Neoserica (s. l.) namthaensis, 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 : 43-44

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s. l.) namthaensis sp. n. Figs 6 J–M, 8

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "Laos, 21°09'N, 101°19'E, Louangnamtha pr. Namtha-> MuangSing, 5.-31.v.1997, 900-1200m Vit Kubáň leg./ LS19" (CPPB).

Description.

Body length: 11.8 mm, length of elytra: 8.2 mm, width: 6.5 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 subrectangular, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins moderately convex and very little 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, otherwise with minute setae only. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.5. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with seven antennomeres, straight, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 5 subequal to length of club, antennomere 4 0.7 times as long as the 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 weakly convex and in basal half weakly convergent anteriorly, at middle more convex and in anterior half weakly convex and strongly convergent, anterior angles moderately sharp and distinctly produced, posterior angles blunt, moderately 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, impunctate along the middle, 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 only a very fine 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: 1/1.8. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, densely punctate, fine punctures mixed with coarser ones, with a narrow smooth midline, with a few longer setae on disc and beside the apical margin.

Legs moderately 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: 1/3.2, 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. 6 J–L.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica namthaensis sp. n. differs from all other species (except the previous one) of the Neoserica abnormis group by having an antennal club in male composed of seven antennomeres. From Neoserica cardamomensis it can be distinguished by the nearly symmetrical parameres.

Etymology.

The new species is named according to its type locality in the environment of Namtha (Laos).