Maladera taiyangheensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, 2021

Fabrizi, Silvia, Liu, Wan-Gang, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2021, A monograph of the genus Maladera Mulsant & Rey, 1871 of China (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 4922 (1), pp. 1-400 : 241-243

Maladera taiyangheensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n.

Figures 56 A–D, 119

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ “ China, W Hubei / E Chongquing, Shiruguan , 1.-9.VII.2003 pass ~ 5km NW Taiyanghe pitfall traps, 30.65N 109.5E Jaroslav Turna leg., ~ 1700m / 736 Sericini : Asia spec.” ( ZFMK) . Paratypes: 4 ♂♂, 43 ♀♀ “ China, W Hubei / E Chongquing, Shiruguan , 1.-9.VII.2003 pass ~ 5km NW Taiyanghe pitfall traps, 30.65N 109.5E Jaroslav Turna leg., ~ 1700m ” ( ZFMK, CP) .

Description. Length: 10.9 mm, length of elytra: 8.2 mm, width: 7.2 mm. Body oval, reddish brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull, except a few small setae on head glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, little wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins convex and convergent to strongly rounded anterior angles, lateral margin and ocular canthus producing a indistinct blunt angle, margins strongly reflexed; anterior margin straight; surface convex medially, finely and densely punctate, with a transverse row of long, erect setae anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture feebly impressed and moderately angled medially; smooth area in front of eye approximately as wide as long; ocular canthus short and wide, sparsely finely punctate, with one terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine, dense punctures, with a few long setae beside eyes. Eyes small, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.45. Antenna with 10 antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, little longer than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum anteriorly elevated and flattened.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half nearly straight and convergent, in anterior half convex and convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately produced and sharp, anterior margin weakly convex, marginal line complete; surface moderately finely and densely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; lateral margins sparsely setose, setae at anterior margin lacking medially; hypomeron carinate. Scutellum wide, triangular, with fine and moderately dense punctures each bearing a single minute seta.

Elytra oval, widest at middle, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, even intervals almost flat, with fine, moderately dense punctures, odd intervals with a few fine, erect, short setae, otherwise punctures with minute setae; epipleural margin robust, ending at strongly rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura sparsely setose, apical border membraneous, with a fine rim of very short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface moderately shiny, metasternum with large and dense punctures, densely setose, metacoxa with minute setae in large punctures, with several long setae laterally. Abdominal sternites in addition to generally distributed fine and moderately dense punctures each with a distinct transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a short and robust seta, otherwise punctures each with a microscopic seta; 3 rd abdominal sternite medially elevated. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.55. Pygidium weakly convex and moderately shiny, finely and moderately densely punctate, without smooth midline, punctures with microscopic setae, with a few long setae along apical margin.

Legs moderately long and wide; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, lacking an adjacent serrated line, posterior ventral margin medially straight, weakly widened in apical half and not serrate, dorsally not serrated, finely setose. Metatibia moderately wide and long, widest at apex, ratio width/length: 1/3.0, dorsally sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal one shortly before middle, apical one at three quarters of metatibial length, without contiguous serrated line basally; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely sparsely punctate; ventral margin finely serrate, with five equidistant spines; medial face impunctate; apex interiorly near tarsal articulation shallowly concave. Tarsomeres impunctate dorsally, ventrally with sparse, short setae; metatarsomeres ventrally with a strongly serrated ridge and glabrous, beside with subventral longitudinal carina; first metatarsomere shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate. All claws symmetrical, feebly curved and long, with normally developed basal tooth.

Aedeagus: Fig. 56 A–C. Habitus: Fig. 56D .

Diagnosis. Maladera taiyangheensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n. differs from M. tengchongensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n. in having the parameres symmetrical and the 3 rd abdominal sternite elevated medially.

Etymology. The new species is named after its type locality, Taiyanghe (adjective in the nominative singular).

Variation. Length: 10.9–13.9 mm, length of elytra: 8.2–10.0 mm, width: 7.2–8.2 mm. Female: eyes only little smaller than in male, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.42; antennal club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium weakly convex.

Distribution. See map ( Fig. 119 ) and Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 56. A–D: Maladera taiyangheensisAhrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); E–H: M. tongzhongensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype). A, E: aedeagus, left side lateral view; C, G: aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, F: parameres, dorsal view; D, H: habitus. Scale: 0.5 mm. Habitus not to scale.

FIGURE 119. Distribution of the Maladera ferruginea group: Maladera rubriventris sp. n., M. taiyangheensis sp. n., M. tengchongensis sp. n., M. tongzhongensis sp. n., M. wulaoshanica sp. n..