Praocis (Praocis) aenea Gay & Solier, 1840

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 : 27-30

Praocis (Praocis) aenea Gay & Solier, 1840

( Figs. 24 , 30 )

Praocis aenea Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840: 227 (rev.); Solier, 1851: 193 (rev.); Lacordaire, 1859: 213; Gemminger & Harold, 1870: 1904 (cat.); Philippi, 1887: 731 (cat.); Gebien, 1910: 260 (cat.); Gebien, 1938: 398 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1945: 522 (cat.); Kulzer, 1958: 22 (rev.); Peña, 1966: 430 (cat.); Vidal & Guerrero, 2007: 73; Flores, 2007: 417 (lectot.).

Redescription. Length 8.0–10.0 mm. Body black to dark brown, antennae and legs 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 with fine golden setae; punctures of disc same size as punctures of elytron; width of anterior margin exceeding half the width of posterior margin; lateral quarters convex, dorsal surface of lateral margin bearing a row of short golden setae; posterior angles right, apex rounded ( Fig. 24 ); prosternum horizontal, with edge on anterior margin broadened below gula; prosternal process produced backwards, not reaching the midpoint of the space between pro– and mesocoxae (as in Fig. 13 ); prosternum and mesosternum with punctures. Elytron lacking grooves, with two carinae weakly defined, equidistant between suture and lateral margin, with a net of lateral ramifications from carinae ( Fig. 24 ); dorsal surface rugose with short golden setae; pseudopleuron with long setae arising on punctures; epipleuron with short setae arising on protuberances, lacking a row of setae on the edge of anterior quarter. Legs. Ventral surface of meso– and metafemora with a row of setae on posterior edge. Inner surface of meso– and metatibiae with long, fine setae. Metatibiae curved outward. Male genitalia. Rods of sterna IX close to each other at basal third. Basal lamina of tegmen equal width throughout, with base straight. Lateral styles of tegmen with proximal margin ventrally bisinuate, widest at middle, with setae on distal third of ventral surface. Median lobe moderate (0.75 <L/T ≤ 1.00), narrowed in pre-distal quarter and distally broadened, with apical aperture large and apex rounded. Female genitalia. Paraprocts moderate (1.2 ≤ P/C ≤ 2.0); baculi of coxite inclined 45°; proctigeral baculus extending proximad much beyond paraproct baculus; apicodorsal lobe of proctiger extending about ¼ length of coxite.

Type material. Lectotype: [ aenea / Type/ Solier] [ Praocis / aenea / Sol./ Coquimbo] [Coquimbo/ Gay] [Type] [ Praocis / aenea Sol. / Type de Solier/ Col. Marseul/ C. Girard det. 1975] [Lectotypus/ Praocis aenea / Gay et Solier, 1840 / Des. G. Flores 2005] ( MNHN) . Two paralectotypes same data as lectotype, one plus a label: [ aenea Sol. Gay 227: 11 Coquimbo] below the label [Type] ( MNHN) .

Note: Flores (2007: 417) designated lectotype and paralectotypes.

Other material examined. CHILE. Coquimbo Region: Elqui Province: El Temblador , 1.v.2004, J. PizarroAraya , 1 ( LEULS), La Darsena , 14.ii.2004, J. Pizarro-Araya, 1 ( LEULS), Caleta de Hornos, 5.v.2005, J. PizarroAraya , 1 ( LEULS), 25 km N Serena , 29.ix.1980, L.E. Peña, 5 ( FMNH), 30.x.1965, L.E. Peña, 1 ( FMNH).

Geographic distribution. Chile (Coquimbo Region, El Temblador to La Serena), in the Coquimbo biogeographic province.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Geographical distribution of five species of Praocis (Praocis): P. (P.) parva, P. (P.) aenea, P. (P.) curta, P. (P.) hirtella, and P. (P.) tibialis.

FIGURES 21 − 26. Habitus in dorsal view. 21. Praocis (Praocis) elliptica; 22. P. (P.) spinolai; 23. P. (P.) medvedevi sp. nov., holotype; 24. P. (P.) aenea; 25. P. (P.) tibialis; 26. P. (P.) parva.

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.