Revision of the genus Praocis Eschscholtz 1829 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Praociini)

FLORES, G.E. Y J. PIZARRO-ARAYA

Tempe, Arizona

Simposio; III International Tenebrionoidea Symposium; 2013

Arizona State University

The South American genus Praocis (Pimeliinae: Praociini) is revised. Praocis comprises 77 species and 8 subspecies species arranged in 10 subgenera distributed in arid lands from Central Peru, Bolivia to Southern part of Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. Based on adult morphology, the subgenera are redefined using new and constant characters. The subgenus Praocis (Parapraocis) is excluded from Praocis because its species exhibit constant character states unique to the three species assigned to Parapraocis and these deserve recognition as a separate genus within Praociini. For each subgenus of Praocis: Praocis s. str., Mesopraocis, Anthrasomus, Filotarsus Postpraocis, Parapraocis, Hemipraocis, Orthogonoderes, Praonoda, and Praocida we add new characters such as shape of clypeus, frons and clypeal suture, arrangement of apical tomentose sensory patches on antennomeres 9, 10 and 11, length and proportion of antennomeres 9, 10 and 11, distance between meso?metacoxae, ventral surface of profemora, shape of protibiae, and genital features; the number of current species and the number of undescribed species is presented; the current distribution range and enlargement of the subgenera distribution with the new records and new species to be described is given. Recent studies in islands close to the coastal Chilean desert offers new distributional data.