Neoserica (s. l.) taipingensis, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014

Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014, A taxonomic revision of the Neoserica (sensu lato) calva group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 448, pp. 47-81 : 55-57

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s. l.) taipingensis sp. n. Figs 4 E–H, 6

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "China-Shaanxi, SW Tsinling Mts., Taiping vill., 33°33'N, 106°43'E, June 2000, 1500-2000m, Siniaev & Plutenko leg." (CPPB). Paratypes: 12 ♂♂, 1 ♀ "China-Shaanxi, SW Tsinling Mts., Taiping vill., 33°33'N, 106°43'E, June 2000, 1500-2000m, Siniaev & Plutenko leg." (CPPB, ZFMK), 2 ♂♂ "China, Shaanxi, Tsingling Mts., 1600m, Nat. Res. Foping, 33°51'N, 107°57'E, 20.iv.-11.v.1999, V. Siniaev & A. Plutenko lgt." (CPPB), 1 ♂ "China, Shaanxi, Panda area, Nat. Res. Foping, 1600m, 6-11.iv.1999, 33°45'N, 107°48'E, V. Siniaev & A. Plutenko lgt." (CPPB), 1 ♂ [China] "Meixian County, Shaanxi, VIII.1963, leg. Chen You’guang” (IZAS).

Description.

Body length: 7.2 mm, length of elytra: 4.8 mm, width: 3.7 mm. Body oblong, reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface dull and nearly glabrous, labroclypeus and anterior two thirds of frons shiny.

Labroclypeus subrectangular, little wider than long, widest at base; lateral margins straight and subparallel in basal half, strongly convergent and convex anteriorly; anterior angles moderately rounded; anterior margin moderately sinuate medially; margins moderately reflexed; surface flat and shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, with a few single setae. Frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, weakly elevated and moderately angled medially. Smooth area anterior to eye approximately 1.5 times as wide as long. Ocular canthus long and narrow, finely and densely punctate, with a short terminal seta. Frons on posterior third dull; coarsely and densely punctate; with a few erect setae beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture, otherwise only with minute setae. Eyes large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.85. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres and strongly reflexed, 2.5 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum transverse, short, not produced medially, with weak median sinuation.

Pronotum short, widest shortly behind middle; lateral margins evenly moderately convex and convergent anteriorly and posteriorly; anterior angles weakly produced and blunt, slightly rounded at tip; posterior angles blunt and rounded at tip; anterior margin with a fine and complete marginal line, weakly convexly produced medially; surface densely and finely punctate, with minute setae in punctures; lateral and anterior border sparsely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally. Scutellum long, triangular, with fine, very dense punctures, glabrous.

Elytra oblong, widest shortly behind middle; striae weakly impressed, finely and moderately densely punctate; even intervals flat, with evenly and moderately dense punctures; odd intervals convex, with sparse, fine punctures concentrated along striae, impunctate medially, with minute setae in punctures. Epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose; apical border with a fine rim of microtrichomes (visible at 100 × magnification).

Ventral surface dull, finely and densely punctate. Metasternum except long seta 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: 1/1.22. Pygidium strongly convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with a few long setae.

Legs slender. Femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Metafemur moderately shiny and sparsely finely punctate; anterior margin acute, behind anterior margin without serrated line; posterior margin in apical half serrated ventrally and moderately widened at apex; posterior margin finely serrated dorsally, glabrous. Metatibia slender and moderately long, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/3.4; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group at middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length; in basal half with a blunt carina beside dorsal margin bearing a few single short and robust setae in robust punctures with serrated margin; external face longitudinally convex, coarsely and moderately densely punctate; ventral margin finely serrated, with two robust widely distant setae; medial face sparsely and finely punctate, glabrous, apex sharply truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae, without punctures dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge, weakly carinate laterally; metatarsomere I distinctly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and nearly half of its length longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, not widened before basal lateral tooth; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus. Fig. 4 E–G.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica taipingensis differs from Neoserica calva by the smaller eyes, slightly longer antennal club as well as by the shape of the parameres: the right paramere is shell-like widened and nearly straight.

Etymology.

The new species is named after its type locality, Taiping.

Variation.

Body length of the paratypes: 6.6-7.8 mm, length of elytra: 4.7-5.2 mm, width: 3.7-4.1 mm. Female has the antennal club composed of three antennomeres, as long as the remaining antennomeres combined.