Serica MacLeay 1819
Creators: name: Ahrens, Dirk
name: Fabrizi, Silvia
name: Bai, Ming
name: Liu, Wangang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Serica

description: Serica (subgenus Taiwanoserica Nomura, 1974)
Remarks. Taiwanoserica Nomura, 1974 was originally described as genus from Taiwan, from where a number of endemic species have so far been reported (Kobayashi 1983, 1988, 1993; Kobayashi & Yu 2000; Ahrens 2002, 2006, 2007b; Ahrens & Bezděk 2016). Based on results of a morphology-based phylogeny (Ahrens 2007c) it was ranked subsequently as a subgenus of Serica (Ahrens 2007b). Taiwanoserica was later, based on a morphologybased phylogeny (Ahrens 2009), also reported from western China. In subsequent molecular phylogenies Taiwanoserica resulted to be sister group of the Serica (s. str.) (Liu et al. 2015b; Eberle et al. 2017), thus its subgenus rank was confirmed. Herein, we describe six additional new species from western China, northern Vietnam and Taiwan.
Key to species of the subgenus Taiwanoserica from continental Asia (♂) #: 5
1 Dorsomedian lobe of endophallus strongly sclerotized, and externally visible. Posterior angles of pronotum convex........ 2
- Dorsomedian lobe of endophallus small, membraneous, and externally not always visible. Posterior angles of pronotum blunt. ................................................................................................... 7
2 Dorsomedian lobe of endophallus as long as parameres........................................................ 3
- Dorsomedian lobe of endophallus much shorter than parameres................................................. 6
3 Dorsal and ventral lobe of the left paramere have not the same median main axis................................... 4
- Dorsal and ventral lobe of the left paramere have the same median main axis....................................... .......................................................... S. (T.) taishun Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
4 Ventral lobe of the left paramere robust and ventrally curved. Dorsal lobe of the left paramere narrow, at maximum three times as long as wide.................................................................. S. (T.) silviae Ahrens, 2009
- Ventral lobe of the left paramere only filiform and small, dorsally curved. Left paramere with massive dorsal lobe which is twice as long as wide.................................................................................. 5
5 Dorsal lobe of the left paramere large. Basal lobe of the right paramere long, widely curved and directed distally............................................................ S. (T.) kuankuoshuiensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
- Dorsal lobe of the left paramere much smaller and shorter. Basal lobe of the right paramere very shorter and directed basally. ................................................. S. (T.) tianpingshanensis Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
6 Ventral phallobase not widened. Dorsal lobes of both parameres almost straight. (China) ... S. (T.) sigipinensis Ahrens, 2009
- Ventral phallobase bluntly widened. Dorsal lobes of both parameres strongly arched. (northern Vietnam)................. ........................................................ S. (T.) limbourgi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
7 Both lobes of parameres directed distally................................................................... 8
- Both lobes of parameres directed mediobasally................................... S. (T.) chengtuensis Ahrens, 2009
8 Both lobes of parameres large, subequal in length to phallobase. ................... S. (T.) wenchuanensis Ahrens, 2009
- Lobes of parameres small (particularly the ventral one), distinctly shorter than phallobase............................ 9
9 Dorsal lobe of the right paramere strongly curved (dorsal view). Dorsal lobe of the left paramere preapically abrubtly bent........................................................... S. (T.) hailuogou Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
- Dorsal lobe of the right paramere straight (dorsal view). Dorsal lobe of the left paramere preapically evenly bent.................................................................. S. (T.) huangjing Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
description: Published as part of Ahrens, Dirk, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Liu, Wangang, 2022, Taxonomic revision of Serica MacLeay, 1819 (sensu lato) from China and adjacent areas (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), with updates on Nipponoserica Nomura, 1972, pp. 1-83 in Zootaxa 5186 (1) on page 61, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5186.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7073769