Melolontha aeneicollis Bates, 1891

Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5263 (2), pp. 191-216 : 208

Melolontha aeneicollis Bates, 1891

( Figs. 5 , 17 , 45 , 57 )

Melolontha aeneicollis Bates 1891: 16 (type locality: India, Kulu); Dalla Torre 1912: 267 (catalogue); Arrow 1921: 13; Chandra 2005: 152 (checklist); Bezděk 2006: 194 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 343 (key), 344 (checklist), fig. 12; Krajčík 2012: 158 (checklist); Keith & Saltin 2012: 35 (distribution); Bezděk 2016: 230 (catalogue).

Material examined. India, Himachal Pradesh: Kulu, Great Himalayan National Park , 1,953m, 4.iv.2018, 1♁, leg. S.K. Sajan [ NZSI] . India, Uttarakhand: Chamoli, Valley of Flower National Park , 3,103m, 15.vi.2017, 1♁, leg. S.K. Sajan [ NZSI] .

Diagnosis. Refer to species key.

Distribution. India: Himachal Pradesh ( Bates 1891) and Uttarakhand (new record); Pakistan ( Keith & Saltin 2012).

Figures

FIGURES 5–8. Habitus of Melolontha species. 5, M. aeneicollis; 6, M. cuprescens; 7, M. chinensis; 8, M. nepalensis.

FIGURES 13–18. Pygidium of Melolontha species. 13, M. guttigera; 14, M. virescens; 15, M. arunachalensis new species (holotype); 16, M. lachungensis new species (holotype); 17, M. aeneicollis; 18, M. cuprescens.

FIGURES 41–46. Parameres of Melolontha species in dorsal view. 41, M. guttigera; 42, M. virescens; 43, M. arunachalensis new species (holotype); 44, M. lachungensis new species (holotype); 45, M. aeneicollis; 46, M. cuprescens.

FIGURES 53–64. Parameres of Melolontha species in lateral view. 53, M. guttigera; 54, M. virescens; 55, M. arunachalensis new species (holotype); 56, M. lachungensis new species (holotype); 57, M. aeneicollis; 58, M. cuprescens; 59, M. chinensis; 60, M. nepalensis; 61, M. carinata; 62, M. indica; 63, M. flabellata; 64, M. furcicauda.