Calloserica delectabilis, Ahrens, 2000

Ahrens, Dirk, 2000, New species of Calloserica Brenske, 1894 from Sikkim and Nepal (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae, Sericini), Zoosystema 22 (4), pp. 815-824 : 819-820

Calloserica delectabilis n. sp.

( Fig. 3 )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype:, Nepal: 8800’ [feet], Kathmandu Dist., Phulcoki/6.VII.84/ Lt. Col. M. G. Allen, Brit. Mus. 1983-254 ( BMNH). Paratypes: 3, 2, same data as holotype ( BMNH, CA).

ETYMOLOGY. — From the Latin delectabilis , “tasty”.

DESCRIPTION

Length: 8.1-9.4 mm, width: 4.6-5.3 mm, length of elytra: 6.4-6.6 mm.

Body oblong, dark green with opaque tomentum, elytra with brownish striae, dorsal surface densely erectly hairy.

Labroclypeus shiny, transverse, sides curved anteriorly, front angles rounded, anterior margin with large median sinuation; labrum broadly trapezoidal, with only few very shallow punctures posteriorly; clypeal surface with densely scattered punctures and erect setae. Frontoclypeal suture weakly curved, smooth area in front of eye 1.5 time as wide as long, ocular canthus long, slender and very finely punctate, with few long setae. Punctures on frons vanishing under thick, opaque tomentum, only recognizable by their long setae. Antenna yellow, 10-segmented; club in male 4-segmented, distinctly longer than combined length of remaining segments, seventh segment one-fifth shorter than club; in female club 3-segmented, a trifle shorter than combined length of remaining segments, seventh segment transversely produced. Eyes rather small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.62 (), 0.48 (). Mentum elevated, anteriorly indistinctly flattened.

Shape of pronotum similiar to C. poggii Ahrens, 1995 , transverse, widest at base, sides from base to middle straightly convergent, at middle strongly curved inward, anteriorly convexly curved, front angles broadly rounded, not protuding, anterior margin straight; disc with shallow punctation, double, erect, forward directed pilosity mixed, short, straight and two times longer, at apex backwards crooked setae. Proepisternum grooved basally, posterior border produces with pronotal base a sharp, distinctive

A C

angle. Scutellum oblong, triangular, flat, densely punctate.

Elytra slender, intervals flat, mixed coarse punctures bearing long, erect, forward directed setae with groups of fine punctures bearing short white scales; apex membranous.

Ventral surface including metacoxal plates, femora and abdominal sternites clothed with fine, recumbent setae, on metasternum setae more erect; penultimate abdominal sternite posteriorly with two weak elevations, abdominal sternites in female simple. Mesosternum between mesocoxae equal in width to slender mesofemur. Ratio of length metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.23. Pygidium in male evenly convex, densely shallowly punctate, with short and long setae, punctures of long setae twice as large as those of short ones, pygidium in female moderately convex, but apically with a distinct convexity.

Metatibia slender, long, ratio width/length: 1/4.1, outside longitudinally grooved at middle and smooth, only with few, minute punctures; dorsally carinate, with two external setigerous groups of spines, basal one at middle of metatibial length, basally few small setae on a longitudinal elevation, ventral edge with four tubercles bearing a strong seta. Metatarsal segments laterally carinate, first metatarsomere one-third longer than superior metatibial spur and as long as the following two segments combined. Mesotarsi laterally not carinate, dorsally without

A C B

longitudinal impressions. Anterior tibia moderately long, bidentate, all tarsal claws simple and symmetrical.

REMARKS

The species is externally similar to C. brendelli Ahrens , it differs by the shallower medial labroclypeal sinuation. In contrast to all other Calloserica species, C. delectabilis n. sp. is characterized by a erect lamina on ventral portion of aedeagal phallobasis ( Fig. 3 ).

Figures

FIG. 3. — Calloserica delectabilis n. sp. (holotype), male genitalia; A, C, aedeagus, lateral view; B, parameres, dorsal view. Scale bar: 1 mm.