Neoserica (s. l.) mengi, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014

Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014, A taxonomic revision of the Neoserica (sensu lato) calva group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 448, pp. 47-81 : 57

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s. l.) mengi sp. n. Figs 4 I–L, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "X-DA2984 China S. Yunnan (Xishuangbanna) 23km NW Jinghong vic. Na Ban (NNNR), 730m, 22°09.49'N, 100°39.92'E 20.x.2008 L. Meng Neoserica spCHz1 ♂" (ZFMK). Paratypes: 1 ♂ [China] "Mt. Wuyanling, Taishun, Zhejiang, 28. VII– 3.VIII.2005, leg. Ba Yibin" (HBUM), 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀ [China] "Caiyanghe, Pu’er, Yunnan, 28.VII.2007, leg. Ren Guodong, Hou Wenjun, Li Yalin" (HBUM), 1 ♂ [China] "Caiyanghe, Pu’er, Yunnan, 28.VII.2007, 1700m, leg. Mao Benyong, Xu Jishan" (HBUM), 1 ♂ [China] "Defu, Napo, Guangxi, 15.VIII.1998, 1300m, leg. Huang Fusheng, Li Wenzhu" (IZAS), 1 ♂ [China] "Yunnan, Mt. Fofangshan 2010-7-27/ LW-1056" (ZFMK), 1 ♂ [China] "Yunnan, Mt. Fofangshan 2010-7-27/ LW-1056bis" (ZFMK), 1 ♂ [China] "Yunnan, Nabanhe Nature Reserve, 2008-X-11/ LW-1364" (ZFMK), 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ [China] "Yexianggu, Jinghong, Yunnan, 3-4.VIII.2006, 850m, leg. Mao Benyong etc." (HBUM).

Description.

Body length: 5.3 mm, length of elytra: 3.9 mm, width: 3.5 mm. Body oval, dark reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface dull and nearly glabrous, labroclypeus and anterior half of frons shiny.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base; lateral margins strongly convergent and convex anteriorly; anterior angles blunt; anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially, sharply reflexed medially; margins moderately reflexed; surface slightly elevated medially and shiny, finely and densely punctate, with a few single setae. Frontoclypeal suture indistinctly incised, weakly elevated and moderately angled medially. Smooth area anterior to eye narrow, approximately as wide as long. Ocular canthus short and narrow, impunctate, with a single terminal seta. Frons on posterior half dull; finely and densely punctate; with a few erect setae beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture, with dense, fine setae on posterior half. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.57. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres and straight, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum transverse, short, not produced medially, with median sinuation.

Pronotum moderately transverse, widest at base; lateral margins weakly evenly convex and weakly convergent anteriorly; anterior angles distinctly produced and sharp; posterior angles blunt, broadly rounded at tip; anterior margin straight with a very fine and complete marginal line; surface densely and finely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; lateral and anterior border sparsely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally. Scutellum large, with fine, dense punctures, glabrous, punctures on base less dense.

Elytra short-oval, widest shortly behind middle; striae weakly impressed, finely and moderately densely punctate; intervals weakly convex, with moderately dense punctures concentrated along striae, with minute setae in punctures, penultimate lateral interval with a few single, erect setae. Epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose; apical border with a fine rim of microtrichomes (visible at 100 × magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate. Metasternum except long seta on disc nearly glabrous, sparsely covered with minute setae in punctures. Metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, glabrous except minute setae in punctures, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.33. Pygidium weakly convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with short adpressed on disc and sides and a few long setae near apex.

Legs moderately slender. Femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur dull and sparsely finely punctate; anterior margin acute, behind anterior margin without serrated line; posterior margin entirely serrated ventrally and moderately widened at apex; posterior margin finely serrated dorsally, glabrous. Metatibia slender and moderately long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/2.8; dorsal margin distinctly carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group shortly behind middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length; in basal half with a few short robust setae in single robust punctures with serrated margin; external face longitudinally convex, finely and sparsely punctate; ventral margin finely serrated, with three robust setae, with the apical one being more distant; medial face impunctate, glabrous, apex moderately truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, not carinate laterally, impunctate dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge; metatarsomere I slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and nearly half of its length longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, not widened laterally before basal tooth; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus. Fig. 4 I–K.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica mengi sp. n. is similar to Neoserica anonyma sp. n. externally but differs from it by the slightly longer antennal club, slightly stouter metatibia, and the shape of the parameres: the left paramere is strongly reduced in size, its length is 1/7 of that of the right paramere.

Etymology.

This new species is named after one of the collectors of the type series, L. Meng.

Variation.

Body length of the paratypes: 5.2-5.9 mm, length of elytra: 3.8-4.0 mm, width: 3.4-3.6 mm. Female has the antennal club composed of three antennomeres, as long as the remaining antennomeres combined.