Neoserica (s.l.) shennongjiaensis, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014

Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014, A taxonomic revision of the Neoserica (sensu lato) pilosula group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 440, pp. 89-113 : 94

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s.l.) shennongjiaensis sp. n. Figs 2 E–H, 5

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "Honghua, Shennongjia, Hubei, 26.VII.1980, 900, leg. Yu Peiyu" (IZAS). Paratypes: 1 ♀ "Honghua, Shennongjia, Hubei, 26.VII.1980, 900, leg. Yu Peiyu/ LW-617" (IZAS), 1 ♂ "Mts. Zhongtiaoshan, Shanxi, 30.VII.1995, 550m, leg. Li Wenzhu" (IZAS), 1 ♂ "Hetouzhai, Jinping, Yunnan, 15.V.1956, 1700m, leg. Huang Keren" (ZFMK), 1 ♂ "Dashahe, Daozhen, Guizhou, 17-21.VIII.2004, leg. Yang Xiujuan, Hua Huiran" (HBUM), 1 ♂ "Mt. Baiyunshan, Songxian County, Henan, 14-17.VIII.2008, leg. Ren Guodong, Wu Qiqi etc." (HBUM).

Description.

Body length: 7.5 mm, length of elytra: 5.7 mm, width: 4.2 mm. Body oblong, reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface shiny, densely covered with fine, semi-erect setae (Fig. 2H).

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, widest at base; lateral margins weakly convex and moderately convergent towards strongly rounded anterior angles; anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially; margins moderately reflexed; surface moderately elevated medially, coarsely and finely but densely punctate, sparsely setose. Frontoclypeal suture finely incised, weakly elevated and moderately angled medially. Smooth area anterior to eye 2.5 times as wide as long. Ocular canthus narrow and moderately long, sparsely punctate, with one or two single setae. Frons with coarse and moderately dense punctures, with dense setae being bent posteriorly. Eyes large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.73. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres and straight, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum short and almost straight anteriorly, with a transverse rim of very dense, short and robust setae.

Pronotum widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex and moderately convergent anteriorly; anterior angles moderately produced and sharp; posterior angles blunt, rounded at tip; anterior margin with fine, complete marginal line, weakly produced medially; surface densely and finely punctate, densely setose; anterior and lateral borders with sparse but longer setae; hypomeron carinate at base. Scutellum with fine, dense punctures and a few fine setae.

Elytra oblong, widest behind middle, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate; intervals nearly flat, odd ones slightly convex; intervals with fine, dense punctures, densely covered with fine, moderately long setae. Epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose, apical border with a wide membranous rim of microtrichomes (visible at magnification 100 ×).

Ventral surface shiny, finely and densely punctate. Metasternum with short, fine setae. Metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, finely setose, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.62. Pygidium weakly convex and shiny, finely and densely punctate, without smooth midline; with dense, long setae on disc and beside the apical margin.

Legs slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and densely punctate. Anterior margin of metafemur acute, without adjacent serrated line; posterior margin of metafemur smooth, dorsally and ventrally, in apical half moderately widened, dorsal posterior margin with fine setae. Metatibia wide and moderately long, widest at two thirds of metatibial length; ratio of width/length: 1/2.7; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group shortly behind middle of metatibial length, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length; in basal half with a continuously serrated line and some single punctures each bearing a short seta; lateral face densely and coarsely punctate, densely and shortly setose; ventral edge finely serrated, with four robust equidistant setae; medial face impunctate; apex weakly truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae; not carinate laterally, impunctate dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge; metatarsomeres 2-5 and dorsal tibial spur of holotype also missing. Protibia moderately long, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 2 E–G.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica shennongjiaensis sp. n. differs from Neoserica tianeana sp. n. by the significantly longer right paramere.

Etymology.

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

Variation.

Body length: 7.5-8.0 mm, length of elytra: 5.1-5.7 mm, width: 3.8-4.2 mm. First metatarsomere distinctly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Female: antennal club composed of four antennomeres, as long as the remaining antennomeres combined.