Neoserica (s.l.) mantillerii Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu

Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Ahrens, Dirk, 2016, A taxonomic revision of Neoserica (sensu lato): the species groups N. lubrica, N. obscura, and N. silvestris (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 635, pp. 123-160 : 127-129

Neoserica (s.l.) mantillerii Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 1 E–H, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "CHINE - Yunnan Tongbinguan 24°36'N, 97°35'E alt. 1180m/ Museum Paris 13.VI.2001 Deuve, Mantilleri, Rougerie & Tian leg." (MNHN).

Diagnosis.

The new species is very similar to Neoserica fugongensis in the shape of the genitalia and in external appearance, but Neoserica mantillierii differs by the shape of the left paramere: it is longer and its external margin has a blunt angle in the middle, its apex is hook-like and strongly bent backwards.

Description.

Body length: 6.8 mm, length of elytra: 4.5 mm, body width: 3.7 mm. Body oval, yellowish brown, dorsal surface strongly shiny and glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins nearly straight, convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin very shallowly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface convexly elevated at centre, shiny, finely and sparsely punctate, with a few single setae anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, slightly elevated and weakly curved; smooth area anterior to eye weakly convex, approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus short and narrow (1/3 of ocular diameter), impunctate, with one terminal seta. Frons with fine and sparse punctures, with a few long erect setae beside eyes and on posterior half of frons. Eyes large, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.69. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with five antennomeres and straight, slightly longer than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and convex anteriorly. Labrum short, lens-shaped in anterior view, not produced medially, with shallow median sinuation and without densely setose anterior margin.

Pronotum moderately transverse, widest shortly behind middle, lateral margins evenly convex and weakly convergent towards base, more strongly convergent anteriorly; anterior angles distinctly produced and sharp, posterior angles blunt and weakly rounded at tip; anterior margin weakly convex, with a fine complete marginal line; surface moderately densely and finely punctate, glabrous; lateral and anterior border sparsely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally, not produced ventrally. Scutellum narrow, triangular, with fine, dense punctures, impunctate on basal midline, glabrous.

Elytra oval, widest at posterior third, striae finely impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals nearly flat, with sparse, fine punctures concentrated along striae, glabrous; epipleural edge fine, ending at widely rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border with a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 × magnification).

Ventral surface shiny, finely and densely punctate, metasternum glabrous; metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, with a transverse row of coarse punctures, each bearing a short robust seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as the mesofemur. Ratio of length of me tepisternum / metacoxa: 1/ 1.42. Pygidium moderately convex and shiny, finely and sparsely punctate, without smooth midline, with a few long setae along apical margin.

Legs short; femora shiny, with two rudimentary longitudinal rows of setae, superficially and sparsely punctate, glabrous; metafemur with anterior margin acute, without serrated line behind anterior edge, posterior margin smooth ventrally in apical half only weakly widened, posterior margin smooth dorsally. Metatibia moderately wide and short, widest at middle, ratio of width/ length: 1/ 2.8, dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group at one third, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few short single setae; lateral face weakly convex, finely and sparsely punctate, smooth along the middle; ventral edge finely serrated, with three robust nearly equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation bluntly truncate. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, smooth, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally, smooth; first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, distal tooth sharply pointed at apex; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 1 E–G. Habitus: Fig. 1H. Female unknown.

Etymology.

This new species is named after one of its collectors, Mr. Mantilleri, who provided us with a series of unidentified specimens from his expedition to China.