Neoserica (s.l.) takakuwai Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A taxonomic review of the Neoserica (sensu lato) septemlamellata group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 402, pp. 67-102 : 73-75

Neoserica (s.l.) takakuwai Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 1 I–L, 7

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ "Mt. Phu Pan, Xam Neua, Houapan, N. Laos, 19-21.V.2005 Takakuwa, M. leg." (ZFMK). Paratypes: 1 ♂ "Laos-NE Hua Phan prov., 20°12'N, 104°01'E, Phu Phan Mt., 1500-1900m, 17.5.-3.6.2007, leg. Vit Kuban" (NMPC), 2 ♂♂ "Laos-NE Hua Phan prov., 20°12'N, 104°01'E, Phu Phan Mt., 1500-1900m, 17.5.-3.6.2007, leg. C. Holzschuh" (ZFMK), 3 ♂♂ "Laos-NE, Houa Phan prov., 20°13'09-19"N, 103°59'54"-104°00'03"E, 1480-1510m Phou Pane Mt., 22.IV.-14.V.2008 Vit Kuban leg." (ZFMK), 1 ♂, 1 ♀ "Laos-NE, Houa Phan prov., 20°13'09-19"N, 103°59'54"-104°00'03"E, 1480-1510m Phou Pane Mt., 22.4.-14.5.2008 Vit Kuban leg." (ZFMK).

Description.

Length: 8.5 mm, length of elytra: 5.8 mm, width: 4.9 mm. Body oblong, dark brown, ventral surface and legs reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface dull, nearly glabrous except a few long setae on head.

Labroclypeus short and trapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins nearly straight and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin very weakly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface flat and shiny, basis without dull tomentum, punctation dense, small punctures mixed with coarse ones each bearing a long erect seta; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, not elevated and distinctly angled medially; smooth area anterior to eye approximately 2.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long (length = 1/3 of ocular diameter) and wide, with minute punctures and a few long setae. Frons dull, anterior quarter shiny, with coarse and fine, dense punctures, densely covered with long erect setae. Eyes large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.74. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with seven antennomeres, moderately reflexed, 2.5 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 4 slightly longer than half of club length, antennomere 3 half as long as pedicellus. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately transverse, subrectangular, widest at base, lateral margins evenly weakly convex and moderately convergent towards moderately sharp and distinctly produced anterior angles, posterior angles blunt, slightly rounded at tip; anterior margin moderately convexly produced medially, with a broadly incomplete marginal line medially; surface densely and moderately coarsely punctate, only with minute setae; setae of anterior and lateral border fine and dense; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally, carina not produced. Scutellum narrow and long, dull, with fine, dense punctures also on midline, with minute setae.

Elytra oblong, widest at posterior third, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, finely and densely punctate, punctures concentrated along striae, odd intervals with single long erect setae, otherwise punctures only with very minute setae; epipleural edge wide, ending at widely rounded apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border narrowly membranous, with a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 ×).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and densely punctate, metasternum moderately setose; metacoxa glabrous, with a few long setae laterally, posterior margin straight; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, minutely setose, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust, long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.56. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without impunctate midline, with dense, long, erect and minute setae on apical half.

Legs moderately slender and not very long; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate, nearly glabrous; metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, immediately behind anterior edge with a continuously serrated line, punctures and setae of anterior longitudinal row complete, posterior margin in apical half ventrally smooth and not widened, posterior margin smooth dorsally, not serrated, with dense, short setae. Metatibia moderately slender and long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/2.9; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with three groups of robust spines, basal group shortly before middle, median one at two thirds, and apical group at 4/5 of metatibial length, basally with a few robust but single setae; beside dorsal margin with a continuously serrated line being convergent with dorsal margin 4/5 of metatibial length; lateral face longitudinally convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, without convex subdorsal longitudinal carina on lateral face; ventral margin finely serrated, with four robust, nearly equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex indistinctly sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres with dense, short setae ventrally, not carinate laterally, smooth dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge and a sharp subventral carina immediately beside it, first metatarsomere slightly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, tridentate, basal tooth distinct; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 1 I–K.

Diagnosis.

The new species is in shape of parameres somewhat similar to Neoserica weishanica sp. n., but it differs by having the parameres straight, lacking a external blunt tooth to the left paramere, and a median internal extension to the right one.

Etymology.

The new species is named after the first collector of this species, M. Takakuwa.

Variation.

Length: 8.5-9.3 mm, length of elytra: 5.8-7.5 mm, width: 4.9-5.8 mm. Female: Antennal club composed of five antennomeres, slightly longer than remaining antennomeres combined, first joint of club a quarter of length of club, 5th antennomere slightly transversely produced; eyes slightly smaller than in male (ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.56).