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

Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Ahrens, Dirk, 2016, A taxonomic revision of Neoserica (sensu lato): the species groups N. lubrica, N. obscura, and N. silvestris (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 635, pp. 123-160 : 140-142

Neoserica (s.l.) shuyongi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 3 E–H, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "Tianchi, Mt. Jianfengling, Hainan, 25.IV.1980, 750m, leg. Wang Shuyong" (IZAS). Paratypes: 1 ♂ "Mts. Jianfengling, Hainan, 1.IV.1984, leg. Lin Youdong" (IZAS), 1 ♀ "Mts. Jianfengling, Hainan, 10.IV.1980, 800m, leg. Wang Shuyong" (IZAS), 1 ♂ "Tianchi, Mt. Jianfengling, Hainan, 18.IV.1980, 700m, leg. Pu Fuji" (ZFMK).

Description.

Body length: 5.9 mm, length of elytra: 3.9 mm, body width: 3.6 mm. Body short-oval, dark brown partly reddish, dorsal surface except anterior labroclypeus moderately dull, pronotum and elytra glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex, convergent anteriorly; anterior angles strongly rounded; anterior margin shallowly sinuate medially, margins distinctly reflexed; surface nearly flat, shiny including base, coarsely and densely punctate, behind anterior margin with a few even coarser punctures each bearing an erect seta; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, weakly curved medially; smooth area in front of eye convex, nearly as long as wide; ocular canthus moderately short and triangular (1/3 of ocular diameter), sparsely punctate, with one terminal seta. Frons with moderately coarse and dense punctures, with a few long erect setae beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture. Eyes small, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.47. Antenna with nine antennomeres, club (♂) with four antennomeres and straight, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated and flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum transverse, widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex and moderately convergent anteriorly; anterior angles distinctly produced and sharp, posterior angles blunt and weakly rounded at tip; anterior margin straight, with a fine complete marginal line; surface densely and moderately coarsely punctate, glabrous, with minute setae in punctures (100 × magnification); lateral border densely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally, not produced ventrally. Scutellum triangular, with moderately coarse and dense punctures, glabrous.

Elytra short-oval, widest shortly behind middle, striae finely impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals moderately convex, with sparse, fine punctures concentrated along striae, glabrous except a few short setae on odd intervals; epipleural edge robust, ending at rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose; apical border without a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 × magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate; metasternum with a few short setae and long robust setae on metasternal disc; metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, with a transverse row of coarse punctures, each bearing a short robust seta, last sternite half as long as penultimate one. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as the mesofemur, with a semi-circular ridge bearing long setae. Ratio of length of metepisternum/ metacoxa: 1/ 1.72. Pygidium dull, moderately convex, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with a few long setae along apical margin.

Legs short; femora dull, with two rudimentary longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate, glabrous; metafemur shiny, with anterior margin acute, without serrated line behind anterior edge, posterior margin apically serrate ventrally, in apical half only weakly widened, posterior margin distinctly serrate dorsally. Metatibia wide and short, widest at middle, ratio of width/ length: 1/ 3.1; dorsal margin only in posterior quarter carinate, otherwise longitudinally convex, with two groups of spines, basal group at one third, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few short single setae; lateral face convex, finely and sparsely punctate, smooth along middle in posterior half; ventral edge finely serrated, with three robust nearly equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation bluntly truncate and slightly concavely sinuate. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, smooth, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally, glabrous; first metatarsomere slightly longer than following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, distal tooth sharply pointed at apex; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 3 E–G. Habitus: Fig. 3H.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica shuyongi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. differs from all other species of the Neoserica obscura group by the serrate posterior margin of metafemur, antenna composed of 9 antennomeres, shiny base of the clypeus and the shape of the aedeagus (Fig. 3 E–G).

Etymology.

The new species is named after its collector, Wang Shuyong.

Variation.

Among the paratypes no apparent size variation was found; colour varied from entirely reddish brown to dark brown. Female: pygidium less convex, antennal club in the paratype missing.