Neoserica (s. l.) anonyma, 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 : 53

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s. l.) anonyma sp. n. Figs 3 E–H, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "China, W. Yunnan, env. Baoshan, 2500m, 2.-3.viii.2002, leg. S. Murzin, I. Shokhin" (CPPB). Paratypes: 2 ♂♂, 16 ♀♀ "China, W. Yunnan, env. Baoshan, 2500m, 2.-3.viii.2002, leg. S. Murzin, I. Shokhin" (CPPB, ZFMK).

Description.

Body length: 5.1 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 strongly 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, finely and sparsely punctate, 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: 0.58. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres and straight, as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum transverse, short, not produced medially, with weak 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, slightly 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.

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. 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. Abdomen missing in the holotype. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.2.

Legs moderately slender. Femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur moderately shiny 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: 1/3.3; dorsal margin distinctly carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group at 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. 3 E–G.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica anonyma sp. n. differs form all other species of the Neoserica calva group with small eyes and short antennal club by the parameres being both subequal in length.

Etymology.

This new species was named based on the Latin word “anonymus” (anonymous), with reference to its inconspicuous external appearance what made it hard initially to group this species systematically. Therefore type specimens were originally labelled as " Maladera anonyma ".

Variation.

Body length of the paratypes: 5.1-6.1 mm, length of elytra: 3.9-4.2 mm, width: 3.5-3.6 mm. Female has the antennal club composed of three antennomeres, as long as the remaining antennomeres combined.

Remarks.

Abdomen of the holotype was lost during specimens shipment after genitalia already were dissected.