters.

Elytron. Pseudopleuron with sparse punctures of which emerge short, erect setae, becoming long, dense on anterior half of upper surface, punctures separated by three to six puncture diameters on lower surface, separated by one to two puncture diameters on anterior half of upper surface; epipleuron with a fringe of long golden setae on anterior half of edge, texture different than that of elytron, shiny, almost smooth, with sparse punctures and setae.

Legs. Ventral surface of trochanters with single long setae. Apical process of distal margin of protibiae equal to length of protarsomeres 1-3 combined; protibial length twice the width of distal margin. Metatarsomere 1 twice as long as metatarsomeres 2-3 combined.

Abdomen. Ventrites 1-3 with sparse punctures separated by two to four puncture diameters; ventrite 4 with sparse punctures separated by one to two puncture diameters; ventrite 5 with punctures on central area separated by two to four puncture diameters, on lateral thirds separated by one to two puncture diameters.

Male genitalia (Fig. 3A, B ). Basal lamina of tegmen proximally narrow, with base pointed. Lateral styles of tegmen with proximal margin triundulate, medially notched, with setae on distal 1/6 of ventral surface. Median lobe equal width throughout, one third of the width of tegmen, with apical aperture small.

Type specimens.

Holotype male: [Caldera/ (8 km SE)/ Costa Atacama/ 17.vi.1955/ Coll: L.E. Peña] [Holotypus/ Praocis / Praocis calderana m./ det. H. Kulzer 1957] (FMNH); allotype female (FMNH) and two paratypes with the same data as holotype plus [Paratypus/ Praocis / Praocis calderana m./ H. Kulzer 1957] (FMNH).

Other material examined.

Chile. Antofagasta Region: Antofagasta Province: Antofagasta. 20 km N Paposo, vi.1985, L.E. Peña, 4 (FMNH), S Paposo, sand dunes, 25°07'1.8"S, 70°28'52."W, 5.xi.2012, M. Elgueta, 3 (MNNC), 8 (IADIZA), 2 (LEULS), 17 km S Paposo, playa Las Losas, 9.iii.2017, 25.13746°S, 70.46178°W, G. Flores, R. Predel, M. Bläser, L. Ragionieri, A. Zuñiga, 18 (IADIZA), 2 (LEULS). Atacama Region: Chañaral Province: Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar, 14.x.1992, L.E. Peña, 4.v.2003, J. Pizarro-Araya, 4 (IADIZA), 6 (LEULS), Cerro Verde, 26.29759°S, 70.64099°W, x.2017, A. Zúñiga, 2 (MNNC), 3 (IADIZA), 2 (LEULS), 20 km S Chañaral, 16.ix.2000, M. Beéche, 2 (MNNC), 15 km N Chañaral, 21.ix.2000, M. Beéche, 2 (MNNC), N Flamenco, 19 m, sand dunes, 26°32'51.9"S, 70°41'09."W, 30.x.2010, M. Elgueta, 3 (MNNC). Copiapo Province: Rodillo, 27.x.1989, H. Vásquez, 1 (IADIZA), 8 (LEULS); ix.1990, H. Vásquez, 3 (IADIZA), 11 (LEULS); 15.x.1991, J. Cepeda, 2 (IADIZA), 8 (LEULS), Quebrada El León, Caldera, 1.ix.2007, J. Pizarro-Araya, 2 (IADIZA), 6 (LEULS), 01.xi.2007, P. Agusto (LEULS), Quebrada El León, Caldera, 26°57'44"S, 70°45'51"W, 21.ii.2006, J. Pizarro-Araya, 5 (LEULS), Punta Frodden, 20 km N Caldera, 26.iv.1956, L.E. Peña, 1 (FMNH), 20 km SE Caldera, 8.xii.1967, L.E. Peña, 31 (FMNH), 12 km E Caldera, 341 m, 27°06'2.8"S, 70°40'23." W, 13.xi.2010, M. Elgueta, 2 (MNNC), 10 km N Caldera, 4.x.1983, A. Roig, 4 (IADIZA), 1 (LEULS), Caldera, 17.vi.1955, L.E. Peña, 4 (MNNC), 2-4.x.1981, M. Elgueta, 6 (MNNC), Bahía Inglesa, 15.ix.2000, M. Beéche, 2 (MNNC), Bahía Inglesa, 3 m, sand dunes, 27°06'26.9"S, 70°51'03."W, 6.xi.2012, M. Elgueta, 8 (IADIZA), 2 (LEULS), Bahía Inglesa, sand dunes, 27.1°S, 70.8667°W, 24.i.2010, E. Ruiz, J. Mondaca, F.M. Alfaro (3 IADIZA), Boca Río Copiapó, 13.vi.1968, L.E. Peña, 1 (FMNH), 40 km S Copiapó, 25.x. 1983, L.E. Peña, 1 (FMNH), Puerto Viejo, 10.x.1980, L.E. Peña, 3 (FMNH), ix.1982, L.E. Peña, 9 (FMNH), Ruta 5 norte con Puerto Viejo, 157 m, 27°21'34"S, 70°40'"W, 24.i.2010, E. Ruiz Manzanos, F.M. Alfaro, J. Mondaca, 1 (IADIZA). Huasco Province: Playa Blanca, 11.iii.2017, 26.17352°S, 70. 66057°W, G. Flores, 1 (IADIZA), Carrizal Bajo, Vallenar, xi.1991, H. Vásquez, 8 (LEULS), Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe, 15.x.1997, pitfall traps 1 (LEULS). Coquimbo Region: Elqui Province: Chungungo, Playa Blanca, 27.ii.2005, J. Pizarro-Araya, 3 (LEULS), Lagunillas, Coquimbo, xi.1990, pitfall traps 11 (LEULS).

Figures

Figure 3. Male and female genitalia of Praocis (Mesopraocis) species A-D male A, B Praocis (Mesopraocis) calderana, dorsal and ventral views C, D Praocis (Mesopraocis) nitens, dorsal and ventral views. Abbreviations: bl, basal lamina of tegmen, ls, lateral styles of tegmen, ml, median lobe E ovipositor (ventral view), spiculum ventrale and internal female reproductive tract of Praocis (Mesopraocis) pilula. Abbreviations: bc, baculi of coxite, bp, baculi of paraproct, c, coxite, g, gonostyli, m, midventral sclerite, o, oviduct, p, paraproct, r, rectum, s, spermatheca, sag, spermathecal accessory gland, sp, spiculum ventrale, v, vagina, 1, 2, 3, 4, coxite lobes. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 4. Habitus in dorsal view A Praocis (Mesopraocis) pilula B Praocis (Mesopraocis) calderana C Praocis (Mesopraocis) nitens D Praocis (Mesopraocis) arenicola sp. nov. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 5. Geographical distribution of Praocis (Mesopraocis) calderana and Praocis (Mesopraocis) nitens.