Maladera viraktamathi, Sreedevi & Ranasinghe & Fabrizi & Ahrens, 2019

Sreedevi, Kolla, Ranasinghe, Sasankha, Fabrizi, Silvia & Ahrens, Dirk, 2019, New species and records of Sericini from the Indian subcontinent (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) II, European Journal of Taxonomy 567, pp. 1-26 : 9-10

Maladera viraktamathi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F404F56A-50C3-40B0-854B-BB63195F4BE8

Fig. 1 E–H

Diagnosis

Maladera viraktamathi sp. nov. resembles M. servitrita (Brenske, 1898) in its external and genital morphology. The new species differs from the latter by the anterior margin of the pronotum having a medially widely lacking marginal line as well as by the shape of the aedeagus; the left aedeagal process with insertion of left paramere is produced more distally, the left paramere bears a longitudinal dorsal sublateral carina, which is absent in M. servitrita .

Etymology

This new species name (noun in the genitive case) is dedicated to the Indian leafhopper taxonomist and entomologist, Prof. Chandrasekhara A. Viraktamath, in recognition of his colossal work on leafhopper taxonomy.

Type material

Holotype

INDIA • ♂; “ India: Mizoram, Kolasib , 888 m, 24°13′ N, 92°40′ E, 17.v.2018, leg. K. Sreedevi / 1020 Sericini : Asia spec. / KS 0161 / ICAR-NBAIR-S9”; NBAIR.

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Length: 9.0 mm, elytral length: 6.8 mm, width: 5.6 mm.

HABITUS AND COLORATION. Body oval ( Fig. 1H ), uniformly dark brown, dorsal and ventral face dull, head and anterior part of pronotum moderately shiny, except lateral setae of elytra and pronotum nearly glabrous.

HEAD. Labroclypeus wide, subtrapezoidal, widest at base and shiny, lateral margins moderately convex and convergent anteriorly, producing an indistinct angle with ocular canthus, not incised before labrum, anterior angles strongly convex, anterior margin weakly sinuate medially, margins weakly reflexed; surface slightly convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, with single and fine, erect setae on each side behind anterior margin. Frontoclypeal suture finely incised, weakly curved. Smooth area in front of eyes 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus short and wide, finely and densely punctate, with a short terminal seta. Frons shiny, only in posterior half dull, finely and densely punctate, with a few single, short setae beside eyes. Eyes large, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.71. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated, anteriorly slightly flattened.

PRONOTUM. Widest at base, lateral margins evenly and convexly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately sharp, distinctly produced, posterior angles blunt, moderately rounded at tip; anterior margin with medially widely lacking marginal line, nearly straight; lateral and lateral anterior margin with long, fine setae; surface finely and densely punctate, with microscopic setae in punctures, otherwise glabrous. Scutellum wide, triangular, punctures fine and moderately dense, glabrous.

ELYTRA. Wide, widest at middle, external apical angle strongly rounded, striae finely impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, with only microscopic setae in punctures; epipleural edge ending at external apical angle of elytra; epipleura with long, sparse setae; apical margin with a fine membranous rim of fine microtrichomes.

ABDOMEN. Ventral surface coarsely and densely punctate, with microscopic setae in punctures, with a few longer setae on mesosternum and metasternal plate. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.6. Metacoxa glabrous, laterally with a few robust setae. Abdominal sternites finely and moderately densely punctate, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust seta, ultimate sternite with dense, long setae. Pygidium dull, moderately convex, coarsely and densely punctate, with fine, long setae beside apical margin, otherwise with microscopic setae in punctures.

LEGS. Moderately wide; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae. Metafemur shiny, superficially punctate, anterior edge acute, with adjacent serrated line, which is straight and complete, anterior row of setae present but its setae short; posterior ventral margin almost straight, weakly widened in apical half, neither ventrally nor dorsally serrated but smooth, glabrous. Metatibia wide and short, widest at middle, ratio of width/length: 1/2.58, sharply carinate dorsally, with two groups of spines, basal one shortly behind middle, apical one at three quarters of metatibial length, in basal third with a short serrated line parallel to dorsal margin and 3–4 coarse punctures each bearing a fine seta; lateral face weakly longitudinally convex, impunctate, only basal half with moderately dense and superficial wrinkles; ventral margin with four equidistant spines; medial face impunctate and glabrous, apex shallowly sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres impunctate dorsally, circular in cross section, with sparse, fine setae ventrally; metatarsomeres ventrally with a strongly serrated carina, subventrally with a second, smooth longitudinal carina; first metatarsomere distinctly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined, dorsal tibial spur lacking. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, teeth moderately large. All claws symmetrical, feebly curved and long, with normally developed basal tooth.

MALE GENITALIA. Aedeagus: Fig. 1 E–G.

Female

Unknown.

Figures

Fig. 1. A–D. Maladera murzini Ahrens, 2004, India: Nagaland, Medziphema. E–H. M. viraktamathi sp. nov., holotype, ♂. A, E. Aedeagus, left side lateral view. C, G. Aedeagus, right side lateral view. B, F. Parameres, dorsal view. D, H. Habitus. Scale bars: 0.5 mm. Habitus not to scale.