Serica (s. l.) zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens, 2023

Zhao, Ming-Zhi & Ahrens, Dirk, 2023, New species of the tribe Sericini Kirby, 1837 from China, with further updates on their taxonomy and distribution (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericinae), Zootaxa 5361 (2), pp. 181-220 : 199-200

Serica (s. l.) zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens , new species

( Figs 6E , 7D )

Type material examined. Holotype. ♂ ( SCAU), “ CHINA: TIBET, Nyingchi City, Beibeng Township , Gelin Vill., 1753 m, 29.214870°N, 95.169272°E, 18–30.VII.2023 (at light), Yao-Nan Zhang leg.” . Paratype. 1♂ ( CZMZ), “ CHINA: TIBET, Nyingchi City, Beibeng Township , Gelin Vill., 1753 m, 29.214870°N, 95.169272°E, 18– 30.VII.2023 (at light), Yao-Nan Zhang leg.” .

Description of the holotype. General. Body ovoid, moderately convex, color generally dull and greenish brown; elytra paler, with irregular, dark patterns; palpi and antennae yellowish brown, labroclypeus and legs reddish brown and shiny, pro- and mesofemora dull. Setae yellow.

Head. Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, widest at base, ratio of maximum length/ width: 1/ 1.75; lateral margins almost straight and moderately convergent anteriad, anterior angles rounded at apex, anterior margin widely and rather weakly concave; margins weakly reflexed; surface flat, with dense and large punctures each bearing a short or moderately long, erect seta; frontoclypeal suture finely incised, curved medially; smooth area anterior to eye large and flat, approximately 1.1 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long and slender (1/3 of ocular diameter), with a few minute punctures each bearing a minute seta. Frons flat, with dense and fine punctures, each puncture bearing a backwards directed, short seta, disc and inner margin of eye interspersed with some long erect setae. Eyes small, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.41. Antenna with ten antennomeres; antennomere 4 and 5 equally as wide as long, antennomere 7 transverse and short; club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined and straight. Mentum strongly and transversely elevated anteriorly. Labrum produced downward distinctly, widely and moderately concave medially.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, widest shortly before base; lateral margins evenly convex and strongly convergent anteriad; anterior angle distinctly produced and acute, posterior angles rounded; hypomeron carinate at base but not produced ventrally; anterior margin with a fine marginal line; surface with dense and large punctures each bearing a short, backwards directed seta, anterior and lateral margins with sparse and long, erect setae.

Scutellum large, triangular, apex rounded; punctate and setose as on pronotum, but lacking of long setae.

Elytra oval, widest shortly before middle. The whole surface with dense and large punctures each bearing a short, backwards directed seta, strial punctures hardly recognized, some dark patterns at apical third sparsely punctate. Epipleura ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytron, with a row of dense and moderately long setae, which irregularly doubled at basal fourth, apical margin without membranous rim.

Ventral thoracic surface. Hypomeron with dense and fine punctures each bearing a short to moderately long seta. Meso- and metathoracic surface including metacoxae with dense and large punctures, each bearing a short to moderately long seta, setae shorter medially. Mesosternum between mesocoxae little narrower than mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/ metacoxa: 1/ 1.58. Metasternum convex anteromedially.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites with dense and small punctures each bearing a short seta, interspersed with some moderately long setae. Ultimate ventrite medially little longer than penultimate one, evenly with dense and long setae, antepenultimate ventrite strongly rimmed at posterior margin. Pygidium strongly convex, with weakly convex midline, posterior margin moderately reflexed; surface with dense and large punctures each bearing a short seta, setae longer around margins.

Femora. Profemur dull at dorsal half and remainder shiny, with a row of moderately long setae near anterior margin, the dull portion with moderately dense and short setae each emerging from a fine puncture. Meso- and metafemora with moderately dense and fine punctures each bearing a short seta. Anterior margin of metafemur carinate, without serrated line, ventral posterior margin serrate at apical third, dorsal posterior margin completely serrate, a row of moderately long setae situated between the latter two margins.

Tibiae. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, tibial teeth protruding and acute, remainder of lateral margin serrated. Metatibia slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/ length: 1/ 5; dorsal margin sharply carinate; lateral face almost impunctate, dorsally with three groups of robust setae touching the dorsal carina, basal group at one fourth, mesial one at two fifths, distal group shortly after two thirds of metatibial length, base with several smaller setae; ventral margin serrate at apical three fifths, with three spiniform setae, of which the distal two are slightly more distant and the basal one smaller, base with a few fine setae; medial face impunctate; apex interiorly serrate, near tarsal articulation shallowly concave.

Tarsi. Protarsomeres short, pro- and mesotarsomeres with moderately dense and minute setae ventrally. Meso- and metatarsomeres serrate ventrally. Metatarsomeres carinate laterally, ventral margin scarcely bearing single minute setae, first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protarsal claws symmetric, the basal tooth slightly wider than distal one, each claw with a blunt additional basal tooth.

Male genitalia. Fig. 7D .

Female. Unknown.

Measurements. Length: 11.5–12.0 mm in males (holotype 11.5 mm); length of elytra: 8.3–8.8 mm in males (holotype 8.3 mm); width: 6.5–6.8 mm in males (holotype 6.5 mm).

Diagnosis. Serica zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens , new species is closely similar to S. ventrituberculata Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, 2022 . It can be distinguished from the latter by the presence of the strong basolateral expansion of right paramere and the carinated ventral appendage of phallobase (simply protrude in S. ventrituberculata ). Apart from the two preceding characters, the new species is also similar to S. lijiangensis Ahrens, 2005 and S. pilumna Ahrens & Fabrizi, 2009 , which both differ in the curved left paramere (straight in the new species).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Mr. Yao-Nan Zhang, who firstly collected this new species.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus in dorsal view and inner protarsal claw. A, Serica (s. l.) jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens, new species, habitus of holotype; B, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae, habitus of female paratype; C, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae, protarsal claw of holotype; D, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae, protarsal claw of female paratype; E, Serica (s. l.) zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens, new species, habitus of holotype. Scale bar = 5 mm. Claws not to scale.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus. A, Serica (s. l.) caiyiyiae Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype; B, S. (s. l.) jindrai Ahrens, 2007, male (Guizhou); C, S. (s. l.) babaoshanensis Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype; D, S. (s. l.) zhangyaonani Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype; E, S. (s. l.) jicaiyanae Zhao & Ahrens, new species, holotype. a, aedeagus in left lateral view; b, parameres in dorsal view; c, aedeagus in right lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.