Gastroserica wenzhui Liu & Ahrens

Liu, Wan-Gang, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014, An update to the taxonomy of the genus Gastroserica Brenske (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 426, pp. 87-110 : 99-100

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Gastroserica wenzhui Liu & Ahrens sp. n. Figs 2 I–L, 4

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "Defu, Napo, Guangxi, 1350m, 18.VI.2000, leg. Li Wenzhu" (IZAS). Paratypes: 1 ♂ "Fulong, Fangcheng City, Guangxi, 500m, 24.V.1999, leg. Liu Dajun" (IZAS), 1 ♀ "Fulong, Fangcheng City, Guangxi, 24.V.1999, 500m, leg. Liu Dajun" (IZAS).

Description.

Body length: 7.8 mm, length of elytra: 6.0 mm, width: 3.9 mm. Body oval, yellowish brown, frons, two large maculae and 4th and lateral intervals of elytra as well as abdomen darker, dorsal surface moderately shiny, frons and disc of pronotum with some greenish sheen, with moderately dense, long, erect setae (Fig. 2L).

Labroclypeus subellyptical, widest at middle, lateral margins convex, strongly convergent toward base and to broadly rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a distinct obtuse angle, anterior margin weakly reflexed, straight, surface moderately convex medially and moderately shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, with several long, erect setae; frontoclypeal suture distinctly impressed and moderately curved, smooth area anterior to eye 1.3 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately short and strong, finely and densely punctate, with two terminal setae. Frons with coarse, dense punctures and with fine, dense punctures regularly interspersed, covered with dense erect setae. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter / interocular width: 0.63. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, slightly longer than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins strongly convergent in anterior half, subparallel in basal half and weakly sinuate before posterior angles, anterior angles not produced and strongly rounded, nearly obsolete, posterior angles moderately sharp, anterior margin straight, with a distinct, fine marginal line, basal margin without marginal line; surface with dense and moderately fine punctures, punctures with minute setae, without impressions; anterior and lateral borders setose; hypomeron carinate, basal margin of hypomeron strongly produced ventrally. Scutellum subtriangular, apex weakly rounded, with fine and dense punctures, medially smooth, with a few minute setae in punctures.

Elytra oblong, widest at posterior third, striae distinctly impressed and finely densely punctate; intervals moderately convex, with fine and sparse punctures concentrated along striae, punctures minutely setose, odd intervals with single coarse punctures, each bearing a strong erect seta, sutural and 4th interval as well as lateral two intervals blackish; epipleural edge moderately strong, ending at strongly rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border chitinous, without short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface with large and dense punctures and dense, short, adpressed setae. Metacoxa partly glabrous, with fine adpressed setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, with fine, short setae, each sternite with indistinct transverse row of coarse punctures, each bearing a short strong seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur, with numerous strong setae. Ratio of length of metepisternum / metacoxa: 1 / 2.0. Pygidium long, apically produced and strongly convex, with fine, dense punctures and fine setae interspersed with a few robust punctures each bearing a robust seta, without smooth midline.

Legs moderately slender and shiny; femora finely densely punctate and setose, with two longitudinal rows of setae; anterior edge of metafemur acute lacking an adjacent serrated line, posterior margin weakly convex, with a few fine setae medially, weakly widened ventrally in apical half but not serrate, serrate dorsally, with short setae. Metatibia moderately broad, convexly widened at middle, ratio width / length: 1 / 3.33, dorsally sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group at one third, apical one at two thirds of metatibial length, with a few single spines in punctures basally; lateral face longitudinally convex, with dense and fine, longitudinally impressed punctures, ventral edge serrate; medial face impunctate and smooth, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation sharply truncate. Tarsomeres glabrous and finely punctate dorsally, with sparse, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres with strong longitudinal impressions dorsally, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally, with a strong longitudinal carina laterally, first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical.

Aedeagus.

Fig. 2 I–K.

Diagnosis.

The new species is very similar to Gastroserica pickai Ahrens, 2000, from northern Vietnam in external and genital morphology. The new taxon differs from Gastroserica pickai in having much more narrow parameres.

Etymology.

The new species is named after one of its collectors, Li Wenzhu.

Variation.

Body length: 7.1-7.8 mm, length of elytra: 5.3-6.0 mm, width: 3.9-4.1 mm. Female: smooth area anterior to eye as wide as long; club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined.