Neoserica, Brenske, 1894

Ahrens, Dirk & Lukic, Daniel, 2022, Neoserica (s. str.) phuphami-a further new Neoserica species from Vietnam with highly modified pronotum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 5104 (3), pp. 441-444 : 441-443

Neoserica (s. str.) phuphami Ahrens & Lukic, new species

Fig. 1A–G

Type material examined. Holotype, ♂: “Coll. I. R.Sc.N.B. Vietnam Ninh Binh prov. Cuc Phong Nat. Park 20°20'53''N 105°35'52''E 5-7.iv.2017 leg. J. Constant & J. Bresseel, I.G. 33.447” ( ISNB).

Description. Body length: 7.3 mm, length of elytra: 4.8 mm, width: 4.4 mm. Body oval, reddish brown, dorsal surface with greenish shine, elytra before apex with a large, round, black spot, with dense, fine, yellowish, adpressed to erect setae, mixed with dense, longer, erect, yellow setae, which are all over the body directed anteriad.

Labroclypeus subrectangular, widest at base, lateral margins moderately convex and convergent to broadly rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a distinct obtuse angle; anterior margin concavely emarginated and moderately reflexed; surface weakly convex and shiny, coarsely and finely, densely punctate, with dense long erect setae; frontoclypeal suture finely impressed and moderately bent medially; smooth area anterior to eye 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately short and robust, finely and densely punctate, with several short setae. Frons shiny, posterior half dull, finely and coarsely, densely punctate, with dense, long, erect yellow setae, and fine short adpressed ones. Eyes small, ratio of diameter/ interocular width: 0.53. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined, first joint of club subequal club length. Mentum elevated and flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half deeply concavely excavate, strongly curved and convergent in anterior half, anterior angles not produced and blunt, weakly rounded in tip, posterior angles acute; anterior margin straight, with indistinct and widely lacking marginal line; basal margin without marginal line; surface with fine and dense punctures each bearing a short, yellowish, seta interspersed with coarser punctures bearing each a long, erect, yellow seta, along midline punctures less dense; anterior and lateral borders sparsely setose; hypomeron carinate, basal margin of hypomeron strongly produced ventrally. Scutellum triangular, apex sharp, with fine and dense punctures and fine, dense, adpressed setae.

Elytra oval, widest at middle, striae distinctly impressed, with fine and dense punctures; intervals weakly convex, with punctures concentrated along striae, fine punctures bearing fine, short setae mixed with larger ones bearing long erect setae; epipleural edge moderately strong, ending at strongly rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border narrowly membraneous, with a fine rim of short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface dull, including metacoxa with large, dense punctures and dense, short, light adpressed setae; metacoxa additionally with some robust setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate and setose, each sternite with an indistinct transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a short, robust seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae slightly wider than mesofemur, with numerous strong setae on an indistinct semi-circular carina. Ratio of length of metepisternum/ metacoxa: 1/1.62. Pygidium weakly convex, with coarse, dense punctures and dense longer and shorter setae, without smooth midline.

Legs moderately slender, femora with fine and dense punctures, densely setose; anterior edge of metafemur acute lacking an adjacent serrated line, posterior margin weakly convex, with a few fine setae medially, ventral posterior margin weakly widened in apical half and finely serrate, dorsal posterior margin serrate. Metatibia moderately long, widest at middle, ratio width/ length: 1/3.41; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with only one groups of spines at three quarters of metatibial length, with a few single robust spines in punctures along entire length of metatibia, beside dorsal margin with a blunt, distinctly serrate carina from base to apex; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely and densely punctate and setose; ventral margin serrate, with five equidistant robust spines; medial face impunctate and glabrous, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation concavely truncate. Tarsomeres glabrous and impunctate dorsally, with sparse, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres without longitudinal impressions dorsally, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a strong longitudinal carina laterally; first metatarsomere twice as long as dorsal tibial spur and as long as following two tarsomeres combined. Protibia short, bidentate, anterior claws symmetrical, with a sharply pointed basal tooth.

Aedeagus: Fig. 1A–D . Habitus: Fig. 1E–G . Female unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Neoserica (s. str.) phuphami Ahrens & Lukic, new species differs from Neoserica (s. str.) paradoxa by the slightly longer antennal club as well as by the shape of parameres and apical apophysis of phallobase: the parameres are more or less straight, at apex convexly rounded and with a blunt preapical lobe; the left apical apophysis of phallobase is bluntly truncate at apex; on the right side there is a short, wide but blunt lateral apophysis as well, which is in N. (s. str.) paradoxa absent.

Etymology. The new species (name noun in genitive case) is name after Phu Pham, student of Vietnamese scarabs.

Figures

FIGURE 1A–G. Neoserica (s. str.) phuphami Ahrens & Lukic, new species (holotype). A, aedeagus, left side lateral view; B, C, parameres, dorsal view; D, aedeagus, right side lateral view; E, habitus, dorsal view; F, habitus, lateral view; G, pronotum and head, dorsal view. Scale (A–D): 0.5 mm, E–G: not to scale.