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

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A taxonomic review of the Neoserica (sensu lato) septemlamellata group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 402, pp. 67-102 : 75-77

Neoserica (s.l.) yanzigouensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 2 A–D, 7

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ "Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1560m, leg. Bai Ming, Wan Xia" (IZAS). Paratypes. 1 ♂ "Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1560m, leg. Bai Ming, Wan Xia" (IZAS), 6 ♂♂ "Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1500m, leg. Zhang Yong" (IZAS, ZFMK), 2 ♂♂ "Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1560m, leg. Bai Ming " (IZAS).

Description.

Length: 8.2 mm, length of elytra: 6.4 mm, width: 4.6 mm. Body oblong, dark reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface dull, nearly glabrous except a few long setae on head.

Labroclypeus trapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins nearly straight and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin weakly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface flat and shiny, basis without dull tomentum, punctation dense, small punctures mixed with coarse ones each bearing a long erect seta; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, not elevated and distinctly angled medially; smooth area anterior to eye approximately 2.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long (length = 1/3 of ocular diameter) and wide, with minute punctures and a few long setae. Frons dull, anterior quarter shiny, with coarse and fine, dense punctures, densely covered with long erect setae. Eyes large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.74. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with seven antennomeres, moderately reflexed, twice as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 4 subequal to half length of club, antennomere 3 half as long as pedicellus. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately transverse, subrectangular, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and moderately convergent towards moderately sharp and distinctly produced anterior angles, posterior angles blunt, slightly rounded at tip; anterior margin convexly produced medially, marginal line incomplete medially; surface densely and coarsely punctate, only with minute setae; setae of anterior and lateral border fine and sparse; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally, carina not produced. Scutellum narrow and long, dull, with fine, dense punctures and minute setae.

Elytra oblong, widest in posterior third, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, finely and densely punctate, punctures concentrated along striae, with minute setae, odd intervals with a few erect setae (partially lacking on disc); epipleural edge wide, ending at widely rounded apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border narrowly membranous, with a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 ×).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and densely punctate, metasternum moderately setose; metacoxa glabrous, with a few long setae laterally, posterior margin straight; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, minutely setose, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust, long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.41. Pygidium strongly convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, with a narrow smooth midline, with dense, long erect setae and minute setae on apical half.

Legs moderately slender and not very long; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate, nearly glabrous; metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, immediately behind anterior edge with a continuously serrated line, punctures and setae of anterior longitudinal row complete, posterior margin in apical half ventrally smooth and not widened, posterior margin smooth dorsally, not serrated, with dense, short setae. Metatibia moderately slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.2; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with three groups of spines, basal group shortly before middle, median one shortly behind middle, and apical group at 4/5 of metatibial length, basally with a few robust but single setae; beside dorsal margin with a continuously serrated line being subparallel with dorsal margin 4/5 of metatibial length; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, without convex subdorsal longitudinal carina on lateral face; ventral margin finely serrated, with four robust equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex indistinctly sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres with dense, short setae ventrally, not carinate laterally, smooth dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge and a sharp subventral carina immediately beside it, first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, tridentate, but basal tooth rather indistinct; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 2 A–C. Female unknown.

Diagnosis.

The new species is similar to Neoserica takakuwai sp. n. in external morphology. It may be distinguished by its more reddish brown colour, by the slightly shorter antennal club being twice as long as remaining antennomeres combined, as well as by the basal lobe of the left paramere directed basally (and not medially as in Neoserica takakuwai sp. n.).

Etymology.

The new species is named after its type locality, Yanzigou.

Variation.

Length: 8.2-9.6 mm, length of elytra: 6.4-7.1 mm, width: 4.6-5.2 mm.