Praocis uretai Kulzer

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 : 24

Praocis uretai Kulzer

( Figs. 5–6 )

Praocis uretai Kulzer, 1958: 45 .

Praocis freyi Marcuzzi, 1977: 151 . NEW SYNONYMY.

Type material. Allotype of Praocis uretai ( Fig. 5 ): [Rio Negro/ Rio Negro] [Allotypus/ Praocis / uretai nov./ det. H. Kulzer 1957] ( NHMB).

Holotype of Praocis freyi ( Fig. 6 ): [Neuquén/ Bajada del/ Agrio 9-V-64 (pro 1964)] [ Praocis / freyi mihi] [Holotypus / Praocis / freyi / Marcuzzi, 1977] [Museo Genova/ coll. G. Marcuzzi/ (acquisto 2000)] ( MSNG).

Discussion. Marcuzzi (1977) did not assign Praocis freyi to any subgenus of Praocis sensu Kulzer (1958) and stated differences with P. molinarii Kulzer , from which it is clearly distinguished because both species belong to different subgenera of Praocis , according to the key of Kulzer (1958): Filotarsus and Praonoda Kulzer respectively. I present photographs of the types of Praocis uretai and P. f re y i ( Figs. 5–6 ) to illustrate this new synonymy based on the traits shared by both nominal species: pronotum with small and dense punctures, separated by a distance 1–2 times the diameter of one puncture, with anterior angles prominent, obtuse, almost rounded, posterior angles obtuse and rounded, base slightly bisinuate, lateral margins arcuate, with flange continuous with anterior margin; elytra with irregular and sparse punctuation, with sparse protuberances on posterior and lateral sides, each elytron with three equidistant carinae, very slightly raised.

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 6. 5. Praocis uretai, allotype; 6. P. freyi, holotype.