Praocis (Praocis) marginata Germain, 1855

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 : 19

Praocis (Praocis) marginata Germain, 1855

( Figs. 14 , 20 , 28 )

Praocis marginata Germain, 1855: 401 ; Philippi, 1887: 732 (cat.); Gebien, 1910: 260 (cat.); Gebien, 1938: 400 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1945: 523 (cat.); Kulzer, 1958: 26 (rev.); Peña, 1966: 431 (cat.); Vidal & Guerrero, 2007: 73.

Redescription. Length 7.0–8.1 mm. Head, thorax and elytra black, sternites, femora and tibiae black to dark brown antennae and tarsi dark brown. Head. Clypeus and frons with round punctures each with a central seta; antennae reaching 3/4 along lateral margin of pronotum; antennomere 9 longer than wide, with apical tomentose sensory patches arranged in two areas separated dorsally; antennomere 10 as wide as antennomere 11. Thorax. Pronotum widest behind midpoint; disc and lateral quarters glabrous; punctures of disc same size as punctures of elytron; width of anterior margin not exceeding half the width of posterior margin; lateral quarters convex, dorsal surface of lateral margin bearing a row of short golden setae; posterior angles acute, apex pointed ( Fig. 20 ); prosternum horizontal, with edge on anterior margin broadened below gula; prosternal process produced backwards, surpassing the midpoint of the space between pro– and mesocoxae ( Fig. 14 ); prosternum and mesosternum with punctures. Elytron with one carina more approximate to lateral margin than suture, with a broad groove over lateral margin, occupying outer third of elytra, bearing short, broad, golden, scaly setae ( Fig. 20 ); dorsal surface glabrous, with punctures; pseudopleuron and epipleuron glabrous, lacking protuberances or punctures, epipleuron lacking a row of setae on the edge of anterior quarter. Legs. Ventral surface of meso– and metafemora lacking a row of setae on posterior edge. Inner surface of meso– and metatibiae with short, stout setae. Metatibiae straight. 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 quarter of ventral surface. Median lobe long (L/T> 1), narrowed in pre-distal quarter and distally broadened, with apical aperture large and apex acute. Female: unknown.

Material examined. CHILE. Atacama Region: Chañaral Province, Ag. El León, N Caldera , 4–6.x.1980, L.E. Peña, 1 ( FMNH); Quebrada el León , 1.ix.2007. J. Pizarro-Araya 1 ( LEULS), without more precise data, cum typus comparatum, det. H. Kulzer 1957, 1 ( NHMB) .

Geographic distribution. Chile (Atacama Region: Chañaral Province, Quebrada el León), in the Atacama biogeographic province.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Geographical distribution of four species of Praocis (Praocis): P. (P.) marginata, P. (P.) rufipes, P. (P.) spinolai, and P. (P.) subaenea.

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.

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.