Maladera serratiforceps Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, 2021

Fabrizi, Silvia, Liu, Wan-Gang, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2021, A monograph of the genus Maladera Mulsant & Rey, 1871 of China (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), Zootaxa 4922 (1), pp. 1-400 : 134-136

Maladera serratiforceps Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n.

Figures 29 A–D, 101

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ “ Thailand, 7.-12.v. Mae Hong Son prov. Soppong , 1500m 19°27’N, 98°20’E lgt. S. Becvar, 1996” ( ZFMK) . Paratypes: Thailand: 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ “ Thailand, 7.-12.v. Mae Hong Son prov. Soppong , 1500m 19°27’N, 98°20’E lgt. S. Becvar, 1996” ( ZFMK) , 2 ♂♂ “NW Thailand, 19.19N, 97.59E Mae Hong Son, 1991 Ban Huai Po, 1600-2000m 17.-23.5., L. Dembicky leg.” ( NHMW) , 1 ♂ “ Thai 1-8.V.1993 Soppong Pai 1800m Pacholatko & Dembicky ” ( CP) , 1 ♂ “ Thailand. Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon NP 1400-1700m 1 May 1990 on plants by trail EF#90036 A E. Fuller ” ( CPLM) , 1 ♂ “ Thailand. Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon NP 1300m 6 May 1990 on plants by road EF#90047 A E. Fuller ” ( CPLM) , 1 ♂, 1 ♀ “ Thailand bor. occ. 30.4.- 14.5.1991 Mae Hong Song env. Ban Huai Po, 1800 m Jan Farkac leg.” ( ZFMK) . Myanmar: 8 ♂♂, 1 ♀ “ Hte Birmanie Etat de Momeit 600m Doherty 1890” ( MNHN) , 2 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀ “ Burma: SW Shan State Kalaw , 10.-11.vi.1997; (70km WSW Taunggyi); J. Kalab leg.” ( CP) . China: 1 ♂ “ Menghun, Xishuangbanna , Yunnan, 2, 9.VI. 1958, 750m, leg. Zheng Leyi ” ( IZAS) , 1 ♂ “ Menghun, Xishuangbanna , Yunnan, 4.VI. 1958, 750m, leg. Zheng Leyi ” ( IZAS) , 1 ♂ “ Cheli—Damenglong , Yunnan, 29.IV. 1957, 600m, leg. Liu Dahua ” ( IZAS) , 1 ♂ “ Shihuiku , Yunnan, 1.VII. 1958, 650m, leg. Li Chuanlong ” ( IZAS) .

Description. Length: 4.7 mm, length of elytra: 2.9 mm, width: 3.1 mm. Body oval, black, club of antenna dark brown, parts of pronotum and head with greenish shine, dorsal surface dull, except some single setae on head dorsal surface nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus wide and trapezoidal, shiny, widest at base, lateral margins strongly convex and convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin distinctly emarginate, margins strongly reflexed; lateral margin and ocular canthus produce a blunt angle; surface flat, finely and moderately densely punctate, with numerous coarse punctures each bearing an erect seta; frontoclypeal suture finely incised, medially angled; smooth area anterior to eye weakly convex, as wide as long; ocular canthus short and wide (one third of ocular diameter), finely and very sparsely punctate, with a terminal seta. Frons with fine, sparse punctures and a few single erect setae beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture. Eyes small, ratio diameter/ interocular width: 0.5. Antenna with nine antennomeres; club with three antennomeres and reflexed, 2.3 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum transverse, widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex, distinctly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately produced and rectangular, posterior angles blunt, weakly rounded at tip; anterior margin convex, with fine and complete marginal line, base without marginal line; surface finely and densely punctate, glabrous; lateral and anterior margin finely setose; hypomeron carinate, not produced ventrally. Scutellum wide, triangular, dull, with fine, sparse punctures.

Elytra widest at middle, striae distinctly impressed, finely and sparsely punctate, intervals weakly convex, with fine and sparse punctures concentrated along striae, with only a few short, setae on odd intervals; epipleural margin robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose; apical border of elytra not membraneous, without visible rim of microtrichomes (at ca 100x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and moderately densely punctate, metasternum sparsely covered with sparse fine setae; metacoxa with a few longer setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and irregularly densely punctate, glabrous, each sternite with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae 1.5 times as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/2.04. Pygidium moderately convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, glabrous except a few robust setae along apical margin.

Legs wide and short, shiny; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur dull, with anterior margin acute, without serrated line behind anterior margin, setae of anterior row very short, posterior margin smooth and widened at apex ventrally, not serrate dorsally, with just a few short setae basally. Metatibia short, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/2.6, sharply carinate dorsally, with two groups of spines, basal group shortly before middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length, with a few short robust setae basally; lateral face longitudinally convex, sparsely punctate, glabrous; ventral margin finely serrate, with four robust equidistant setae; medial face smooth and glabrous; apex finely serrate, moderately truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally smooth and glabrous, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate, sparsely setose ventrally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally and a smooth subventral longitudinal carina; first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of both claws bluntly truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 29 A–C. Habitus: Fig. 29F .

Diagnosis. Maladera serratiforceps Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n. differs from the very similar M. fangana Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu , sp. n. in having the portion distal to the preapical lateral tooth in the left paramere short, being equal to 1/4 of its length, as well as having the basal group of metatibial spines nearly at middle of metatibial length.

Etymology. The species name (adjective in the nominative singular) is derived from the combined Latin words ‘serratus’ (serrate) and forceps (pins), with reference on the serrated parameres of the species.

Variation. Length: 4.7–6.0 mm, length of elytra: 2.9–3.6 mm, width: 3.1–3.8 mm. Body colouration from completely black to blackish with dark-or reddish brown elytra. Female: eyes little smaller than in male, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.43; antennal club with three antennomeres, as long as remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium dull, weakly convex.

Distribution. See map ( Fig. 101 ) and Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 29. A–D: Maladera serratiforceps Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, sp. n. (holotype); E–H: M. rufoplagiata (Fairmaire, 1893) (China: Chang Yang); I–L: M. aureola (Murayama, 1938) (China: Hunan: Mupu Mt.. 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. Scale: 0.5 mm. Habitus not to scale.

FIGURE 101. Distribution of the Maladera sikkimensis group: Maladera rufoplagiata (Fairmaire, 1893), M. serratiforceps sp. n., M. snizeki sp. n..