Neoserica (sensu lato) christophi, Bohacz & Ahrens, 2020

Bohacz, Claudia & Ahrens, Dirk, 2020, A new species of the Neoserica (sensu lato) vulpes group from China, with a corrigendum on Neoserica ailaoshanica Liu, Fabrizi, Bai, Yang Ahrens, 2014 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini), Journal of Natural History 53 (47 - 48), pp. 2991-2997 : 2992-2994

Neoserica (sensu lato) christophi sp. nov.

( Figure 1 (e–h))

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ ‘ CHINA, C-Yunnan, SE of Jingdong , Ailao Shan, ~ 24°09 ʹ N, 101°22 ʹ E, 2600–2900 m, 14.–19.VI.2014, pitf. tr., leg. Reuter /1025 Sericini Asia spec.’ ( ZFMK).

Description. Length: 8.2 mm, length of elytra: 5.9 mm, width: 4.5 mm. Body oblong, reddish brown, labroclypeus, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull and nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus small, subtrapezoidal, little wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and convergent to moderately rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a distinct blunt angle, margins moderately reflexed, anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially; surface slightly convex medially and moderately shiny, finely, superficially and moderately densely punctate, with numerous long erect setae in coarser punctures; frontoclypeal suture feebly incised and medially weakly angled; smooth area in front of eye approximately as wide as long; ocular canthus long and slender, impunctate, with one short terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and sparse punctures, with sparse and coarser punctures interspersed each bearing a long seta. Eyes large, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.81. Antenna composed of 10 antennomeres; club with 4 antennomeres, 1.7 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated anteriorly.

Pronotum wide, widest at middle, lateral margins in basal half subparallel, nearly evenly convex anteriorly and weakly narrowed towards moderately produced and acute anterior angles, posterior angles blunt, not rounded at the tip, anterior margin convexly produced medially, marginal line widely missing, basal margin without marginal line; surface with moderately dense and fine punctures, with minute setae only; anterior and lateral borders setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate at base. Scutellum narrow and long, sharp at apex, with fine and moderately dense punctures and minute setae.

Elytra oblong, widest at middle, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex and sparsely punctate, punctures concentrated along striae, odd intervals with some single, fine, semi-erect setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border membranous, with short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface dull, with large and dense punctures, sparsely and shortly setose, setae partly adpressed; metacoxa glabrous, with fine setae laterally, apical margin straight and external apical angle slightly rounded; each abdominal sternite with a distinct transversal row of coarse punctures each bearing a short seta between fine and moderately dense punctation. Mesosternum between mesocoxae nearly half as wide as mesofemur, with irregularly scattered, fine setae. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.2. Pygidium moderately convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, without smooth midline, punctures with minute setae, with numerous long setae beside apical margin.

Legs slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate; metafemur ventrally dull, anterior margin sharply carinate, without a submarginal serrated line, posterior margin straight, with a few strong setae medially, only weakly widened externally in apical half and not serrated ventrally in distal half, finely serrated dorsally, with dense, short setae. Metatibia slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.8, dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group of spines shortly before half of metatibial length, apical one at about three-quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few single fine spines; external face longitudinally convex, with moderately fine, sparse punctures; ventral margin finely serrated, with 4 fine, equidistant spines; medial face impunctate, apex concavely truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres partly finely punctate dorsally, with a few long setae, with sparse, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres impunctate and glabrous dorsally, without longitudinal impressions, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a fine longitudinal carina immediately beside it; first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia long, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner protarsal claw sharply truncate apically.

Aedeagus. Figure 1 (e–g). Female unknown.

Diagnosis. The new species is in the shape of the aedeagus similar to Neoserica shinkaisiensis Ahrens, Liu and Fabrizi, 2014 . Neoserica (sensu lato) christophi sp. nov. differs by the narrower parameres being strongly bent to the left side (dorsal view).

Etymology. The new species is named after its collector, Christoph Reuter (Beirut, Libanon).

Figures

Figure 1. (a–d) Neoserica (sensu lato) ailaoshanica Liu, Fabrizi, Bai, Yang and Ahrens, 2014 (holotype). (e–h) N. christophi sp. nov. (holotype). (a, e) aedeagus, lateral view of left side; (c, g): aedeagus, lateral view of right side; (b, f) parameres, dorsal view; (d, h) habitus (not to scale). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.