Neoserica (s. l.) lamellosa, Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A taxonomic review of the Neoserica (sensu lato) abnormis group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 439, pp. 27-82 : 37-38

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s. l.) lamellosa sp. n. Figs 4 I–L, 9

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "N-Vietnam Tam Dao, Vinh Phu Prov. 21°27'18"N, 105°38'58"E 1050-1200m 2.-6.VI.1999 leg. Fabrizi, Jäger, Ahrens" (ZFMK). Paratypes: 1 ♀ "N-Vietnam Tam Dao, Vinh Phu Prov. 21°27'18"N, 105°38'58"E 1050-1200m 2.-6.VI.1999 leg. Fabrizi, Jäger, Ahrens" (ZFMK), 1 ♂ "Vietnam N. 15.5.-16.6. 75 km NW from Hanoi Tam Dao E. Jendek leg." (CA), 1 ♂ "N. Vietnam/ Tonkin/ Tamdao/ pr. Vinhphu/ 2.-11.6.1985 Vit Kubáň leg./ VS 50" (CPPB).

Description.

Body length: 10.6 mm, length of elytra: 7.8 mm, width: 6.1 mm. Body oblong, dark brown, antennal club yellowish brown, anterior labroclypeus shiny, dorsal surface dull, opaque toment on elytra and pronotum less thick, with a light trace of shine, sparsely setose.

Labroclypeus slightly subrectangular, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins nearly straight and weakly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin weakly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface convexly elevated at middle and shiny, basis with dull toment, punctation moderately dense, anteriorly more sparse, behind the anterior margin with coarse punctures each bearing a long erect seta; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, flat and distinctly curved medially; smooth area anterior to eye approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately wide and long (length = 1/3 of ocular diameter), glabrous, with a fine terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and dense punctures, beside the eyes a with a few erect setae. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.48. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with seven antennomeres, straight, nearly twice as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 5 equal to length of club, antennomere 4 subequal to three quarter of length of club, antennomere 3 half as long as pedicellus. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum distinctly produced medially, with a moderate median sinuation.

Pronotum moderately transverse, subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex and convergent anteriorly, anterior angles sharp and distinctly produced, posterior angles blunt, strongly rounded at the tip; anterior margin nearly straight, with a fine and complete marginal line; surface densely and finely punctate with minute setae in punctures; setae of lateral border sparse; hypomeron basally distinctly carinate, but carina only weakly produced. Scutellum long, triangular with nearly straight sides, apex slightly rounded, with fine, dense punctures, with only minute setae.

Elytra oblong, widest shortly behind the middle, striae weakly impressed, finely and moderately densely punctate, odd intervals distinctly convex with punctures concentrated along the striae, others evenly punctate and nearly flat, odd intervals with white scale-like, adpressed setae, otherwise only with very minute setae in punctures; epipleural edge fine, very narrow behind the middle, ending at the moderately rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border chitinous, with nearly invisible fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 × magnification).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and densely punctate, metasternum sparsely covered with setae on the disc, glabrous on sides; metacoxa glabrous, with a few short setae laterally, posterior margin weakly convex; abdominal sternites finely and unevenly densely punctuate, nearly glabrous, with a transverse row of coarse punctures, each bearing a robust short seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as slender mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.77. Pygidium weakly convex and dull, densely punctate, fine punctures mixed with coarser ones, with a narrow smooth midline, nearly glabrous, only with minute setae in punctures.

Legs slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate between the rows; metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, behind anterior edge without serrated line, setae of anterior longitudinal row nearly completely lacking, posterior margin in apical half ventrally smooth and slightly widened, posterior margin dorsally distinctly serrated, on its basal portion with a few short setae. Metatibia moderately slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.7, sharply carinate dorsally, with two groups of spines, basal group just before the middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few robust but single setae; lateral face longitudinally convex, very finely, superficially and sparsely punctate, subdorsal longitudinal carina on lateral face present on about two third of metatibial length; ventral edge finely serrated, with three robust equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex moderately concavely sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, laterally not carinate, protarsomeres smooth, meso- and metatarsomeres with a few very fine punctures; metatarsomeres ventrally glabrous, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a sharp subventral carina immediately beside it, first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia long, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 4 I–K.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica lamellosa sp. n. differs from Neoserica cardamomensis and Neoserica namthaensis in the slightly longer antennal club and the shape of parameres being not subdivided into separate lobes but being robust and compact.

Variation.

Body length: 10.25-13.6 mm, length of elytra: 7.8-9.6 mm, width: 6.1-7.1 mm. Female: Antennal club composed of four antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium less convex.

Etymology.

The new species is named “lamellosa” with reference to its antennal club in males composed of many (seven) lamellae.