Serica (s. l.) paracallosericoides Ahrens, Zhao, Pham & Liu, 2024

Ahrens, Dirk, Zhao, Ming-Zhi, Pham, Phu Van & Liu, Wan-Gang, 2024, Taxonomic updates on Pachyserica Brenske, 1898 and Serica MacLeay, 1819 reveal 38 new species and new challenges of Sericini systematics regarding DNA barcodes and genus-level diagnostic key characters (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericinae), Zootaxa 5491 (1), pp. 1-89 : 31-32

Serica (s. l.) paracallosericoides Ahrens, Zhao, Pham & Liu , new species

Fig. 12 A–D, G, H

Type material examined. Holotype ♂ “ CHINA: Fujian prov. 1.vi.2018 Wuyishan Mts. NNR: Xianfeng Mt. , 27°42.7′N, 117°39.1′E, 1185 m, mixed forest + bamboo; at light, Hájek, Král, Růžička & Sekerka lgt. / Asia Sericini spec. 1342” ( NMPC) . Paratypes: 3 ♂♂ “ CHINA: Fujian prov. 1.vi.2018 Wuyishan Mts. NNR: Xianfeng Mt. , 27°42.7′N, 117°39.1′E, 1185 m, mixed forest + bamboo; at light, Hájek, Král, Růžička & Sekerka lgt.” ( NMPC, ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “[ China] Huangxizhou, Mts. Wuyishan , Fujian, 27.Ⅴ.2004, leg. Cai-Xia Yuan, Jing Li / LW-143/ Paratype Serica (s. l.) callosericoides ♂ det. Ahrens 2023” ( HBUM) , 2 ♂♂ “ CHINA: Fujian, Wuyishan, Mt. Xianfengling , 1040 m, 16.V.2023 at light, Yu-Long Zhang leg. / PARATYPE Serica callosericoides des. Zhao M.- Z. & Ahrens, D., 2023” ( CZMZ, SCAU) .

Description of holotype. Length: 9.5 mm, length of elytra: 7.1 mm, width: 5.4 mm. Body oval and strongly convex, dark brown, elytra brown, elytra with greenish shine, elytra with darker spots, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull, with sparse, on pronotum partly dense, short, adpressed white setae.

Labroclypeus distinctly wider than long, widest shortly before base, lateral margins weakly convex and convergent anteriorly and posteriorly, anterior angles convex, anterior margin distinctly emarginate medially; margins weakly reflexed; surface flat, shiny, finely and densely punctate, with a few long, erect setae behind anterior margin; frontoclypeal suture distinct, slightly elevated, and weakly curved; smooth area anterior to eye 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long and narrow (1/4 of ocular diameter), impunctate and without short terminal seta. Frons flat, with fine and dense punctures and with dense, fine, yellow, short setae, additionally with a few single long erect setae beside eyes. Eyes moderately large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.67. Antenna with nine antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined and straight. Mentum elevated and anteriorly flattened. Labrum produced medially, distinctly emarginate medially.

Pronotum trapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at basal third, lateral margins in basal half strongly convex, in anterior half almost straight and strongly convergent anteriorly; anterior angles distinctly produced and acute, posterior angles strongly convex, almost obsolete; anterior margin convexly produced medially, with robust and complete anterior marginal line; surface densely and finely punctate, surface with some smaller impressions, basal midline widely impunctate, with dense, fine or thick, white, short setae, setae partly adpressed or semierect; lateral margins with moderately long sparse setae; hypomeron concave, distinctly carinate, carina strongly produced ventrally. Scutellum slender and long, somewhat iridescent, triangular, finely and densely punctate, with short setae, base widely impunctate and glabrous.

Elytra oval, widest at posterior third, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals flat, with fine, dense punctures, punctures light brown, dark spots completely smooth; intervals with single, short, almost scale-like, white setae, otherwise only with minute fine setae in punctures; epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura sparsely setose, apical border chitinous, without fine membranous rim of fine microtrichomes (magnification 100x).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate, metasternal disc densely setose, otherwise almost glabrous, metacoxa laterally with few short setae; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, with a transverse row of coarse punctures, each bearing a short, robust seta, otherwise finely densely setose. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as the slender mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.28. Pygidium strongly convex and dull, finely and densely punctate, with narrow smooth midline, with fine, dense, short and long setae.

Legs moderately slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, coarsely and densely punctate between rows; metafemur shiny, anterior margin acute, without a continuously serrated line behind anterior margin; ventral posterior margin serrated in apical half and not widened, dorsal posterior margin completely serrated, in basal half with a few long setae which are half as long as width of metafemur. Metatibia slender and moderately long, widest shortly before apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.8; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group at basal third, apical group at two thirds of metatibial length, basally with a few single, robust setae; lateral face longitudinally concave, coarsely sparsely punctate, with robust longitudinal wrinkles, glabrous; ventral margin serrated, with two very widely separated robust setae; medial face sparsely punctate and glabrous; apex interiorly near tarsal articulation indistinctly bluntly truncate. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, minute setae, dorsally finely punctate; metatarsomeres laterally and dorsally carinate, with robust wrinkles, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally; first metatarsomere little shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and more than twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, external margin smooth; anterior claws asymmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw slightly widened, short and concavely truncated at apex, basal tooth of inner claw normal.

Aedeagus: Fig. 12A–D . Habitus: Fig. 12G, H . Female unknown.

Diagnosis. Serica (s. l.) paracallosericoides new species differs from S. callosericoides Zhao & Ahrens, 2023 by the more strongly curved right paramere (lateral view), and the parameres which are less strongly, arc-like bent in dorsal view. An inner basal lobe of right paramere is much shorter in the new species.

Etymology. The name of this new species (adjective in nominative singular) is derived from the combined Greek prefix para- (near, close to) and the species name callosericoides, with reference to its similarity to the closely related species S. callosericoides Zhao & Ahrens, 2023.

Variation. Length: 8.6–9.5 mm, length of elytra: 6.3–7.1 mm, width: 4.8–5.4 mm. Pilosity of pronotum in some specimens patchier, base of elytra sometimes with fine white adpressed setae, these setae might not always be well evident.

Figures

FIGURE 12. A–D, G, H: S. paracallosericoides new species (holotype); E–F: S. callosericoides Zhao & Ahrens, 2023; A, E: aedeagus, left side lateral view; D: aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, F: parameres, dorsal view; C: aedeagus, dorsal view; G: habitus, dorsal view; H: habitus, lateral view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Habitus images not to scale.