(1) Subgenus Praocis (Praocis) Eschscholtz, 1829 Figs 2, 15-16

Type species.

Praocis rufipes Eschscholtz, 1829, subsequent designation by Guérin-Méneville (1834: 8-9).

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 vertical groove, not covered by frons, clypeus and frons at same level; antennomere 10 wider than long, antennomere 9 longer than antennomere 10, antennomere 11 longer than antennomere 10; apical tomentose sensory patches on antennomere 10 in a dorsally continuous semicircle, on antennomere 11 on distal half; prosternum with a narrow edge on anterior margin; lateral margin of elytron well defined; ventral surface of profemora with a row of setae on anterior edge; protibiae explanate.

Distribution.

Species of Praocis s. str. are endemic to central and southern Chile and occur from 26°South (Quebrada el León, Atacama Region) to 42°South (Carelmapu, Los Lagos Region) in the biogeographic provinces of Atacama, Coquimbo, Santiago, Maule and Valdivian Forest (Morrone 2006) (Fig. 15).

New records.

We present new records for some Pacific islands. We recorded Praocis (Praocis) spinolai Gay & Solier for Damas (29°13'S, 71°31'W), Gaviota (29°15'S, 71°28'W) and Choros (29°15'S, 71°32'W) islands (Alfaro et al. 2009), Praocis (Praocis) subaenea Erichson and Praocis (Praocis) curta Solier for Chañaral Island (29°02'S, 71°36'W) (pers. obs), and Praocis (Praocis) costata Gay & Solier was recorded for Mocha Island (38°23'S, 73°52'W) (Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2012).

Diversity.

This subgenus contains 18 species of which 2 species were recently described (Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2012), increasing 13 percent the number of species (Fig. 33).

Habitat.

The distribution range of the subgenus extends from sea level to an altitude of ~1300 m. Most species are distributed between the Huasco coastal desert and the coastal shrub steppe (Gajardo 1994), with 4 and 10 species each, and are ecologically related to shrub and herbaceous vegetation (perennial and annual) characteristic of the Chilean Coastal Desert (CCD), in sandy soils or clayey, poorly-permeable soils (Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2012; Cortés-Contreras et al. 2013; collection data FMNH, IADIZA, LEULS, and pers. obs.). One species ( Praocis (Praocis) costata Solier) inhabits deciduous woodlands of Nothofagus spp. (Gajardo 1994) in the Valdivian Forest biogeographic province (Morrone 2006) (Fig. 16).

Species included.

Praocis rufipes Eschscholtz, 1829 (= Sternodes mannerheimi Fischer, 1844, male, synonymy by Motschulsky 1845) (= Praocis interrupta Solier, 1851, synonymy by Kulzer 1958); Praocis costata Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840 (= Praocis ciliata Germain, 1855, synonymy by Kulzer 1958); Praocis sanguinolenta Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840 (= Praocis audouini Solier, 1840, synonymy by Flores 2007); Praocis quadrisulcata Germain, 1855; Praocis curta Solier, 1840 (= Praocis nigroaenea Solier, 1840, synonymy by Kulzer 1958) (= Praocis rugipennis Germain, 1855, synonymy by Kulzer 1958); Praocis hirtella Kulzer, 1958a; Praocis sulcata Eschscholtz, 1829 (= Sternodes mannerheimi Fischer, 1844, female, synonymy by Motschulsky 1845) (= Praocis rotundata Laporte, 1840, synonymy by Flores and Pizarro-Araya 2010); Praocis subsulcata Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840; Praocis spinolai Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840; Praocis aenea Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840; Praocis parva Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840; Praocis tibialis Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840 (= Praocis rufitarsis Gay & Solier in Solier, 1840, synonymy by Flores 2007) (= Praocis aenipennis Germain, 1855, synonymy by Kulzer 1958); Praocis subaenea Erichson, 1834 (= Praocis submetallica Guérin-Méneville, 1834, synonymy by Flores 2007) (= Praocis laevicosta Curtis, 1845, synonymy by Kulzer 1958); Praocis marginata Germain, 1855; Praocis elliptica Philippi & Philippi, 1864 (= Praocis angustata Philippi & Philippi, 1864, synonymy by Kulzer 1958); Praocis bicentenario Flores & Pizarro-Araya, 2012; Praocis medvedevi Flores & Pizarro-Araya, 2012; Praocis bicostata Philippi & Philippi, 1864 (type lost, assigned to ( Praocis) by Kulzer 1958).