Mimela sericea Ohaus, 1905

Zhao, Ming-Zhi, 2021, On the genus Mimela Kirby, 1823 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from China and adjacent countries, with description of five new species, Zootaxa 4995 (2), pp. 201-230 : 225

Mimela sericea Ohaus, 1905

( Figs. 16A–H , 17A–F )

Mimela sericea Ohaus, 1905: 88 [original description, type localities: Sikkim and Kashmir]; Arrow 1917: 109 [redescription, recorded from Sikkim: Darjeeling and Nepal]; Ohaus 1918: 132 [catalogued, Mimela (s. str.)]; Ohaus 1943: 72 [key, Mimela (s. str.), splendens -group]; Machatschke 1957: 107 [catalogued, blumei -group]; Machatschke 1972: 185 [catalogued, blumei - group]; Zorn 2006: 269 [catalogued]; Ahrens et al. 2007: 13, pl. 2, fig. 24 [recorded from Nepal: Lalitpur, Badegaon]; Krajčik 2007: 88 [catalogued]; Zorn & Bezděk 2016: 347 [catalogued].

Type material examined. Syntypes (1♂, 1♀): 1♂ ( MFNB), “ Sikkim Mand. / Typus ! / Mimela sericea Ohs. ” ; 1♀ ( MFNB), “ Sikkim Mand. / Mimela sericea Ohs. Cotype ♀ ”. The type series comprises of five specimens from Sikkim. But no specimens from Kashmir are present there ( Bernd Jäger , personal communication, July 2020). The specimen labeled “Typus” by Ohaus was not fixed by original description, therefore the five type specimens are regarded as syntypes.

Additional material examined (7♂♂, 5♀♀). 1♂, 1♀ ( CCPC), CHINA: Yunnan, Honghe Pref., Jinping, Ma’andi , Luobodi Village 2010.V.16 Xiao-Dong Yang leg. ; 5♂♂, 3♀♀ (3♂♂, 2♀♀ CCPC, 2♂♂, 1♀ ZMPC), ditto, except date “ 2010.V.17 ” ; 1♂ ( CCPC), ditto, except date “ 2010.V.8 ” ; 1♀ ( LPPC), Yunnan, Jinping 1800m 2019.V.20.

Remarks. The newly discovered population from southeastern Yunnan inhabits an area far from the Himalaya, from where this species was known so far. The Yunnan individuals differ from type material in having more spaced, regular punctures upon the dorsal surface of body, shorter, more divided parameres and closer teeth on the ventral plate. Because of the limited Himalayan material accessible to the author and indistinct morphological differences, the Yunnan material is treated as M. sericea here. It is possible that undiscovered populations may exist between Himalaya and Yunnan, and the geographical variability of this species needs to be investigated in the future.

Distribution. China *: Yunnan; India: Kashmir, Sikkim; Nepal: Lalitpur.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Habitus and labels of Mimela sericea Ohaus, 1905.A–C, specimens from China (Luobodi Village); D–H, syntypes (Sikkim; images ©Bernd Jäger); A–B, D–E, habitus of male; C, F, habitus of female; A, C, D, F, dorsal view; B, E, ventral view; G, H, attached labels.

FIGURE 17. Male genitalia of Mimela sericea Ohaus, 1905. A–C, specimen from China (Luobodi Village); D–F, syntype (Sikkim); A, D, dorsal view; B, E, ventral view; C, F, lateral view.