Praocis (Hemipraocis) 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 : 64-65

(6) Subgenus Praocis (Hemipraocis) Flores & Pizarro-Araya subgen. n. Figs 11, 25-26

Type species.

Praocis sellata Berg, 1889, 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 half; 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.

The species of Praocis (Hemipraocis) occur from central Argentina (southern Mendoza 36°S and coastal Buenos Aires 36°S), to southern Argentina and Chile (northern Magellan Strait 52°S), in the biogeographic provinces of Patagonia, Monte and Pampa ( Morrone 2006) (Fig. 25).

New records.

We present a new record for the Peninsula Valdés in Argentina ( Flores et al. 2011).

Diversity.

This subgenus contains 8 species/subspecies ( Kulzer 1958; Flores 2007, 2009; Flores et al. 2011) of which 2 subspecies were recently described ( Flores et al. 2011), plus 8 species to be described, 16 species in total, with a 167 percent increase in the species number (Fig. 33).

Habitat.

Species of Praocis (Hemipraocis) have diurnal and crepuscular habits, hiding during the night under shrubs, stones or buried in sand. They inhabit the Patagonian steppes and coastal Pampa from sea level to an altitude of 1700 m, in sandy soils or clayey, poorly permeable soils ( Flores et al. 2011; collection data FMNH, IADIZA, and pers. obs.) (Fig. 26).

Species included.

Praocis sellata Berg, 1889; Praocis sellata bergi Kulzer, 1958; Praocis sellata bruchi Kulzer, 1958 (= Praocis sellata topali Kaszab, 1964, synonymy by Flores et al. 2011); Praocis sellata peninsularis Flores & Carrara, 2011 (in Flores et al. 2011); Praocis sellata granulipennis Flores & Carrara, 2011 (in Flores et al. 2011); Praocis fimbriata Burmeister, 1875; Praocis striolicollis Fairmaire, 1883a (= Praocis denseciliata Fairmaire, 1883b, synonymy by Flores 2007) (= Praocis silvestrii Marcuzzi, 2001, synonymy by Flores 2009); Praocis inermis Burmeister, 1875 (= Praocis compacta Fairmaire, 1883b, synonymy by Flores 2007).