Neoserica sharkeyi Ahrens & Pham, 2021

Ahrens, Dirk & Pham, Phu Van, 2021, Additions to the Neoserica calva group from continental South East Asia (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 5032 (3), pp. 357-378 : 373-374

Neoserica sharkeyi Ahrens & Pham , new species

Fig. 5A–D

Type material. Holotype: ♂ “ Thailand: Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon NP, Kew Maepan Tr. 18°33’.162’N 98°28.81’E 2200m Malaise trap 2.-9.iii.2007 Y. Areeluck leg. T1777 / 1103 Sericini Asia spec.” ( QSBG) . Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ “ Thailand: Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon NP, Summit forest 18°35.361N 98°29.157’E 2500m Malaise trap 19- 26.i.2007 Y. Areeluck leg. T1948” ( QSBG, ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “ Thailand: Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon NP, Summit forest 18°35.361N 98°29.157’E 2500m Malaise trap 16-23.iii.2007 Y. Areeluck leg. T1816” ( QSBG) , 1 ♂ “ Thailand: Chiang Mai Province Doi Inthanon , summit, 2500 m Zool. Museum Copenhagen leg.” ( ZMUC) , 1 ♂ “N-Thailand 12.-14.V.1990 Doi Inthanon lg. Malicky” ( ZSM) , 1 ♂ “NW-Thailand, 2.- 6.5.1995 Chiang Mai distr. Doi-Pui vill. 18°49’, 98°54’ J. Horak lgt., 1600m ” (CP) .

Description of the holotype. Length: 6.1 mm; elytral length: 4.6 mm; width: 3.9 mm. Body oblong, dark brown, ventral sides, labroclypeus and margins of pronotum reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface dull and except frons nearly glabrous, labroclypeus and anterior two thirds of frons shiny.

Labroclypeus subrectangular, distinctly wider than long; lateral margins strongly convex convergent to strongly rounded anterior angles; anterior margin distinctly emarginate medially; margins moderately reflexed; surface flat and shiny, finely and densely punctate, with a few single erect setae. Frontoclypeal suture finely incised, not elevated, curved. Smooth area anterior to eye weakly convex and narrow, as wide as long. Ocular canthus long and narrow (equal to 1/2.5 of ocular diameter), impunctate, with a single terminal seta. Frons on anterior third shiny, finely and densely punctate, with a few long single setae beside eyes and on disc, otherwise glabrous; on posterior two thirds dull, punctation and pilosity similar to anterior part. Eyes moderately large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.65. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres and reflexed, 3 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum transverse, short, not produced medially, with weak median sinuation.

Pronotum transverse, widest at base; in basal half lateral margins straight and weakly convergent anteriorly, in anterior half margins strongly convex and convergent; anterior angles moderately produced and rectangular; posterior angles nearly rectangular; anterior margin straight, marginal line widely interrupted medially; surface moderately densely and finely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; lateral and anterior border sparsely setose; basal margin without marginal line; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally. Scutellum long, with fine, irregularly dense punctures, with minute setae in punctures, along the middle partly impunctate.

Elytra oblong, widest at posterior third; striae weakly impressed, finely and moderately densely punctate; intervals weakly convex, with sparse, fine punctures, with minute setae in punctures, odd intervals with a few long setae. Epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose; apical border with a fine rim of microtrichomes (visible at 100x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate. Metasternum except long setae on disc nearly glabrous, sparsely covered with minute setae in punctures. Metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, glabrous except minute setae in punctures, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.62. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, finely and sparsely punctate, without smooth midline, with a few long setae beside apical margin.

Legs moderately slender. Femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur dull and sparsely finely punctate; anterior margin acute, behind anterior margin without serrated line; posterior ventral margin in apical half smooth and moderately widened at apex; posterior dorsal margin smooth. Metatibia slender and short, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.4; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group shortly before middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length; in basal half with a few short robust setae in single robust punctures with serrated margin; external face longitudinally convex, finely and sparsely punctate; ventral margin finely serrated, with three robust setae, with the apical one being more distant; medial face impunctate, glabrous, apex bluntly truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, impunctate dorsally; metatarsomeres laterally carinate; metatarsomere 1 little longer than dorsal metatibial spur and as long as following two tarsomeres combined. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, bluntly widened laterally before basal tooth; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 5A–C . Habitus: Fig. 5D .

Female unknown.

Variation. Length: 5.4–7.1 mm; elytral length: 3.6–5.5 mm; width: 3.1–4.0 mm.

Diagnosis. Neoserica sharkeyi Ahrens & Pham , new species differs from N. zhibenshanica Liu, Fabrizi, Bai, Yang & Ahrens, 2014 by the parameres being distally slightly widened (lateral view) and the phallobase having no dorsal protuberances.

Etymology. The new species is named in honor of the initiator of the NSF funded TIGER project ( Thailand Inventory Group for Entomological Research; http://sharkeylab.org/tiger/), Michael Sharkey, during which some of the type specimens were collected.

Figures

FIGURE 5. A–D: Neoserica sharkeyi Ahrens & Pham, new species (holotype); E–I: N. rufoplagiatoides Ahrens & Pham, new species (holotype). A, E: Aedeagus, left side lateral view; C, H: Aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, G: Parameres, dorsal view; F: Aedeagus, dorsal view; D, I: Habitus (not to scale). Scale: 0.5 mm.