Praocis (Mesopraocis) nitens Kulzer, 1959

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) nitens Kulzer, 1959

Figs 3C, D , 4C , 5

Praocis nitens Kulzer, 1959: 561; Peña 1966: 431 (cat.); Vidal and Guerrero 2007: 73, 218; Pizarro-Araya et al. 2008: 273 (list.); Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2014: 60 (list).

Redescription.

Length 7.87-10.62 mm. Body, antennae, legs black to dark 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 on frons and epicanthus elevated; frontoclypeal suture with short or long setae; eyes with supraocular groove; antennae reaching anterior third of lateral margin of pronotum; antennomere 9 longer than wide, 11 wider than long, antennomere 9 longer than 10 and 11, antennomere 9 narrower than 10 and wider than 11, antennomere 10 wider than 11.

Thorax. Pronotum with anterior angles rounded, not produced, remote from eyes and epicanthus, lateral margins declivous, disc convex reaching lateral margins (Fig. 4C ); posterior margin bisinuate, central area not extending beyond lateral extents of posterior margin (Fig. 4C ), posterior angles right with apex rounded, produced. Hypomeron with a fringe of long golden setae below lateral margin of pronotum. Metaventrite with punctures on lateral thirds separated by two to four puncture diameters, transverse grooves parallel to metacoxae formed by the fusion of a row of punctures.

Elytron. Pseudopleuron with sparse punctures of which emerge long, 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, shiny, almost smooth, with sparse punctures and setae on anterior quarter, and with a row of punctures with same diameter and depth as on pseudopleuron located on posterior three fourths.

Legs. Ventral surface of protrochanters with hair brush. Apical process of distal margin of protibiae equal to length of protarsomeres 1-2 combined; protibial length 2.5 times the width of distal margin. First metatarsomere 1.4-1.6 times longer than metatarsomeres 2-3 combined (Fig. 4C ).

Abdomen. Ventrites 1-2 with sparse punctures separated by two to four puncture diameters; ventrites 3-4 smooth on central area, with punctures on lateral thirds separated by two to four 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. 3C, D ). Basal lamina of tegmen equal width throughout, with base concave. Lateral styles of tegmen with proximal margin bisinuate, with setae on distal 1/6 of ventral surface. Median lobe distally widened, half the width of tegmen, with apical aperture large.

Type specimens.

Holotype male: [Huasco/ Atacama/ 20-22.x.1957/ Coll: L.E. Peña] [Holotypus/ Praocis / ( Mesopraocis )/ Praocis nitens m./ det. H. Kulzer 1958] (FMNH); allotype female (FMNH) and four paratypes with the same data as holotype plus [Paratypus/ Praocis / Praocis nitens m./ H. Kulzer 1958] 2 (FMNH), 2 (OSUC).

Other material examined.

Chile. Atacama Region: Copiapo Province: Rodillo, Caldera , xi.1991, H. Vásquez, 10 (LEULS). Huasco Province : Algarrobal , Atacama, 15.ix.2002, J. Pizarro-Araya, 1 (LEULS), Quebrada Carrizalillo, N. Huasco, 12.x.1980, L.E. Peña, 1 (FMNH), Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe, 28°11'17.36"S, 71°9'13.63"W, 20-22.xii.2016, J. Pizarro-Araya & F.M. Alfaro, 9 (LEULS), 15.x.1997, Traps barber, 17 (LEULS), Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe , UTM 19 J 311128 W, 6883333 N, 269 msl, 31.viii-03.ix.2017, J. Pizarro-Araya & F.M. Alfaro (SIMEF-Project), 3 (LEULS), Agua de Luna , 20 km N Huasco, sand dunes, 28°20'09"S,71°09'"W, i.2004, F.M. Alfaro, 1 (IADIZA), 27.x.2010, M. Elgueta, 4 (MNNC), 28°20'5.2"S, 71°09'37."W, 29.x.2012, M. Elgueta, 2 (IADIZA), Huasco bajo, 8.viii.1976, 1 (UCCC), Huasco , 20-22.x.1957, L.E. Peña, 2 (OSUC), 29 (FMNH). Note: these 29 specimens were later labeled as paratypes by Peña but these were not originally designated by Kulzer (1959), who stated that he designated 24 paratypes with the same data as holotype and Peña kept 88 more specimens; 17-21.x.1974, L.E. Peña, 68 (FMNH), Huasco , sand dunes, 28-29.ix.1981, M. Elgueta, 3 (MNNC), 28°27'19.5"S, 71°12'6."W, 28.x.2012, M. Elgueta, 1 (IADIZA), 5 km N Huasco, 13.ix.1996, Leg. G. Castillo, 1 (LEULS), Agua de Luna , Huasco , 12-16.xi.2008, Leg. F. M. Alfaro, 5 (LEULS), i.2004, F.M. Alfaro 4 (LEULS), Caleta Angosta, Huasco , 18.viii.2009, F. M. Alfaro, 1 (LEULS), Tres Playitas, Huasco , xi.2015, F.M. Alfaro, 1 (IADIZA), 16-21.xi.2014, 28°25' 26.1"S, 71°11'19.5"W, J. Pizarro-Araya & F.M. Alfaro, 10 (LEULS), Los Bronces, Huasco , 15.x.2006, F.M. Alfaro, 3 (IADIZA), 15.x.2006, 6 (LEULS), Playa Tontado, Huasco , 28.xi.2008, Leg. F.M. Alfaro, 5 (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.