Praocis striolicollis Fairmaire

Flores, Gustavo E., 2009, Revision of some types of the South American tribes Nycteliini, Praocini, and Scotobiini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with new synonymies, Zootaxa 1985, pp. 21-33 : 25

Praocis striolicollis Fairmaire

( Figs. 7–8 )

Praocis striolicollis Fairmaire, 1883a: 494 .

Praocis denseciliata Fairmaire, 1883b: 508 (synonymy by Flores 2007: 414). Praocis silvestrii Marcuzzi, 2001: 275 . NEW SYNONYMY.

Type material. Lectotype of Praocis striolicollis ( Fig. 7 ): [Museum Paris/ Santa Cruz/ Patagonie/ Lebrun 1883] [Type] [ Praocis / striolicollis / Fm. (handwritten by Fairmaire)] [Lectotypus / Praocis striolicollis / Fairmaire, 1883/ Des. G. Flores 2005] ( MNHN). Two paralectotypes same data as lectotype, lacking the label handwritten of Fairmaire, plus two labels: [ Praocis / striolicollis / Fairm/ L. Fairmaire det 18_ _ (the author forgot to fill in the space)] and [Paralectotypus / Praocis striolicollis / Fairmaire, 1883/ Des. G. Flores 2005] ( MNHN). Note: Flores (2007: 414) designated lectotype and paralectotypes.

Holotype of Praocis silvestrii ( Fig. 8 ): [Patagonia/ Santa Cruz/ Silvestri 1900] [5º – 7º Accamp] [Holotypus] [ Praocis / silvestrii / Marc.] [Dono Prof./ G. Marcuzzi/ XI-1999] [Holotypus / Praocis / silvestrii / Marcuzzi, 2000] [Museo Civico di Genova] ( MSNG).

Discussion. Marcuzzi (2001) did not assign Praocis silvestrii to any subgenus of Praocis but according to the key of Kulzer (1958) it belongs to Hemipraocis by having prosternum arched, with anterior margin broad, pronotum width twice the length, widest in the base, elytra vaulted, with lateral margin broad, clypeal suture as vertical depression, and clypeus and frons at same level. My examination of the type specimens of Praocis striolicollis and P. silvestrii ( Figs. 7–8 ) allows me to conclude that these specimens are conspecific and to establish this new synonymy on the basis of the characters given by both Fairmaire (1883a) and Marcuzzi (2001): pronotum with minute and close punctuation, disc with longitudinal, finer striae, lateral margins depressed and remote from disc, base bisinuate, posterior angles acute; each elytron with a central carina closer to sutura than lateral margin, dorsal surface smooth, shiny between carinae, external carina joined to the lateral margin.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 8. 7. Praocis striolicollis, lectotype; 8. P. silvestrii, holotype.