Microserica crenatostriata, Ahrens, Dirk, 2004

Ahrens, Dirk, 2004, Revision of the Microserica lineata Moser, 1915 ­ group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini), Zootaxa 667, pp. 1-14 : 10-13

Microserica crenatostriata sp. n. ( Figs 11–13 )

Type material examined: Holotype ɗ “NE India Meghalaya state, West Garo Hills, reg Tura, 5.–7.vi.1996, alt. 700 + 100 m GPS N 25°30,7’ E 90°13,9’ (WGS 84) E. Jendek & O. Sausa” ( TICB). Paratypes: 6 ɗɗ, 8 ΨΨ same data as holotype ( TICB, CA), 21 ɗɗ, 9 ΨΨ “NE India; Meghalaya; 1999 9 km NW Jowai; 1400 m; 25°30’N 92°10’E; 12.v. Dembický & Pacholátko leg.” ( TICB), 1 Ψ “Darugiri, Garo Hills 450 m, 19.5.76 ” ( NHMB).

Description. Length: 6.8 mm, length of elytra: 4.6 mm, width: 3.9 mm. Body oval, reddish dark brown, frons with greenish lustre, elytra yellowish with odd intervals dark, dorsal surface moderately shiny, labroclypeus strongly shiny, almost evenly and moderately densely covered with short to minute white setae, elytra additionally with sparse, moderately long and fine, erect setae interspersed.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal and moderately short, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately rounded, lateral border and ocular canthus produced into a indistinct obtuse angle, anterior and lateral margins weakly reflexed, anterior margin weakly sinuate medially, surface almost flat medially and shiny, finely and densely punctate, with a few long, erect setae anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture indistinctly impressed and weakly curved; smooth area in front of eye twice as wide as long; ocular canthus short and triangular, almost impunctate, with a short single terminal seta. Frons with fine and dense punctures, glabrous, partly with minute setae and beside eyes with a few erect long setae. Eyes small, ratio of diameter/ interocular width: 0.48. Antenna yellow, with ten antennomeres; club with four antennomeres equal in length, club as long as than the remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum very weakly convexly elevated in anterior third.

(llpphb — left lateral process of phallobase; lpm — left paramere; phb — phallobase; rpm — right paramere).

Pronotum moderately wide, widest shortly before base, lateral margins almost evenly curved and weakly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles distinctly produced and acute, posterior angles weakly rounded, anterior margin convexly produced medially, with a distinct and fine marginal line, basal margin without marginal line, surface with uniformly dense and fine punctures, with adpressed minute white setae in the punctures; anterior and lateral borders setaceous; hypomeron carinate, its basal margin not produced ventrally. Scutellum long, narrow, apex weakly rounded, with fine and dense punctures, smooth along midline and slightly convexly elevated, minute setae present in the punctures.

Elytra oval, widest at middle, striae distinctly impressed and finely densely punctate, intervals sparsely finely punctate laterally only, odd intervals strongly convex, even intervals moderately convex, throughout with minute setae in the punctures, odd intervals with a few strong erect setae, interior apical angle of elytron with a strong seta, apical and lateral margin as well as area before apex with a dark spot; epipleural edge robust but convex, ending at the strongly convex external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setaceous, apical border broadly membraneous, with a rim of short microtrichomes extending widely to apical epipleural margin.

Ventral surface dull, with fine and dense punctures, with dense short setae, setae adpressed, metacoxa minutely setose, laterally with robust adpressed setae; each abdominal sternite with indistinct transversal row of coarse and dense punctures, sternite bearing short strong setae between fine and dense punctation, all sternites bearing minute white setae. Mesosternum between mesocoxae almost as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/ metacoxa: 1/ 1.6. Pygidium distinctly wider than long, dull, moderately convex apically, with fine and moderately dense punctures bearing fine and very short white setae, on apical half with numerous erect yellowish setae, without smooth midline.

Legs moderately slender; femora on ventral surface dull, finely and moderately densely punctate, glabrous, with two longitudinal rows of setae; anterior edge of metafemur acute, with a robust adjacent continuously serrated line, posterior margin weakly convex and glabrous, ventrally weakly widened in apical half but not serrate, posterior margin dorsally not serrate. Metatibia moderately slender and long, dorsal and ventral margin almost subparallel, ratio width/ length: 1/ 3.8, dorsally longitudinally convex, with two groups of spines, the basal group at one third, apical one at three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few single spines in the punctures; lateral face longitudinally convex, with dense and moderately coarse punctures, along the middle of lateral face narrowly impunctate, punctures with minute setae; ventral edge sharp and serrated, with four strong and long, equally spaced spines, medial face impunctate and smooth, apex interiorly (near tarsal articulation) distinctly truncate. Tarsomeres dorsally glabrous and impunctate, ventrally with a very few sparse, short setae; metatarsomeres ventrally with a single strongly serrated carina, subventral carina very fine and indistinct; first metatarsomere as long as the following two tarsomeres combined and almost twice as long as the upper tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate; protarsal claws symmetrical.

Aedeagus: Figs 10–12 .

Variability. Length: 6.6–7.1 mm, length of elytra: 4.3–4.9 mm, width: 3.5–4.1 mm. In some paratypes pronotum reddish brown. Ψ: Antennal club with three antennomeres and as long as the remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium strongly convex at apex.

Diagnosis. Microserica crenatostriata sp. n. is very similar to M. squamulata ( Moser, 1915) in genital shape and habitus. It may be differentiated from M. squamulata by the fine setae covering the dorsal surface instead of the white scales in M. squamulata , by the shortened right paramere, which is evenly curved ventrally (in lateral view). The left lateral process of the phallobase is comparatively narrow and strongly hooked at apex in M. crenatostriata sp. n. while it is broad and straight in M. squamulata . In comparison to M.

lineata and M. geberbauer sp. n., the phallobase is more elongate, similar to that of M. squamulata ( Moser, 1915) .

Etymology. From combined Latin words crenatostriatus: crenatus — notched, striatus — striate.

Figures

FIGURES 11 ­ 13: Microserica crenatostriata sp. n. (Holotype: India, Meghalaya, reg. Tura [West Garo Hills]); 11 — Aedeagus left side lateral view, 13 — Aedeagus right side lateral view, 12 — Parameres dorsal view. Scale: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 7 – 10: Microserica geberbauer sp. n. (Holotype: Thailand; Mae Hong Son: Ban Huai Po); 7 — Aedeagus left side lateral view, 10 — Aedeagus right side lateral view, 8 — Parameres dorsal view, 9 — Aedeagus dorsal view. Scale: 0.5 mm.