Neoserica (s. l.) simplicissima, 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 : 40

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s. l.) simplicissima sp. n. Figs 5 I–L, 9

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ "Laos-NE Hua Phan prov., 20°12'N, 104°01'E, Phu Phan Mt., 1500-1900m, 17.5.-3.6.2007, leg. C. Holzschuh" (ZFMK). Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ "Laos-NE Hua Phan prov., 20°12'N, 104°01'E, Phu Phan Mt., 1500-1900m, 17.5.-3.6.2007, leg. Vit Kubáň” (NMPC), 1 ♂, 1 ♀ "Laos-NE Hua Phan prov., 20°12'N, 104°01'E, Phu Phan Mt., 1500-1900m, 17.5.-3.6.2007, leg. C. Holzschuh" (ZFMK).

Description.

Body length: 12.2 mm, length of elytra: 8.8 mm, width: 7.3 mm. Body oblong, dark brown, antennal club brown, anterior labroclypeus shiny, dorsal surface dull, partially dull toment lost and moderately shiny, sparsely setose.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins moderately convex and convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately rounded, anterior margin weakly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface nearly flat and shiny, basis with dull toment, punctation dense, anteriorly more sparse, behind the anterior margin with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a long erect seta; frontoclypeal suture indistinctly incised, flat and distinctly curved medially; smooth area anterior to eye approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long (length = 1/3 of ocular diameter) and slender, glabrous, with a fine terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and sparse punctures, beside eyes with a few erect setae. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.53. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with six antennomeres, straight, as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 5 half as long as the club, antennomere 6 three quarters as long as club, antennomere 4 slightly transverse, 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 evenly convex and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles sharp and distinctly produced, posterior angles blunt, slightly rounded at the tip; anterior margin nearly straight, with a distinct and complete marginal line; surface densely and finely punctate with minute setae in punctures; setae of anterior and lateral border sparse; hypomeron basally distinctly carinate, but carina only weakly produced. Scutellum moderately long, triangular with convex sides and with the apex slightly rounded, with fine, moderately dense punctures, with only minute setae.

Elytra oblong, widest shortly behind middle, striae weakly impressed, finely and moderately densely punctate, intervals nearly flat, with moderately dense evenly spaced, fine punctures, intervals with a few fine white setae, otherwise only with very minute setae in punctures; epipleural edge fine, ending at the blunt external apical angle of elytra, epipleura sparsely 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: 1/1.59. Pygidium weakly convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with a few semi-erect setae beside the apical margin.

Legs 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 slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/4.0, 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 slightly longer than 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. 5 I–K.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica simplicissima differs from all species with an antennal club composed of six antennomeres and a non-elongate left paramere in the absence of the basal process of the right paramere.

Variation.

Body length: 12.2-12.8 mm, length of elytra: 8.8-9.6 mm, width: 7.3-8.2 mm. Female: antennal club composed of fives antennomeres, slightly shorter than remaining antennomeres combined, 6th antennomere one third as long as club, 7th one slightly transversely produced.

Etymology.

The new species is named “simplicissima” (Latin adjective, meaning "very simple") with reference to the lacking basal lobe of the right paramere.