Tetraserica falciformis, Fabrizi, Silvia, Dalstein, Vivian & Ahrens, Dirk, 2019

Fabrizi, Silvia, Dalstein, Vivian & Ahrens, Dirk, 2019, A monograph on the genus Tetraserica from the Indochinese region (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 837, pp. 1-155 : 16-18

Tetraserica falciformis sp. n. Figures 2, 48

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "Laos, Champassak Prov. Dong Hua Xao NBCA 2 km S of Ban NongLuang, bank of Touay-Guai stream/ 15°4'N, 106°13'E, 800 m, at light, No. 24 1-5.IV.1998, leg. O. Merkl & G. Csorba/ 599 Sericini Asia spec." (HNHM). Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ "Laos, Champassak Prov. Dong Hua Xao NBCA 2 km S of Ban NongLuang, bank of Touay-Guai stream/ 15°4'N, 106°13'E, 800 m, at light, No. 24 1-5.IV.1998, leg. O. Merkl & G. Csorba" (HNHM, ZFMK), 3 ♂♂ "Laos, Attapeau prov.; Annam Highlands Mts Dong Amphan; NBCA, ca. 1160 m NONG FA (crater lake) env.; 15°05.9'N, 107°25.6'E, St. Jakl lgt, 30.4.-6.5.2010" (NMPC, ZFMK), 1 ♂ "X-DA4499 labcode: VD022 Laos, Attapeu prov. Annam Highlands Mts. Dong Amphan NBCA, ca.1160 m NONG FA (crater lake) env. 15°05.9'N, 107°25.6'E, 30.iv-6.v.2010, Jiři Hájek leg. Tetraserica spLA_Annam1/ X-DA4499/ sp-LA-Annam1" (ZFMK), 1 ♂ "X-DA4498 labcode: VD021 Laos, Attapeu prov. Annam Highlands Mts. Dong Amphan NBCA, ca.1160 m NONG FA (crater lake) env. 15°05.9'N, 107°25.6'E, 30.iv-6.v.2010, Jiři Hájek leg. Tetraserica spLA_Annam1/ X-DA4498" (ZFMK).

Description.

Length of body: 11.8 mm; length of elytra: 7.5 mm; maximum width: 7 mm. Surface of labroclypeus and disc of frons glabrous. Smooth area anterior to eye twice as wide as long. Eyes small, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.53. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.58. Metatibia short and wide, ratio width/length: 1/3.21; basal group of dorsal spines of metatibia at first third of metatibial length.

Aedeagus: Fig. 2 F–I. Habitus: Fig. 2J.

Female unknown.

Variation.

Length of body: 11.8-12.5 mm; length of elytra: 7.5-9.2 mm; maximum width: 6.4-7.0 mm.

Diagnosis.

Tetraserica falciformis sp. n. differs in male genital shape from the similar T. sculptilis by having the posterior margin of metafemur straight rather than being blunt or with a tooth; furthermore, the dorsal lobe of the right paramere is markedly curved and strongly widened at base.

Etymology.

The species name (adjective in the nominative singular) is derived from the combined Latin words falcis- (sickle) and formis (of shape), with reference to the sickle-shaped right paramere.