Amiserica carolusholzschuhi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu 2021, new species
Creators: name: Ahrens, Dirk
name: Liu, Wangang
name: Pham, Phu Van
name: Fabrizi, Silvia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Amiserica
Amiserica carolusholzschuhi

description: Amiserica carolusholzschuhi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species
Figures 9E–H, 16
Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ “NE-Laos: Hua Phan prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan (Mt.)- 20°12’N, 104°01’E 11.iv.–15.v.2012, 1300–1900m leg. C. Holzschuh - ZFMK Ankauf 2012” (ZFMK). Paratypes: 7 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ “LAOSNE: Huoa Phan prov.; 20°13’09–19’’N, 103°59’54’’– 104°00’03’’E 1480–1510m Phou Pane Mt., 22.iv.–14.v.2008, Vit Kubán leg.” (NMPC, ZFMK), 1 ♂ “LAOS-NE: Houa Phan prov.; 20°12.138’N, 104°00.621’E Phu Phan Mt., 1750m, 17.5.– 3.6.2007, Vit Kubáň leg.” (ZFMK), 1 ♂ “LAOS-NE: Hua Phan pr.; 20°12’N, 104°01’E Phu Phan Mt., 1500–1900m, 17.v.–3.vi.2007, Vit Kubáň leg.” (NMPC), 1 ♂ “LAOS-NE, Houa phan prov., Ban Saluei-> Phou Pane Mt., 20°12–13.5’N 103°59.5– 104°01’E, 1340–1870m, 15.iv.–15.v.2008, Lao collectors leg.” (NHMB), 1 ♂ “NE-Laos: Hua Phan prov.; Ban Saleui, Phou Pan (Mt.)- 20°12’N, 104°01’E 1300–1900m; 01.–31.V.2011, leg. C. Holzschuh - ZFMK Ankauf 2011” (ZFMK).
Description of the holotype. Length: 6.6 mm, length of elytra: 4.9 mm, width: 3.8 mm. Body oval, reddish brown, surface shiny, antenna yellowish brown, on dorsal surface with long setae interspersed with short adpressed ones.
Labroclypeus semi-elliptical, widest at base, lateral margins convex and strongly convergent to strongly rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing an indistinct angle, anterior margin convex, margins strongly reflexed; surface flat and shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, with dense long erect setae; frontoclypeal suture finely impressed and evenly curved; smooth area anterior to eye short, twice as wide as long. Ocular canthus short and triangular (1/3 of ocular width), finely and sparsely punctate, glabrous except a short terminal seta. Frons shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, with dense long pilosity, on posterior third finely densely punctate and glabrous. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter/ interocular width: 0.6. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with three antennomeres, twice as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and flattened anteriorly.
Pronotum widest at base, lateral margins in basal half straight and subparallel, in anterior third convex and well convergent anteriorly, anterior angles acute and distinctly produced, posterior angles nearly rectangular; anterior margin strongly convex, its marginal line complete; basal margin without marginal line; surface with dense and fine punctures and with prevailingly long pilosity (directed upright, anteriad or posteriorly), otherwise with only minute setae in punctures, short setae absent; anterior and lateral borders densely setose; hypomeron carinate, basal margin of hypomeron weakly produced ventrally. Scutellum subtriangular, apex sharp, with fine and very dense punctures, with only minute setae.
Elytra oval, widest shortly behind middle, striae finely impressed, with fine and dense punctures; intervals weakly convex, with fine and evenly dense punctures concentrated along striae; with dense double pilosity, short setae directed posteriorly and long erect setae directed slightly anteriad; epipleural edge robust, ending at external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose, apical border finely membraneous, with a narrow rim of microtrichomes.
Ventral surface shiny, with fine and very dense punctures, including metacoxa with dense, long setae. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, punctures with short adpressed setae, each sternite with a distinct transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a long, robust, erect seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae 1.5 times as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.31. Pygidium weakly convex and shiny, with fine, dense punctures and dense, short and long setae.
Legs wide and short; femora coarsely and densely punctate, punctures with moderately long adpressed setae, with two longitudinal rows of setae; anterior edge of metafemur acute, with an adjacent and slightly elevated continuously serrated line; posterior margin ventrally weakly widened in apical half but not serrate, posterior margin also dorsally not serrate. Metatibia wide and short, widest at apex, ratio width/length: 1/2.8; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with only one group of spines, basal group of spines completely reduced, apical one at 7/8 of metatibial length, basally without robust single setae, beside dorsal margin with a complete serrated line convergent with dorsal margin behind apical group of spines, between serrated line and dorsal margin finely punctate; lateral face weakly longitudinally convex, with dense and coarse punctures and long setae; ventral margin not serrated, with four robust and long, equidistant spines; medial face densely punctate and shortly setose; apex interiorly near tarsal articulation concavely sinuate. Tarsomeres dorsally impunctate and glabrous, ventrally with short and long, dense setae. Metatarsomeres ventrally carinate but not serrated, laterally not carinate; first metatarsomere little shorter than following tarsomere and little longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia very short, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw simply pointed.
Aedeagus: Fig. 9E–G. Habitus: Fig. 9H.
Variation. Length: 6.6–7.8 mm, length of elytra: 4.9–5.9 mm, width: 3.8–4.6 mm. Female: eyes slightly smaller than in male, ratio of diameter/ interocular width: 0.54; antennal club short, as long as remaining antennomeres combined; pygidium flat.
Diagnosis. Amiserica carolusholzschuhi Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu, new species differs from all other species of the Amiserica jizuensis group, by the insertion of parameres being at the same of phallobase.
Etymology. The new species is named after one of its collectors, Carolus Holzschuh (Villach).
description: Published as part of Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wangang, Pham, Phu Van & Fabrizi, Silvia, 2021, An overview on the genus Amiserica Nomura, 1974 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini), pp. 1-63 in Zootaxa 5050 (1) on pages 37-38, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5050.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5560512