Maladera pseudoexima 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 : 127-128

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

Figures 27 F–J, 100

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ “NE-Laos: Houa Phan prov. ; 20°13’09-19’’N, 103°59’54’’- 104°00’03’’E 1480-1510m Phou Pane Mt., 22iv.-14.v.2008, Vit Kuban leg.” ( ZFMK) . Paratypes: Laos: 37 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀ “ NE-Laos: Hua Phan Prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan ( Mt. )- 20°12’N, 104°01’E 11.iv.-15.v.2012, 1300-1900m leg. C. Holzschuh-ZFMK Ankauf 2012” ( ZFMK) , 11 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀ “Laos-NE, Houa Phan prov., 20°13’09-19’’N 103°59’54’’- 104°00’03’’E, 1480-1510m Phou Pane Mt. , 22.IV.-14.V.2008 Vit Kuban leg.” ( NMPC, ZFMK) , 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ “Laos-NE, Houa Phan prov., 20°12’N, 104°01’E, Phu Phan Mt. , 1750m, 17.5.- 3.6.2007, Vit Kuban leg.” ( NMPC, ZFMK) , 3 ♀♀ “Laos-NE, Houa Phan prov., 20°12’N, 104°01’E, Phu Phan Mt. , 1900m, 17.5.- 3.6.2007, C. Holzschuh leg.” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ “NE-Laos: Hua Phan Prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan ( Mt. )- 20°12’N, 104°01’E 1300-1900m; 1.-31.v.2011, leg. C. Holzschuh-Ankauf ZFMK Bonn 2011” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “X-DA4792 Laos Hua Phan prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan ( Mt. ) 20°12’N, 104°01 ’ 15.-30.iv.2014 leg. C. Holzschuh—ZFMK Ankauf 2014 Maladera parexcima cf” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “X-DA4847 Laos Hua Phan prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan ( Mt. ) 20°12’N, 104°01 ’ 15.- 30.iv.2014 leg. C. Holzschuh—ZFMK Ankauf 2014 Maladera parexcima cf” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “X-DA5123 Laos Hua Phan prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan ( Mt. ) 20°12’N, 104°01 ’ 15.-30.iv.2014 leg. C. Holzschuh—ZFMK Ankauf 2014 Maladera parexcima cf” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “X-DA5121 Laos Hua Phan prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan ( Mt. ) 20°12’N, 104°01 ’ 15.-30.iv.2014 leg. C. Holzschuh—ZFMK Ankauf 2014 Maladera parexcima cf” ( ZFMK) . Thailand: 1 ♂ “839477/ 839477 Maladera spTHAI_DE09_3 Thailand L. Dembicky 23.- 30.4.2009 Pha Hom Pok Mt. Chiang Mai Prov. 20°02’35’’N 99°08’45’’E 1900-2000m ” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “839485/ 839485 Maladera spTHAI_DE09_3 Thailand L. Dembicky 2.- 7.5.2009 Ang Khang region Chiang Mai Prov. 19°53’45’’N 99°02’45’’E 1800m ” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “NW Thailand 1.- 6.5.1991 Soppong-Pai 1800m leg. Pacholatko” ( CP) , 1 ♂ “ Thai 1-8.V.1993 Soppong Pai 1800m Pacholatko & Dembicky leg.” ( CP) . China: 1 ♂ “China, W Yunnan Tengchong env. 10-13.VI.1993 E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg.” ( CP) , 1 ♂ “ Yaojiaping, Lushui , Yunnan, 10.VI.1981, 2400m, leg. Zhao Jianming ” ( IZAS) , 1 ♂ “ Lushui , Yunnan, 8.VI.1981, 1900m, leg. Wang Shuyong ” ( IZAS) .

Description. Length: 4.4 mm, length of elytra: 2.5 mm, width: 3.0 mm. Body oval, black, elytra with four yellowish red spots, head and pronotum with greenish shine, antenna black, labroclypeus shiny, remainder of dorsal surface dull, except setae on head and sides of pronotum and elytra glabrous.

Labroclypeus subrectangular, moderately wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins subparallel and not convergent to moderately rounded anterior angles, lateral margin and ocular canthus producing a distinct blunt angle; margins strongly reflexed, anteriorly weakly emarginate medially; surface flat, shiny, finely and densely punctate, with few long setae posteriorly on coarser punctures; frontoclypeal suture finely incised and moderately curved; smooth area in front of eye as wide as long; ocular canthus short and wide, finely densely punctate, with one terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine, dense punctures, with a few robust setae beside eyes and frontoclypeal suture. Eyes very small, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.36. Antenna with 10 antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, 1.7 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum anteriorly elevated and flattened.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins moderately convex and convergent anteriorly; anterior angles produced and moderately sharp, anterior margin straight, marginal line fine but complete; surface finely and densely punctate, with robust dark setae along the middle, otherwise with minute setae in punctures only; anterior and lateral margins with dense setae, anterior setae moderately long being a quarter of pronotal length. Scutellum wide, triangular, with fine and dense punctures each bearing a minute seta.

Elytra short and wide, widest at middle, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals flat, with fine, moderately dense punctures, odd intervals with few fine, single, short setae, otherwise punctures with minute setae only; epipleural margin robust, ending at the strongly rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border chitinous, without a rim of short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface dull, metasternum and metacoxa with large and dense punctures, sparsely setose on metasternal disc: metacoxa glabrous except for a several long setae laterally. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.92. Each abdominal sternite in addition to fine and moderately dense punctures with a distinct transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a short and robust seta, punctures with microscopic setae, penultimate sternite apically with a very narrow shiny chitinous border. Pygidium large and moderately convex, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, punctures with microscopic setae, with a few long setae along apical margin.

Legs short and moderately wide; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate; metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, lacking an adjacent serrated line, posterior ventral margin medially straight, weakly widened in apical half and not serrate, dorsally not serrated, finely setose. Metatibia narrow and moderately long, widest at apex, ratio width/length: 1/4.2, dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal one at anterior quarter, apical one at two thirds of metatibial length; lateral face longitudinally convex, shiny, with sparse and fine punctures; ventral margin serrate, with two robust spines; medial face not punctate, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation shallowly concave. Tarsomeres impunctate dorsally, ventrally with sparse, short setae; metatarsomeres ventrally with a strongly serrated ridge and a subventral longitudinal carina; first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, claws of anterior tarsomeres asymmetrical, feebly curved and long, interior claws with lobiform basal tooth.

Aedeagus: Fig. 27 F–I. Habitus: Fig. 27J .

Diagnosis. The new species resembles to M. exima (Arrow, 1946) in external appearance, but the setae on midline of pronotal disc are lacking and the parameres are finer and less compact.

Etymology. The name of the new species (noun in apposition) is derived from the combined words ‘ pseudo ’ (Greek, false-) and the species name exima , with reference to the similarity of the both species.

Variation. Length: 4.2–5.8 mm, length of elytra: 2.4–2.6 mm, width: 3.0– 3.1 mm. Female: eyes as large as in male; antennal club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium moderately shiny and weakly convex. Setae on pronotal disc lacking in some specimens.

Distribution. See map ( Fig. 100 ) and Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 27. A–E: Maladera exima (Arrow) (Laos: Hua Phan: Phou Pan Mt.); F–J: M. pseudoexima Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); K–N: M. fuscipes (Moser, 1915) (Vietnam: Sa Pa). A, F, K: aedeagus, left side lateral view; D, I, M: aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, G: aedeagus, dorsal view; C, H, L: parameres, dorsal view; E, J, N: habitus. Scale: 0.5 mm. Habitus not to scale.

FIGURE 100. Distribution of the Maladera sikkimensis group: Maladera exima (Arrow, 1946), M. fangana sp. n., M. fuscipes (Moser, 1915), M. pseudoexima sp. n., M. pseudofuscipes sp. n..