Serica (s. l.) jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens, 2023

Zhao, Ming-Zhi & Ahrens, Dirk, 2023, New species of the tribe Sericini Kirby, 1837 from China, with further updates on their taxonomy and distribution (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericinae), Zootaxa 5361 (2), pp. 181-220 : 195-199

Serica (s. l.) jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens , new species

( Figs 6A–D , 7E )

Type material examined. Holotype. ♂ ( SCAU), “ CHINA: TIBET, Nyingchi City, Bolonggong (80k), 2124 m, 29°39′27.67″N, 95°29′21.82″E, 27–28.VII.2022 (at light), Chuan-Tao Zhai leg.” . Paratypes. 4♂♂, 4♀♀ ( CZMZ), “ CHINA: TIBET, Nyingchi City, Bolonggong (80k), 2124 m, 29°39′27.67″N, 95°29′21.82″E, 27–28.VII.2022 (at light), Chuan-Tao Zhai leg.”; 2♂♂ , 6♀♀ ( CZMZ), “ CHINA: TIBET, Nyingchi City, Bolonggong (80k), 2243 m, 29.65540554°N, 95.49091649°E 2023.VII.10, Hao-Yi Liu leg.” .

Description of the holotype. General. Body ovoid, moderately convex, color generally dull and brown, pronotum, scutellum, base of elytron with greenish toment; elytra much paler, with irregular, dark patterns; palpi, antennae and legs yellowish brown, labroclypeus reddish brown, shiny, all femora dull. Setae yellow.

Head. Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, widest at base, ratio of maximum length/ width: 1/ 1.7; lateral margins almost straight and moderately convergent anteriad, anterior angles rounded at apex, anterior margin widely and rather weakly concave; margins weakly reflexed, anterior margin medially weakly produced; surface flat, with dense and large punctures each bearing a short, erect seta, additionally with some moderately long setae; frontoclypeal suture finely incised, curved medially; smooth area anterior to eye large and flat, approximately 1.2 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long and slender (1/3 of ocular diameter), with a few minute punctures each bearing a short seta. Frons flat, with dense and fine punctures, each puncture bearing a backwards directed, short seta, inner margin of eye with some longer, erect setae. Eyes small, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.43. Antenna with ten antennomeres; antennomere 5 equally as wide as long, antennomere 7 transverse and short; club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined and straight. Mentum strongly and transversely elevated anteriorly. Labrum produced downward distinctly, widely and moderately concave medially.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, widest shortly before base; lateral margins evenly convex and strongly convergent anteriad; anterior angle distinctly produced and acute, posterior angles strongly rounded; hypomeron carinate at base but not produced ventrally; anterior margin with a fine marginal line; surface densely and coarsely punctate, with an impunctate midline at posterior half, each puncture bearing a short, backward directed seta, anterior and lateral margins with sparse, erect and moderately long setae.

Scutellum large, triangular, apex rounded; punctate and setose as on pronotum, but long setae lacking.

Elytra oval, widest shortly before middle. Striae indistinctly impressed, strial punctures densely and finely punctate; intervals flat, with fine and very dense punctures, near base more coarsely punctate; dark patterns impunctate or sparsely punctate; elytral surface with short setae as on pronotum, with a few erect long setae at base of lateral margin. Epipleura ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytron, with two rows of dense and moderately long erect setae, which fused into one row approximately at apical third, apical margin with a very fine membranous rim composed of microtrichomes.

Ventral thoracic surface. Hypomeron with dense and coarse punctures each bearing a short to moderately long seta. Meso- and metathoracic surface including metacoxae with dense and small punctures, each bearing a moderately long to long seta, setae shorter medially. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/ metacoxa: 1/ 1.61. Metasternum convex anteromedially.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites with dense and small punctures each bearing a short seta, setae moderately long medially. Ultimate ventrite medially as long as penultimate one, with dense and long setae apically. Pygidium strongly convex, without midline, posterior margin strongly reflexed; surface with dense and small punctures, sparser at sides; each puncture bearing a short seta, setae longer around margins.

Femora. Profemur dull at dorsal half and remainder shiny, with a row of moderately long setae near anterior margin, the dull portion with moderately dense and short setae each emerging from a fine puncture. Meso- and metafemora with moderately dense punctures each bearing a short seta.Anterior margin of metafemur sharp, without serrated line, ventral posterior margin serrate at apical third, dorsal posterior margin completely serrate, a row of long setae situated between the latter two margins.

Tibiae. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, tibial teeth protruding and acute, lateral margin with four indistinct teeth mesially. Metatibia slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/ length: 1/ 4.69; dorsal margin sharply carinate; lateral face almost impunctate, dorsally with three groups of robust setae touching the dorsal carina, basal group at one third, mesial one shortly before middle, distal group at four fifths of metatibial length, base with several smaller setae; ventral margin serrate at apical three fifths, with two widely distant spiniform setae, basal third with several setae forming a short row and gradually smaller toward base; medial face impunctate; apex interiorly serrate, near tarsal articulation shallowly concave.

Tarsi. Protarsomeres short, pro- and mesotarsomeres with moderately dense and minute setae ventrally. Meso- and metatarsomeres serrate ventrally. Metatarsomeres carinate dorsally and laterally, ventral margin scarcely bearing single minute setae, first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protarsal claws asymmetric, the basal tooth of inner claw shorter, at its base with a vertical lobe oriented distally, each claw with a blunt additional basal tooth.

Male genitalia. Fig. 7E .

Variation. Male. Smallest male is more cylindrical in body shape. Female. Antennal club slightly shorter than remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium strongly convex; protarsal claws symmetric, similar to outer protarsal claw of male, the additional basal tooth acute at apex.

Measurements. Length: 11.2–12.3 mm in males (holotype 12.8 mm), 10.6–14.3 mm in females; length of elytra: 8.0–9.0 mm in males (holotype 9.0 mm), 7.6–10.2 mm in females; width: 6.2–7.5 mm in males (holotype 7.2 mm), 5.7–8.2 mm in females.

Diagnosis. Among the species of the Serica velutina group (Ahrens 2005), S. jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens , new species is most similar to S. velutina Arrow, 1946 , although the short, robust phallobase resembles more to S. dathei Ahrens, 2005 . S. jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens , new species differs by the left paramere which is simple without a lateral appendage; the lateral margin of right paramere is strongly expanded at base, while it is not expanded in S. velutina . The parameres of the new species are also somewhat similar to those of S. ventrituberculata Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, 2022 , but in the new species the ventral tubercula on phallobase is absent.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Ms. Cai-Yan Ji, the mother of Mr. Chuan-Tao Zhai.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus in dorsal view and inner protarsal claw. A, Serica (s. l.) jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens, new species, habitus of holotype; B, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae, habitus of female paratype; C, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae, protarsal claw of holotype; D, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae, protarsal claw of female paratype; E, Serica (s. l.) zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens, new species, habitus of holotype. Scale bar = 5 mm. Claws not to scale.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus. A, Serica (s. l.) caiyiyiae Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype; B, S. (s. l.) jindrai Ahrens, 2007, male (Guizhou); C, S. (s. l.) babaoshanensis Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype; D, S. (s. l.) zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype; E, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype. a, aedeagus in left lateral view; b, parameres in dorsal view; c, aedeagus in right lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.