Serica (s. l.) wuyishan 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 : 27-29

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

Fig. 10 F–J

Type material examined. Holotype ♂ “ CHINA: Fujian prov. Wuyishan Mts. NNR: Sangang vill. env., 24.v.– 3.vi.2018 27°45.0′N, 117°40.7′E, 720 m, river valley, wet rock along road, J. Hájek, D. Král, J. Růžička & L. Sekerka lgt. / Asia Sericini spec. 1339” ( NMPC) . Paratypes: 1 ♂ “ CHINA: Fujian prov. Wuyishan Mts. NNR: Sangang vill. env., 24.v.–3.vi.2018 27°45.0′N, 117°40.7′E, 720 m, river valley, wet rock along road, J. Hájek, D. Král, J. Růžička & L. Sekerka lgt.” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “ Kuatun (2300 m) 27, 40 n. Br. 117,40 ö. L. J. Klapperich 4.6.1938 (Fukien) / Paratype Serica (s.l.) parasquamosa sp. n. det. D. Ahrens 2000” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂ “ China, Fujian, Mt. Wuyishan , nr. Kuatun, 2022.VIII, Yu-Long Zhang leg.” ( CZMZ) , 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ “[ China] Guangdong, Nanling Nature Reserve 2017-V-31 ” ( SCAU) , 1 ♂, 1 ♀ “ Guangdong, Nanling Nature Reserve , 2016-V-29–31 ” ( CZMZ) , 1 ♂, 1 ♀ “ CHINA: Guangdong, Shaoguan, Ruyuan Co., Nanling N. R. 2019.VI.12 ” ( CZMZ) , 1 ♂ “ Shaoguan City , Guangdong Province, Ruyuan County Nanling Babaoshan protection station, 17.Ⅴ.2021, 1016m, light trap, 113.013168(E), 24.555523(N), leg. Xu Siyuan ” ( IZAS) ; 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ “ CHINA: Guangdong, Shaoguan , Ruyuan Co., Nanling N. R., N 24°55′32″, E 113°1′19″, 1027 m, 15–16.VI.2024 (at light), lgt. Ming-Zhi Zhao” ( CZMZ) .

Description of holotype. Length: 7.5 mm, length of elytra: 5.6 mm, width: 4.4 mm. Body oval and strongly convex, dark brown, elytra and abdomen brown, head, pronotum and some spots on elytra with greenish shine, elytra with darker spots, antenna yellow, dorsal surface weakly shiny or iridescent, with dense, short, adpressed white setae.

Labroclypeus slightly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half straight and weakly convergent, anteriorly moderately convex and more strongly convergent, anterior angles convex, anterior margin distinctly emarginate medially; margins weakly reflexed; surface flat, shiny, basally narrowly dull, finely and densely punctate, with a dense and long, erect setae; frontoclypeal suture distinct, slightly elevated, and weakly curved; smooth area anterior to eye 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus long and narrow (1/4 of ocular diameter), with a few fine punctures and a short terminal seta. Frons flat; surface with fine and dense punctures and with fine, white, short, adpressed setae, additionally with a few long erect setae. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.64. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined and straight. Mentum elevated and anteriorly flattened. Labrum sub-elliptical, moderately produced medially, distinctly emarginate medially.

Pronotum trapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half straight and moderately convergent anteriorly, in anterior half more strongly convex and convergent anteriorly; anterior angles weakly produced and acute, posterior angles strongly right-angled; anterior margin almost straight, with fine and complete anterior marginal line; surface densely and finely punctate, some smaller patches and midline impunctate, with dense, fine, white, short, adpressed setae; anterior and lateral margins with long sparse setae; hypomeron distinctly carinate, carina slightly produced ventrally. Scutellum slender and long, dull, triangular, finely and densely punctate, with white setae as in pronotum, base widely impunctate and glabrous.

Elytra oval, widest at middle, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, with fine, dense punctures, dark spots completely smooth; intervals with dense, short, adpressed, white setae, each interval additionally with a few, single, longer, yellowish scales; epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border membranous, with a fine membranous rim of fine microtrichomes (magnification 100x).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate, including metacoxa densely setose, metacoxa laterally with a more robust and longer 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: 1/1.7. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, finely and densely punctate, with wide smooth midline, with fine, dense, short and long setae, without small, scale-like white 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: 1/3.4; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group at middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few single, robust setae; lateral face longitudinally concave, coarsely densely punctate, punctures somewhat elongate, with minute setae; ventral margin serrated, with three robust setae of which the two distal ones are more widely separated; medial face sparsely punctate and glabrous; apex interiorly near tarsal articulation indistinctly bluntly truncate. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, minute setae, dorsally coarsely punctate; metatarsomeres laterally carinate, with some wrinkles beside punctures, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally; first metatarsomere little shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, external margin smooth; anterior claws asymmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw short and lobiform, basal tooth of inner claw normal.

Aedeagus: Fig. 10H–J . Habitus: Fig. 10F–G . Female unknown.

Diagnosis. Serica wuyishan new species differs from the in shape of male genitalia similar Serica anhua new species and S. parasquamosa Ahrens, 2007 by the shape of parameres: Compared to the latter species, the right paramere in Serica wuyishan new species is dorsally more strongly convex (lateral view), the left paramere is at apex not strongly bent, but almost straight. From Serica anhua new species, S. wuyishan new species differs by the basally wider dorsal apodeme of the right paramere, which at apex is only evenly curved instead of abruptly bent as in S. anhua new species. The pygidium of the latter has scale-like setae, and its basal lobe of inner protarsal claw is apically truncate instead of lobiform, as in S. wuyishan new species.

Etymology. The name of this new species (noun in apposition) is derived from its occurrence in Wuyishan Mountains (Fujian, China).

Variation. Length: 7.4–9.3 mm, length of elytra: 5.6–6.0 mm, width: 4.4–5.4 mm.

Remark. One of the paratype specimens was originally included in the paratype series of S. parasquamosa Ahrens, 2007 .

Figures

FIGURE 10. A–E: Serica anhua new species (holotype); F–J: S. wuyishan new species (holotype); A, H: aedeagus, left side lateral view; C, J: aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, I: parameres, dorsal view; D, F: habitus, dorsal view; E, G: habitus, lateral view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Habitus images not to scale.