Neoserica (s.l.) pseudosilvestris 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 : 152-154

Neoserica (s.l.) pseudosilvestris Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 5 E–H, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "[China] Yunnan, Yakou, 2012-V-11/ LW-1319" (IZAS).

Diagnosis.

Neoserica pseudosilvestris Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. is in external appearance very similar to Neoserica minor (Arrow). The new species differs by the longer left paramere being more widely sinuated and having the tip not straight but curved interiorly.

Description.

Body length: 8.0 mm, length of elytra: 6.1 mm, body width: 5.1 mm. Body short-oval, black to dark brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface except labroclypeus dull, pronotum and elytra glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins strongly convex, convergent anteriorly; anterior angles moderately rounded; anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface nearly flat, shiny, finely and very densely punctate, with a few erect setae anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture finely incised, convexly bent at middle; smooth area in front of eye convex, 1.3 times as wide as long; ocular canthus long and subtriangular (nearly half of ocular diameter), densely and finely punctate, with one terminal seta. Frons with moderately coarse and dense punctures, with two single erect setae beside eyes. Eyes small, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.54. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club (♂) with four antennomeres and straight, 1.7 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated and flattened anteriorly.

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

Elytra oval, widest in posterior third, striae finely impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, with dense, fine punctures concentrated along striae, glabrous except a few single, short setae on penultimate lateral interval; epipleural edge robust, ending at convex external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose; apical border with a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 × magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate; metasternum nearly glabrous except a few long robust setae on disc, punctures with minute setae (100 × magnification); 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/ 1.5. Pygidium dull, strongly convex, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with a few long setae on apical quarter, otherwise punctures with minute setae.

Legs moderately long; femora moderately shiny, with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate, glabrous; metafemur with anterior margin acute, with a continuous, serrated line behind anterior edge, posterior margin smooth ventrally, in apical half only weakly widened, posterior margin smooth dorsally. Metatibia narrow and moderately long, widest at middle, ratio of width/ length: 1/ 3.75; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group at 3/5, apical group at 4/5 of metatibial length, in basal half with a serrated line beside dorsal margin ending at basal group of spines, beside it with a few single short setae; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely and densely punctate, smooth along middle; 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 sparsely and finely punctate dorsally, with sparse, short setae ventrally, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally, glabrous; first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and one third of its length longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, distal tooth sharply pointed at apex, external margin bluntly widened at middle; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 5 E–G. Habitus: Fig. 5H. Female unknown.

Etymology.

The name of the new species is the combined Greek prefix “pseudo-” (false) and the species name " silvestris " (with reference to the resemblance to Neoserica silvestris ).