Neoserica (s.l.) menglunensis 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 : 130-132

Neoserica (s.l.) menglunensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 2 A–D, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "[China] Menglun, Yunnan, 19.V.1991, leg. Wang Yinglun, Tian Binggang" (NWAFU). Paratype: 1 ♂ "[China] Guangxi, Shangsi Shiwandashan 2011-VII-7, 263m" (IZAS).

Diagnosis.

Neoserica menglunensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. differs from all other Chinese species of the Neoserica lubrica group by the presence of a transverse rim of dense setae on the anterior margin of labrum, and also by the shape of parameres: the left paramere is narrow and long (5 times as long as wide), and sharply pointed at its apex.

Description.

Body length: 5.5 mm, length of elytra: 4.0 mm, body width: 3.7 mm. Body oval, yellowish brown, dorsal surface strongly shiny and glabrous.

Labroclypeus short and subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins nearly straight, convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately rounded, anterior margin broadly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface nearly flat, 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 moderately dense punctures, with a few long erect setae beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture. Eyes moderately large, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.64. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with five antennomeres and straight, slightly shorter than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and convex anteriorly. Labrum short, nearly lens-shaped in anterior view, not produced medially, with shallow median sinuation and with a rim of dense setae near anterior margin.

Pronotum moderately transverse, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half nearly straight and moderately convergent to middle, evenly convex and weakly 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, moderately 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 except a few long setae on penultimate lateral interval; epipleural edge fine, ending at widely rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border without 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. Mes osternum between mesocoxae as wide as the mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/ metacoxa: 1/ 1.61. Pygidium moderately convex and moderately shiny, finely and densely 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 wide and short, widest at middle, ratio of width/ length: 1/ 2.4, 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 distinctly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and only slightly 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. 2 A–C. Habitus: Fig. 2D. Female unknown.

Variation.

Body length: 5.4-5.5 mm, length of elytra: 3.9-4.0 mm, body width: 3.3-3.7 mm.

Etymology.

The new species is named after the type locality, Menglun.