Neoserica (s.l.) ruzickai Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, 2014

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wangang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A revision of the species of the Neoserica (sensu lato) vulpes group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini), Journal of Natural History 49 (17), pp. 1073-1130 : 1089-1091

Neoserica (s.l.) ruzickai Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. nov.

( Figures 1I–L , 10 )

Type material examined

Holotype. ♂ ‘ China: Yunnan prov., 1.VI.2007 Dali env., Cang Shan Mts., E slope of Zhonghe Shan Mt. , 25°41.7 ′ N 100°08.3 ′ E, 2150 m, J. Hajek & J. Ruzicka leg. [Ch03]/individually collected under stones, on soil surface and on plants and shrubs, tea plantation/margin of mixed forest/X-DA1625’ ( ZFMK) . Paratype: 1 ♂ ‘ China Yunnan NW, 3600–3700 m Yulongshan Mt. 14.–22.VI.1996 S. Murzin leg.’ ( ZFMK) .

Description

Length. 7.5 mm, length of elytra: 5.5 mm, width: 3.8 mm. Body oblong, light reddish brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull and nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal and moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and moderately convergent to moderately rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a distinct blunt angle, margins moderately reflexed, anterior margin deeply sinuate medially; surface flat and shiny, finely and densely punctate, partly punctures fusing with each other, with numerous long erect setae in coarser punctures; frontoclypeal suture feebly incised and medially weakly angled; smooth area in front of eye approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus long and slender, very finely and sparsely punctate, with one short terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and sparse punctures, with sparse but evenly scattered long setae. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.62. Antenna composed of 10 antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, 1.5 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately wide, widest a quarter before base, lateral margins nearly evenly convex, weakly narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, anterior angles moderately produced and acute, posterior angles blunt, sharply toothlike produced at tip, anterior margin convexly produced medially, broad marginal line widely missing, basal margin without marginal line; surface with moderately dense and fine punctures, with minute setae only; anterior and lateral borders setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate at base. Scutellum narrow and long, sharp at apex, with fine and moderately dense punctures and minute setae in punctures.

Elytra oblong, widest in posterior third, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex and not densely punctate, intervals with punctures concentrated along striae and odd intervals with some single, fine setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border membranous, with short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface dull, with large and dense punctures, sparsely and shortly setose, setae partly adpressed; metacoxa glabrous, with fine setae laterally, apical margin straight and external apical angle blunt and slightly rounded; each abdominal sternite with a distinct transversal row of coarse punctures each bearing a short seta between fine and moderately dense punctation. Mesosternum between mesocoxae nearly half as wide as mesofemur, with irregularly scattered, fine setae. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.45. Pygidium weakly convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, without smooth midline, punctures with short setae, a few longer setae beside apical margin.

Legs slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate; metafemur ventrally dull, anterior margin sharply carinate, without a submarginal serrated line, posterior margin moderately convex, with a few strong setae medially, only weakly widened externally in apical half and not serrated ventrally in distal half, finely serrated dorsally, with dense, short setae. Metatibia slender and moderately long, widest at apex, ratio width/length: 1/3.1, dorsal margin moderately carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group of spines shortly before half of metatibial length, apical one at about three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few single fine spines; external face longitudinally convex, with moderately coarse, sparse punctures; ventral margin finely serrated, with three fine, equidistant spines; medial face impunctate, apex concavely truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres, except first mesotarsomere impunctate and glabrous dorsally, with evenly spaced, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres ventrally glabrous and with a strongly serrated ridge, with a fine longitudinal carina immediately beside it; first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia long, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner protarsal claw bluntly truncate apically.

Aedeagus. Figure 1I–K . Female unknown.

Diagnosis

Neoserica ruzickai sp. nov. differs from N. vulpes by more widely and spherically enlarged parameres, the bifid right paramere and the stouter phallobase.

Etymology

The new species is named after one of its collectors, Jan Růžička (noun in the genitive case).

Variation

Length. 8.8 mm, length of elytra: 6.1 mm, width: 4.6 mm. Metatibia of paratype more slender, apex, ratio width/length: 1/3.9.

Figures

Figure 1. A–D: Neoserica vulpes (Arrow) (syntype 1), E–H: N. yangjiapingensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi sp. nov. (holotype), I–L: N. ruzickai Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi sp. nov. (holotype). 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 (not to scale). Scale: 0.5 mm.

Figure 10. Distribution of the species of the Neoserica (s.l.) vulpes group: N. baishuiensis, N. heishuiana, N. kereni, N. lateriuncinata, N. luzhouana, N. nykli, N. parausta, N. pseudovulpes, N. ruzickai, N. usta, N. vulpes and N. kunmingensis.