Gastroserica fumaria Ahrens, Lukic

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wangang, Lukic, Daniel & Bai, Ming, 2023, A taxonomic review of Microserica Brenske, 1894 from continental Asia (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 5241 (1), pp. 1-115 : 18-19

Gastroserica fumaria Ahrens, Lukic & Liu, new species

Figs. 5A–D , 24

Type material examined. Holotype: Ô “ Laos: Vientiane Prov. Ban Van Eue 31.VII.1965 / Native collector Bishop Mus. / 17 Sericini Asia spec.” ( BPBM) . Paratypes: Laos: 1 Ô “Laos: Vientiane Prov. Ban Van Eue 14,15. IV.1965 / Native collector Bishop Mus.” ( BPBM) , 2 ÔÔ “ LAOS centr., Bolikhamsai prov., Ban Non env., 9.- 14.5.1998 Route No. 8, alt. 220+50m, N 18°08.7, E 104°28.1 ( GPS), E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg.” ( CP) , 1 Ô “836950 / 836950 Laos Xieng Khouang, Phonsavan (30 km NE), Phou Sane Mt. 1400-1600m 10.- 30.5.2009 V. Kuban Microserica spLA1 / 540 Sericini Asia spec.” ( ZFMK) , 1 Ô “836958 / 836958 Laos Xieng Khouang, Phonsavan (30 km NE), Phou Pane Mt. 1400-1600m 10.- 30.5.2009 V. Kuban Microserica spLA3” ( ZFMK) , 8 ÔÔ “ LAOS, Xieng Khouang prov., 19°37–8’N, 103°20’E, Phonsavan (30 km NE) Phou Sane Mt. , 1420 m, 10-30.v.2009, Z. Kraus leg. / NHMB Basel, NMPC Prague, Laos 2009, Expedition: M. Brancucci, M. Geiser, Z. Kraus, D. Hauck, V. Kubáň / 1095 Sericini Asia spec.” ( NHMB) , 2 ÔÔ, 1 ♀ “ LAOS, Xieng Khouang prov., 19°37–8’N, 103°20’E, 30 km NE Phonsavan: Ban Na Lam -> Phou Sane Mt. , 1300-1700m, 10-30.v.2009, M. Geiser leg. / NHMB Basel, NMPC Prague, Laos 2009, Expedition: M. Brancucci, M. Geiser, Z. Kraus, D. Hauck, V. Kubáň ” ( NHMB) . China: 1 Ô “ Kunluo Road 591km, Simao County, Yunnan, 11.V.1957, 1350m, leg. Pu Fuji ” ( IZAS) , 1 Ô “ Menghun, Xishuangbanna , Yunnan, 22.V.1958, 1200-1400m, leg. Zhang Yiran ” ( IZAS) .

Description of holotype. Length: 5.0 mm, length of elytra: 3.6 mm, width: 3.4 mm. Body oval, body including legs dark reddish brown, antennal funiculus little lighter, dorsal surface iridescent shiny to moderately simply shiny, partly dull, nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus subrectangular, slightly wider than long, widest shortly at base, lateral margins subparallel, strongly convex and convergent to strongly rounded anterior angles; anterior margin emarginate medially, margins weakly reflexed; lateral margins and ocular canthus produce a blunt angle; surface shiny, medially weakly convexly elevated, coarsely and densely punctate, with numerous long, erect setae; frontoclypeal suture finely incised and curved medially. Frons dull, with sparse, coarse punctures, impunctate along midline, beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture with a few single short setae, otherwise with minute setae in punctures. Smooth area in front of eyes twice as wide as long. Ocular canthus sparsely finely punctate, narrow and moderately long (1/3 of ocular width), with a terminal seta. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.7. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club composed of four antennomeres, straight, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum wide, widest shortly before base, lateral margins evenly convex and convergent to sharp but weakly produced anterior angles, posterior angles strongly rounded. Anterior margin of pronotum straight, with robust and complete marginal line; basal marginal line absent; surface finely and moderately densely punctate, with minute setae in punctures, anterior and lateral anterior margins sparsely setose. Hypomeron carinate, weakly produced ventrally. Scutellum triangular, finely and densely punctate, on midline narrowly impunctate.

Elytra short, widest at middle, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals convex, with fine and sparse punctures concentrated along striae, with very minute setae in punctures, odd intervals with a few short setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at slightly rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border chitinous, without a fringe of short microtrichomes (visible at ca 100x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate, metasternum sparsely covered with fine, short, or very minute setae; metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.72. Abdominal sternites finely punctate, with a transverse row of coarse punctures, each bearing a robust seta. Pygidium weakly convex and dull, with mixed finer and larger punctures, without smooth midline, with numerous short setae and a few longer in the larger punctures.

Legs moderately wide; femora finely and sparsely punctate, with two longitudinal rows of longer setae. Metafemur moderately shiny, anterior margin acute, without submarginal serrated line; anterior row of seta-bearing punctures present; ventral posterior margin finely serrate at apex, only weakly widened in apical half, dorsal posterior margin serrate, with a few short setae basally. Metatibia moderately long and wide, widest at middle, ratio width/length: 1/2.7; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group at middle, apical one at three quarter of metatibial length, in basal third with a few robust single setae; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely and sparsely punctate, along midline smooth, with minute setae in punctures; ventral edge finely serrate, with three robust equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation sharply truncate. Tarsomeres with fine, sparse setae ventrally, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate, dorsally smooth; metatarsomeres glabrous, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a parallel subventral smooth carina immediately beside it; first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined, and twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of both claws bluntly truncate at apex.

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

Diagnosis. Gastroserica fumaria Ahrens, Lukic & Liu, new species is in external appearance and shape of aedeagus rather similar to G. varians . Gastroserica fumaria differs by the longer and dorsally evenly arched phallobase, the raspulose field at the right side of phallobasal apex; G. fumaria appears more unicolored, with dark elytra.

Etymology. The name of the new species is derived from the Latin adjective, “ fumarius ” (smoky-brown).

Variation. Length: 4.8–5.2 mm, length of elytra: 3.4–3.6 mm, width: 3.0– 3.4 mm. In coloration rather uniform, some specimens have a deep large concavity at the middle of pronotum, which we think are simply deformed. Female: Antennal club little shorter than remaining antennomeres combined, composed of three antennomeres; eyes little smaller than in male, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.54; body lighter, pygidium almost flat.

Genbank accessions. Table 1 .

Figures

FIGURE 5. A–D: Gastroserica fumaria Ahrens, Lukic & Liu, new species (holotype); E–H: G. phukradung Ahrens, Lukic & Liu, new species (holotype). A, E: Aedeagus, left side lateral view; C, G: Aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, F: Parameres, dorsal view; D, H: Habitus (not to scale). Scale: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 24. Distribution of the genus Gastroserica (Helioserica Ahrens, Lukic & Liu, new subgenus), part 1.