Maladera fereobscurata Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, 2021

Fabrizi, Silvia, Liu, Wan-Gang, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2021, A monograph of the genus Maladera Mulsant & Rey, 1871 of China (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 4922 (1), pp. 1-400 : 97-99

Maladera fereobscurata Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n.

Figures 20 E–H, 95

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ “China, W Yunnan prov., mts. 20km SW Baoshan , 2400m, 23.-25.v.2006, S. Murzin & I. Shokhin / 860 Sericini : Asia spec.” ( ZFMK). Paratypes: China: 17 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ “ China, W Yunnan prov., mts. 20km SW Baoshan, 2400m, 23.-25.v.2006, S. Murzin & I. Shokhin ” ( CP, ZFMK), 1 ♂ “ Tengchong , 24.Ⅴ.1983 ” ( IZAS), 1 ♂ “ Yunnan 2000-2500m 25.42N 100.08E Cangshan mts. E slope 21.VI.92 David Kral leg.” ( NMPC), 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀ “China: N-Yunnan, Baiyungshan (Rai Railing Mts.) 2400m, Yong Ren, VII-2003 leg. Ying et al. / 776 Sericini Asia spec.” ( ZFMK), 1 ♂ “ Yunnan S. China Kuming V.1940 M.S. King T. Maa ” ( BMH). Thailand: 1 ♂ “839481 Maladera spTHAI_DE09_4teinzoanaGr Thailand L. Dembicky 2.- 7.5.2009 Ang Khang region Chiang Mai Prov. 19°53’45’’N 99°02’45’’E 1600m ” ( ZFMK), 1 ♂ “N Thailand Wiang Papao , 80km NE of Chiang Mai; 1995” ( ZFMK), 2 ♂♂ “N-Thailand 29.5.- 5.6.1989 Doi Inthanon, Lichtfalle, Bang Khun Klang 1200m, 98°32’E, 18°32’N Chantamonkol & Malicky leg.” ( ZSM), 7 ♂♂ “N-Thailand 25.-29.V.1990 Doi Inthanon Malicky leg.” ( ZSM), 6 ♂♂ “N-Thailand V.1990 Doi Inthanon Malicky leg.” ( ZSM), 1 ♂ “ Thai 1-8.V.1993 Soppong Pai 1800m Pacholatko & Dembicky / TS3/ 2 Sericini Asia spec.” ( CP). Laos: 1 ♂ “ Laos, 21°09’N 101°19’E, Louangnamtha pr. Namtha-MuangSing, 5-31.v.1997, 900- 1200 m, Vit Kubán leg.” ( CP), 1 ♂ “ Laos north, 5-11.V.1997, 20 km NW Louang Namtha N 21°09,2‘, E 101°18,7‘, alt. 900+ 100 m E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg.” ( CP). Vietnam: 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ “N-Vietnam, Prov. Lao Cai, Sa Pa , 1600-1700 m, N22°19‘52‘‘; E103°50‘; 23.-27.V.1999 leg. Ahrens, Jäger, Fabrizi ” ( ZFMK), 1 ♂ “ N Viet Nam (Tonkin) pr. Hoang Lien Son Sa Pa 11.-15.v.1990 P. Pacholátko leg.” ( CP), 1 ♂ “S Vietnam, 14.10N 108.30E 40km NW of An Khe Buon Luoi , 620-750m 28.3.- 12.4.1995 Pacholátko & Dembicky leg.” ( CP), 1 ♂ “ S Vietnam, 12.03N 108.27E 12km N of Dalat-Lang Bian, 1580-1750m 17.-21.iv.1995 Pacholátko & Dembicky leg.” ( CP). Myanmar: 1 ♂ “ Burma: SW Shan State, Taunggyi ; 1.-18.vi.1997; J. Kalab leg.” ( CP) .

Description. Length: 6.4 mm, length of elytra: 4.0 mm, width: 3.6 mm. Body oval, reddish brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull, except some single setae on head dorsal surface nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus moderately wide and trapezoidal, shiny, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and convergent anteriorly, anterior angles blunt and slightly reflexed, anterior margin moderately emarginate, margins moderately reflexed; lateral margin and ocular canthus produce a blunt angle; surface flat, finely and densely punctate, with numerous coarse punctures each bearing an erect seta; frontoclypeal suture finely incised, nearly straight; smooth area anterior to eye convex, as twice as wide as long; ocular canthus long and moderately wide (1/3 of ocular diameter), finely and sparsely punctate, with a terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine, sparse punctures and a few single erect setae beside eyes. Eyes very large, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.93. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with three antennomeres and weakly reflexed, 1.7 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined, antennomeres 3-6 nearly twice as long as wide. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately transverse, widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex, moderately convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately produced and right-angled, posterior angles blunt, weakly rounded at tip; anterior margin convex, with fine and complete marginal line being interrupted medially, base without marginal line; surface finely and densely punctate, with minute setae in punctures, otherwise glabrous; lateral and anterior margin finely setose; hypomeron carinate, not produced ventrally. Scutellum wide, triangular, dull, with fine, sparse punctures.

Elytra widest shortly behind middle, striae distinctly impressed, finely and sparsely punctate, intervals weakly convex, with fine and sparse punctures concentrated along striae, with only minute setae in punctures, otherwise glabrous; epipleural margin robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose; apical border of elytra not membraneous, without visible rim of microtrichomes (at ca 100x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and moderately densely punctate, metasternum sparsely covered with sparse fine setae; metacoxa with a few longer setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and irregularly densely punctate, glabrous, each sternite with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.5. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, glabrous except a few setae along apical margin.

Legs moderately wide and short, weakly shiny; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur dull, with anterior margin acute, with continuous serrated line behind anterior margin, setae of anterior row very short; posterior margin smooth and moderately widened at apex ventrally, not serrate dorsally, with just a few short setae basally. Metatibia short, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.16, sharply carinate dorsally, with two groups of spines, basal group at two thirds, apical group at five sixths of metatibial length, with a few short robust setae basally and a continuously serrated line beside dorsal margin from base to basal group of spines; lateral face weakly longitudinally convex, sparsely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; ventral margin finely serrate, with four robust setae of which the apical one is more distant; medial face smooth and glabrous; apex finely serrate, moderately truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally smooth and glabrous, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate, sparsely setose ventrally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a smooth subventral longitudinal carina; first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of both claws bluntly truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 20 E–G. Habitus: Fig. 20H .

Diagnosis. Maladera fereobscurata Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n. is very similar to M. teinzoana ( Brenske, 1898) , differing in having the metatibia longer and the more flattened and widened parameres that lack basal lobes.

Etymology. The species name (adjective in the nominative singular) is derived from the combined Latin prefix ‘ fere -’ (nearly) and the species name obscurata , with reference to the strong similarity to Maladera obscurata (Moser) .

Variation. Length: 5.5–6.5 mm, length of elytra: 3.8–4.4 mm, width: 3.1–4.0 mm. Female: eyes smaller than in male, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.7; antennal club as long as remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium weakly convex.

Distribution. See map ( Fig. 95 ) and Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 20. A–D: Maladera shengqiaoae Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); E–H: M. fereobscurata Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); I–L: M. saitoi (Niijima & Kinoshita, 1927) (Laos: Borikhamai). A, E, I: aedeagus, left side lateral view; C, G, K: aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, F, J: parameres, dorsal view; D, H, L: habitus. Scale: 0.5 mm. Habitus not to scale.

FIGURE 95. Distribution of the Maladera teizoana group: Maladera fereobscurata sp. n., M. futschauana (Brenske, 1897), M. invenusta (Moser, 1918), Maladera piceola (Moser, 1915) (not precisely localized collection site indicated by a “?”).