Neoserica fairyqueen Ahrens, 2022

Ahrens, Dirk, 2022, New Gynaecoserica Brenske, 1897 species and further new bicolored species of the Neoserica calva group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 5165 (2), pp. 180-190 : 185-187

Neoserica fairyqueen Ahrens , new species

Fig. 2E–H

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ “THAI-N. 1.-19.v.1998 Chiang Mai prov. Ban San Pakia , 1400 m, Ivo Martinů leg. / 68 Sericini Asia spec.” ( ZFMK) . Paratypes: 1 ♂ “THAI 1.-8.V.1993 Soppong Pai 1800m Pacholátko & Dembický leg. / TS 10” ( CP) , 1 ♀ “839471 Microserica spTHAI DE09_2 Thailand L. Dembický 9- 13.5.2009 Doi Chiang Dao env. Chiang Mai Prov. 19°24'45''N 98°51'30''E 1200m / 839471” ( ZFMK) , 1 ♂, 1 ♀ “THAI, 28.- 31.V.1995 19°27'N 98°20'E Soppong, 1500m, Vit Kubáň leg.” ( CP) .

Description of the holotype. Body length: 3.9 mm, length of elytra: 2.4 mm, width: 2.4 mm. Body shortoval, brown, antennal club, legs, disc of elytra and posterior half of pronotum yellowish brown, elytral margins, an anterior and posterior spot as well as a transversal band on elytra dark, dorsal surface dull and nearly glabrous, labroclypeus and anterior third of frons shiny.

Labroclypeus only little wider than long; lateral margins in basal half straight and subparallel, convex and strongly convergent anteriorly, distinctly incised at transition between clypeus and labrum; anterior angles blunt, moderately rounded at tip; anterior margin straight, almost tridentate (seen from behind); margins strongly reflexed; surface flat and shiny, finely and densely punctate, with numerous long erect setae. Frontoclypeal suture indistinct, strongly curved. Smooth area anterior to eye convex, as wide as long. Ocular canthus moderately long and wide (equal to 1/3 of ocular diameter), finely and densely punctate, with a single terminal seta. Frons on anterior third shiny, on posterior two thirds dull, finely and irregularly densely punctate, with sparse, long setae. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.5. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres, straight and little longer than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum transverse, short, not produced medially, with weak median sinuation.

Pronotum moderately wide, widest at base; in basal half lateral margins straight and subparallel, in anterior half margins strongly convex and convergent; anterior angles produced and sharp; posterior angles blunt; anterior margin with a fine complete marginal line, weakly convexly produced medially; surface moderately densely and finely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; lateral and anterior border densely setose; basal margin without marginal line; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally. Scutellum long, dark, with fine, dense punctures, and minute setae in punctures.

Elytra oval, widest at middle; striae weakly impressed, finely and moderately densely punctate; intervals flat, with sparse, fine punctures mainly concentrated along striae, with minute setae in punctures. Epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose; apical border with a very fine rim of microtrichomes (visible at 100x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate. Metasternum except long setae on disc nearly glabrous, sparsely covered with minute setae in punctures. Metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, glabrous except minute setae in punctures, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.38. Pygidium moderately convex and partly shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with short adpressed, partly only minute setae in punctures, beside apical margin with a few longer setae.

Legs moderately slender. Femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur dull and sparsely finely punctate; anterior margin acute, behind anterior margin without adjacent serrated line; posterior ventral margin in apical half not serrated and moderately widened at apex; posterior dorsal margin finely serrated, glabrous. Metatibia slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/4.4; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group at first third, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length; basally with a few fine single setae but without serrated longitudinal margin; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely and sparsely punctate, only with minute setae in punctures; ventral margin finely serrated, with three robust equidistant setae; medial face impunctate, glabrous, apex concavely moderately deeply truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, not carinate laterally, impunctate dorsally; metatarsomere 1 ventrally glabrous, almost twice as long as dorsal metatibial spur and little shorter than following two tarsomeres combined. Protibia short, bidentate, not widened laterally before basal tooth; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 2E–G . Habitus: Fig. 2H .

Diagnosis. Neoserica fairyqueen Ahrens , new species differs from N. champassakensis Ahrens , new species by the more elongate body shape (dorsal view), the typical color pattern on elytra (blackish cross on yellow-brown ground with 4 spots, and by the shape of the parameres having no basal lobes and being evenly curved ventrally (lateral view) instead of straight (as in N. champassakensis , new species).

Variation. Body length: 3.9–4.1 mm, length of elytra: 2.4–2.5 mm, width: 2.4–2.45 mm. Female: Eyes as small as in male; antennal club composed of three short lamellae, club little shorter than remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium flat.

Etymology. The new species is named after “Fairy Queen” ( fairyqueen , noun in apposition), referring to a theater production that premiered in Lucerne ( Switzerland) in March 2022, to honor the entire ensemble which contributed to its success. At the center of the “Fairy Queen” story are two beetle researchers who want to save a beetle species from extinction. The producers of “Fairy Queen” supported taxonomic research and nature conservation through the BIOPAT initiative (www.biopat.de).

Genbank accession numbers. Paratype, voucher number: 839471: rrnL ( KT304076 ), 28S ( KT302940 ), CO1 (3’end) ( KT303475 ) (form Eberle et al. 2017)

Remarks. The systematic position of N. fairyqueen Ahrens , new species, is supported also by the molecular data: the species is placed in the tree of Eberle et al. (2017) in a clade close to the other species of the Neoserica calva group.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–D: Neoserica champassakensis Ahrens, new species (holotype); E–H: N. fairyqueen Ahrens, new species (holotype); I–L: N. samuelsoni Ahrens, new species (holotype). A, E, I: Aedeagus, left side lateral view; C, G, K: Aedeagus, right side lateral view; B, F, J: Parameres, dorsal view; D, H, L: Habitus (not to scale). Scale: 0.5 mm.