Maladera pallida ( Burmeister, 1855 ) Fabrizi & Liu & Bai & Yang & Ahrens, 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 : 208-209

Maladera pallida ( Burmeister, 1855) comb.n.

Figures 47 J–M, 112

Serica pallida Burmeister, 1855: 167 ; Ahrens 2006b: 245; 2007b: 36.

Amaladera pallida: Medvedev 1952: 144 .

Maladera ludipennis Miyake , Yamaguchi & Aoki 2002: 52, syn. n.

Type material examined: Lectotype ( pallida , here designated): ♂ “703 5/9/51/ Hongkong ” ( ZMHB). Paralectotype ( pallida , here designated): 1 ♀ “703 9/5/51/ pallida Br. Hongk. Dhn. ” ( MLUH) . Holotype ( ludipennis ): @ “Ban Lao Kram Mukdahan (light) E-Thailand 23. Feb. 1999 S. Yamaguchi & T. Aoki leg./ Holotype Maladera ludipennis Y. Miyake , Yamaguchi et Akiyama 2002” ( RIEBT) .

Additional material examined. China: 1 ♀ [Syntype?; without abdomen and proper labels] ( MLUH) , 1 ex. “China” , 1 ex. “ Hongkong ” ( ZMHB) , 1 ex. (♀) “Mus. Westerm./ Hongkong” ( ZMUC) , 1 ♂ “ China Tsonglok ” ( HNHM) , 3 ex. “ Hongkong / China / Coll. Reitter ” ( HNHM) . Vietnam: 8 ex. “ Tonkin Dap ban/ contracta Brsk. [Handschr. Moser]” ( ZMHB) . Laos: 1 @ “ Laos centr., 27.IV.-1.V.1997 70km NE Vientiane, Ban Phabat env., 150m, N 18°16.1’, E 103°10.9’ E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg./ Coll. P. Pacholatko / 360 Sericini : Asia spec.” ( CP) .

Doubtful record: 8 ex. “ Bengalen / Coll. C. Felsche Kauf 20, 1918” ( SMTD) .

Redescription. Length: 4.9 mm, length of elytra: 3.8 mm, width: 3.0 mm. Body oblong-oval, yellowish brown, dull, antenna yellow, head shiny, except some single setae on head dorsal surface nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus wide and subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins convex and distinctly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately rounded, anterior margin emarginate medially, strongly reflexed; lateral margin and ocular canthus produce an indistinct angle; surface flat, finely and densely punctate, with a few larger punctures each bearing an erect seta anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture indistinct, evenly curved; smooth area anterior to eye weakly convex, as wide as long; ocular canthus short and wide (1/4 of ocular diameter), finely and densely punctate, with a terminal seta. Frons completely shiny, with very dense, fine punctures, behind frontoclypeal suture and beside eyes with a few long setae in large sparse punctures. Eyes small, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.6. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with three antennomeres and straight, distinctly shorter than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum transverse, widest shortly before base, lateral margins evenly convex and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles distinctly produced and sharp, posterior angles strongly rounded; anterior margin straight, with complete and fine marginal line, base without marginal line; surface finely and densely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; lateral anterior and lateral margin finely setose; hypomeron carinate, not produced ventrally. Scutellum wide, triangular, with fine, dense punctures.

Elytra widest shortly behind middle, striae finely impressed, finely and sparsely punctate, intervals weakly convex, with fine and sparse punctures concentrated along striae, with minute setae in punctures, penultimate interval with a very few single, short setae; epipleural margin robust, ending at weakly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura sparsely setose; apical border of elytra membraneous, with a fine rim of microtrichomes (visible at ca 100x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and densely punctate, glabrous, metasternal disc sparsely covered with fine, short setae; metacoxa with a few longer setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, glabrous, each sternite with a transverse row of punctures each bearing a fine seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.35. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without impunctate midline, glabrous except a few short setae along apical margin.

Legs short and wide, shiny; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur with anterior margin acute, without adjacent serrated line, anterior row of setae complete; posterior margin smooth, weakly widened at apex and smooth ventrally, not serrate dorsally, finely shortly setose. Metatibia short and wide, widest at middle, ratio of width/length: 1/2.7, sharply carinate dorsally, with two groups of spines, basal group at one quarter, apical group at two thirds of metatibial length, with a few robust setae basally subparallel to dorsal margin; lateral face longitudinally convex, shiny, sparsely punctate and glabrous; ventral margin finely serrate, with four equidistant, short and robust setae; medial face smooth and glabrous; apex finely serrate, moderately truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally impunctate, moderately setose ventrally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a smooth subventral longitudinal carina, laterally and dorsally not carinate; first metatarsomere little shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of both claws bluntly truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 47 J–L. Habitus: Fig. 47M .

Variation. Pronotum in male slightly wider, pygidium wider and more convex; antennal club in both sexes of same length.

Remarks. The shape of the aedeagus in this species is very similar that of Cephaloserica vulpecula Arrow, 1946 from Myanmar.

Distribution. See map ( Fig. 112 ) and Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 47. A–E: Maladera bansongchana Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); F–I: M. peregoi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); J–M: M. pallida (Burmeister, 1855) (China). A, F, J: aedeagus, left side lateral view; D, H, L: aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, G, K: parameres, dorsal view; E, I, M: habitus. Scale: 0.5 mm. Habitus not to scale.

FIGURE 112. Distribution of the Maladera indica group: Maladera lushuiensis sp. n., M. pallida (Burmeister, 1855), M. peregoi sp. n., M. pseudoconsularis sp. n., M. sinobiloba sp. n., M. yongrenensis sp. n..