Neoserica usta Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ahrens, Dirk
name: Liu, Wangang
name: Fabrizi, Silvia
name: Bai, Ming
name: Yang, Xing-Ke
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Neoserica
Neoserica usta

description: Neoserica (s.l.) usta Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. nov.
(Figures 6I–L, 10)
Type material examined
Holotype. ♂ ‘ China West Sichuan Kanding 19–21.7.94 Beneš’ (ZFMK). Paratypes: 1 ♂ ‘ Szechuen China DC Graham /near LiTo 5000–9000 ft. Aug. 20–21, 30’ (USNM), 1 ♂ ‘nr Tatsienlu Aug 7, 1923 5–8500 ft. alt/ Szechuen China DC Graham’ (USNM), 1 ♂ ‘ Hailuogou, Moxi, Luding, Sichuan, 11.VIII.2004, 1900 m, leg. Xue Huaijun’ (IZAS), 1 ♂ ‘ Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1560 m, leg. Bai Ming’ (IZAS), 1 ♂ ‘ Pengta, Kangding, Sichuan, 29.VIII.2005, leg. Shi Fuming’ (HBUM).
Description
Length. 8.1 mm, length of elytra: 6.0 mm, width: 4.7 mm. Body oblong, reddish brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull and nearly glabrous.
Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal and moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and moderately convergent to widely rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a distinct blunt angle, margins moderately reflexed, anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially; surface nearly flat and moderately shiny, finely and densely punctate, with numerous long erect setae in coarser punctures; frontoclypeal suture feebly incised and medially weakly angled; smooth area in front of eye approximately nearly as wide as long; ocular canthus long and slender, impunctate, with one short terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and sparse punctures, with sparse but evenly scattered long setae. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.58. Antenna composed of 10 antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated anteriorly.
Pronotum wide, widest at base, lateral margins nearly evenly convex, weakly narrowed anteriorly, anterior angles moderately produced and acute, posterior angles blunt, 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 only; anterior and lateral borders setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate at base. Scutellum narrow and long, sharp at apex, with fine and moderately dense punctures and minute setae.
Elytra oblong, widest in posterior third, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex and not densely punctate, intervals with punctures concentrated along striae and odd intervals with some single, fine setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border chitinous, with a very tiny rim of 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 straight and external apical angle slightly 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: 1/1.44. Pygidium strongly convex, finely and moderately densely punctate, without smooth midline, punctures with minute setae, with numerous long setae beside apical margin.
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 moderately long, widest at apex, ratio width/length: 1/3.5, dorsal margin moderately carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group of spines shortly before 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 moderately coarse, sparse punctures; ventral margin finely serrated, with three fine, equidistant spines; medial face impunctate, apex concavely truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally superficially sparsely punctate and glabrous, with evenly spaced, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge and a fine longitudinal carina immediately beside it; first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia long, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner protarsal claw bluntly truncate apically.
Aedeagus. Figure 6I–K. Female unknown.
Diagnosis
The new species is in shape of aedeagus most similar to N. pseudovulpes sp. nov., it differs from N. pseudovulpes by the longer and more robustly developed ventral process of phallobase being ventrally and laterally strongly widened and deeply concave on its median side.
Etymology
The new species is named with reference to its brown colour with the Latin adjective, ustus (from Latin, tanned/browned) (Latin adjective in the nominative singular).
Variation
Length. 8.1–8.8 mm, length of elytra: 6.0– 6.8 mm, width: 4.7–5.1 mm.
description: Published as part of Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wangang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A revision of the species of the Neoserica (sensu lato) vulpes group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini), pp. 1073-1130 in Journal of Natural History 49 (17) on pages 1115-1117, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2014.974707, http://zenodo.org/record/4005857