Neoserica myanmarensis Ahrens 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ahrens, Dirk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Neoserica
Neoserica myanmarensis

description: Neoserica myanmarensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 921F8FC7-DD6D-45B8-A7CE-692CFBC021BB
Fig. 1F–I
Diagnosis
Neoserica myanmarensis sp. nov. differs from N. baoshana Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014 by the shape of the ventral phallobasal process: its distal hook is shorter and only weakly bent towards the right side (dorsal view).
Etymology
The new species is named (name: adjective in the nominative case singular) for its occurrence in Myanmar.
Type material examined
Holotype MYANMAR • ♂; “Myanmar: Danasho 2800 m, Minshia vi-2004 leg. Yin et al. / Phil #11-2004:4. / 1137 Sericini: Asia spec.”; ZFMK.
Paratypes CHINA • 1 ♂; “X-DA6902/ X-DA6902 China Yunnan NE Kunming 25°08’35’’N, 102°53’49’’E 2320m leg. M. Schülke & V. Assing (CH14-6) 13.08.2021 Neoserica spTigerThai215”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-DA6905/ X-DA6905 China Yunnan mountain WNW Wuding 25°38’45’’N, 102°06’55’’E 2390m leg. M. Schülke & V. Assing (CH14-12a) 01.09.2014 Neoserica spTigerThai215”; ZFMK.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Length: 8.5 mm, length of elytra: 6.2 mm, width: 5.0 mm.
HABITUS AND COLORATION (Fig. 1I). Body oblong, dark brown, ventral surface and antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull and with numerous shorter and long, erect setae.
HEAD. Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and convergent to moderately rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a blunt angle, margins weakly reflexed, anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially; surface convex and moderately shiny, finely and densely, irregularly punctate, with numerous long erect setae in coarser punctures; frontoclypeal suture feebly incised and medially curved; smooth area in front of eye approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long and slender, very finely and sparsely punctate, with a fine terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and moderately dense punctures and with long, erect setae. Eyes small, ratio of diameter/ interocular width: 0.55. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, nearly 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated anteriorly.
PRONOTUM. Moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half subparallel and almost straight, in anterior half evenly curved and narrowed anteriorly, anterior angles distinctly produced and sharp, posterior angles blunt and slightly rounded at tip; anterior margin convexly produced medially, broad marginal line widely missing; basal margin without marginal line; surface with moderately dense and fine punctures, with minute setae and dense, long, erect setae; anterior and lateral borders sparsely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate at base. Scutellum narrow and long, sharp at apex, with fine and moderately dense punctures and minute setae, a few longer ones.
ELYTRA. Oblong, widest in posterior third, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex and not densely punctate, with small and larger punctures, with numerous fine adpressed and long erect setae, small punctures with minute setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border membranous, with short microtrichomes.
VENTRAL SURFACE. Dull, with large and dense punctures, sparsely and shortly setose, setae partly adpressed; metacoxa glabrous, with fine setae laterally, apical margin convex and external apical angle rounded; each abdominal sternite with a distinct transversal row of coarse punctures each bearing a short seta between fine and moderately dense punctation. Mesosternum between mesocoxae nearly half as wide as mesofemur, with irregularly scattered, fine setae. Ratio of length of metepisternum / metacoxa: 1/ 1.5. Pygidium strongly convex, finely and densely punctate, with narrow smooth midline, with moderately dense, long setae on apical half.
LEGS. Slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate; metafemur ventrally dull, anterior margin sharply carinate, without a submarginal serrated line, posterior margin moderately convex, with a few strong setae medially, only weakly widened externally in apical half and not serrated ventrally in distal half, finely serrated dorsally, with dense, short setae. Metatibia slender and long, widest at apex, ratio width/ length: 1 / 3.9, dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group of spines at half of metatibial length, apical one at about three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few single, fine spines; external face longitudinally convex, with fine, sparse punctures, sparsely minutely setose; ventral margin finely serrated, with four fine, equidistant spines; medial face impunctate, apex concavely truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally impunctate, with sparse, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres glabrous dorsally, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally, and with a fine longitudinal carina immediately beside it; first metatarsomere little longer than following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia long, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner protarsal claw bluntly truncate apically.
AEDEAGUS. Fig. 1F–H.
Variation
Length: 8.4–8.6 mm, length of elytra: 6.1–6.2 mm, width: 4.9–5.0 mm.
Female
Unknown.
description: Published as part of Ahrens, Dirk, 2023, Updates on the Neoserica vulpes group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini): new species and records, pp. 97-110 in European Journal of Taxonomy 888 (1) on pages 100-102, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.888.2231, http://zenodo.org/record/8246689