Neoserica (s.l.) weishanica Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A taxonomic review of the Neoserica (sensu lato) septemlamellata group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 402, pp. 67-102 : 72-73

Neoserica (s.l.) weishanica Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 1 E–H, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ "Yunnan 1800-500m 25.10N, 100.21E Weishan mts. 22.-25.6.92 David Kral lgt." (ZFMK).

Description.

Length: 9.7 mm, length of elytra: 6.2 mm, width: 5.2 mm. Body oblong, reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, labroclypeus shiny, dorsal surface dull, with dense and erect setae.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, slightly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately rounded, anteriorly weakly sinuate medially, margins weakly reflexed; surface flat and shiny, basis without dull tomentum, punctation very dense, small punctures mixed with coarse ones each bearing a long erect seta; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, not elevated and distinctly angled medially; smooth area anterior to eye approximately 2.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long (length = 1/3 of ocular diameter) and wide, with minute, dense punctures and a few long setae. Frons dull, behind frontoclypeal suture shiny, with coarse and fine, dense punctures, densely covered with long erect setae. Eyes large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.8. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with seven antennomeres, strongly reflexed, three times as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 4 subequal to half length of club, antennomere 3 half as long as pedicellus. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum subrectangular, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half straight and subparallel, convex and moderately convergent in anterior half, anterior angles moderately sharp and distinctly produced, posterior angles blunt, slightly rounded at tip; anterior margin convexly produced medially, marginal line incomplete medially; surface densely and coarsely punctate, with long erect setae; setae of anterior and lateral border more robust and sparse; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally, carina not produced. Scutellum narrow and long, with coarse, dense punctures and a few short setae.

Elytra oblong, widest in posterior third, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, finely and evenly densely punctate, third interval with punctures concentrated along striae, with dense, erect and long setae; epipleural edge wide, ending at widely rounded apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border narrowly membranous, with a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 ×).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and densely punctate, metasternum densely setose; metacoxa glabrous, with numerous long setae laterally, posterior margin straight; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, minutely setose, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust, long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.41. Pygidium weakly convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, with a narrow smooth midline, evenly covered with long erect setae.

Legs moderately slender and not very long; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate, nearly glabrous; metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, immediately behind anterior edge with a continuously serrated line, punctures and setae of anterior longitudinal row complete, posterior margin in apical half ventrally smooth and not widened, posterior margin smooth dorsally, not serrated, with dense, short setae. Metatibia moderately slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/ length: 1/2.8, dorsal margin sharply carinate, with three groups of spines, basal group shortly before middle, median one at two thirds, and apical group at 4/5 of metatibial length, basally with a few robust but single setae; beside dorsal margin with a continuously serrated line being subparallel with dorsal margin 4/5 of metatibial length and ending at apex of metatibia; lateral face longitudinally convex, coarsely and densely punctate, in apical half punctures less dense, without convex subdorsal longitudinal carina on lateral face; ventral margin finely serrated, with four robust equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex indistinctly sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres with dense, short setae ventrally, laterally not carinate, dorsally with a few coarse punctures each bearing a robust short seta at posterior part of basal two tarsomeres; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge and a sharp subventral carina immediately beside it, first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, tridentate, basal tooth blunt; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 1 E–G. Female unknown.

Diagnosis.

The new species is in genital and external morphology very similar to Neoserica septemlamellata . It differs by the significantly longer and strongly reflexed club (male) and the dorsal punctures on meso- and metatarsomeres as well as by shape of parameres: the left paramere (both species share the long basal lobe directed mesally) has at middle a sharp triangular tooth laterally, the basal lobe is flat in cross section, the right paramere is not widened at apex showing, however, a blunt median extension a third before the apex.

Etymology.

The new species is named according to its type locality, Weishan mountains.