Polyphylla (Granida) simoni Sehnal & Bezdek

Sehnal, Richard & Bezdek, Ales, 2011, Review of the subgenus Polyphylla (Granida) from continental Asia (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), ZooKeys 102, pp. 65-76 : 67-69

Polyphylla (Granida) simoni Sehnal & Bezdek sp. n. Figs 1-4

Type locality.

"N Thailand, 100 km NE of Nan, Doi Phu Kha N.P.".

Type material examined.

Holotype (male), labeled: "N Thailand, 100 km NE of Nan, Doi Phu Kha N.P., 20.-25.IV.2004, Filip Pavel lgt. [p]", in BMNH; paratypes Nos. 1-5 (all males), same data, PT Nos. 1-3 in RSCV, PT No. 4 in NMPC, PT No. 5 in PFHC.

Description of holotype.

Male, body length 22.0 mm excluding pygidium. Body elongate, moderately convex. Surface color chestnut brown, pronotum very slightly darker (Fig. 1). Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and scutellum covered with whitish to pale ochrous scales, elytra with whitish scales. Head appendages, legs (except of femora) and ventral surface of abdomen covered with short, whitish to pale ochrous setae. Pro-, meso- and metasternum as well as femora with long pale ochrous hair-like setae.

Labrum deeply bilobed with several erect setae laterally. Clypeus transverse with anterior margin considerably upturned, anterior angles broadly rounded, sides very slightly convergent posteriad; surface with coarsely, dense, laterally somewhat confluent punctures; scales denser and erect along anterior and lateral margins, posteriorly less dense and recumbent. Frontoclypeal suture present, forming an uninterrupted narrow ridge. Frons coarsely, irregularly punctured. Pale ochrous scales on frons form three stripes, medial longitudinal stripe separated from lateral stripes by coarsely punctured areas. Vertex impunctate and shiny. Canthus narrow, reaches to about half of eye width, with pale ochrous erect setae. Angle between lateral side of clypeus and canthus obtuse (in view from above). Antenna with ten antennomeres, club heptamerous, gently curved outwards, two times longer than shaft. Scapus dilated apically and covered with narrow brush of moderately long erect setae, pedicellus short and stout, about as long as wide, antennomere 3 slender, with three erect setae, as long as basal antennomeres combined. Terminal maxillary palpomere sparsely covered with short erect setae.

Pronotum transverse, convex, widest approximately at middle. Lateral margins bisinuate, anterior angles prominent with rounded apex, posterior angles obtusely a ngulate with somewhat upturned apex. Anterior margin thinly bordered. Basal border interrupted medially. Surface of pronotum rugged, with complex scaly pattern (Fig. 2).

Scutellum parabolic, with disc slightly impressed and impunctate, lateral sides covered with scales, apex broadly rounded.

Elytra nearly parallel-sided in basal half, rounded apically, moderately convex. Surface coarsely irregularly punctuate, covered with whitish scales forming four longitudinal stripes on each elytron plus one short longitudinal row of few isolated patches arising on humeral umbone. Longitudinal stripes with poorly defined edges. Beetle macropterous, capable of flying.

Ventral surface of thorax densely covered with long, erect setae. Abdominal sternites with dense, short, recumbent setae, anterior margin impunctate. Pygidium triangulate, broadly rounded apically, densely covered with recumbent scales, nearly impunctate and with only few isolated setae along midline.

Pro- and mesofemora densely, irregularly punctuate, with long erect setae. Setae of metafemora somewhat sparser and shorter. Protibia bidentate, covered with sparse, short, setae, terminal spur inserted against basal tooth. Meso- and metatibia very slightly expanded apically, with transversal carina medially armed with 3-4 short thick bristles. Surface of meso- and metatibia covered with sparse, short, recumbent setae, mixed with long and erect setae on inner sides. Tarsal claws with distinct basal tooth ventrally, unequal in all legs. Protarsus with distinctly longer basal tooth of inner claw, whereas meso- and metatarsi with more robust basal teeth on outer claws.

Male genitalia. Parameres fused basally for more than half of length, nearly two times longer than phallobase (Fig. 3, arcuate in lateral view, with a small ventral tooth apically (Fig. 4).

Female unknown.

Variability.

The paratypes slightly vary in body length (20.0-23.0 mm, excluding pygidium), otherwise they are very similar to the holotype.

Etymology.

The species is named in honor of Šimon, son of the first author.

Collecting method.

All specimens were collected at light.

Distribution.

NE Thailand (Fig. 20).

Diagnosis.

This species belongs to a group of Granida species with well-defined scaly stripes on the elytra. Polyphylla (Granida) albolineata , Polyphylla (Granida) schoenfeldti and Polyphylla (Granida) taiwana are rather large (27-32 mm) and with unidentate protibia in males. Polyphylla (Granida) simoni sp. n. is thus similar mainly to Polyphylla (Granida) nikodymi from mainland Asia and Polyphylla (Granida) minor from Taiwan and China. These species are easily separated by the shape of the male genitalia. Parameres bear a small tooth subapically in Polyphylla (Granida) simoni sp. n. (see in the lateral view), while this small tooth is located much more basally in Polyphylla (Granida) nikodymi and Polyphylla (Granida) minor (compare Fig. 4 and Fig. 7). Moreover, the antennomere 3 is long and slender and more than three times longer than antennomere 2 in Polyphylla (Granida) simoni , while it is rather stout and twice as long as antennomere 2 in Polyphylla (Granida) nikodymi and Polyphylla (Granida) minor .