Neoserica vulpes
Creators: name: Ahrens, Dirk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Neoserica
Neoserica vulpes

description: Updated key to species of Neoserica vulpes group (males)
1. Phallobase with a ventral process ..................................................................................................... 4
– Phallobase without a ventral process, but with a lateral one ............................................................ 2
2. Right paramere large and spherical, longitudinal extension half of phallobasal length ..................... ...................................................................................... N. baishuiensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Right paramere small, spherical, longitudinal extension one third of phallobasal length ................ 3
3. Lateral process sharply pointed (dorsal view) .......... N. lateriuncinata Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Lateral process convexly rounded at apex (dorsal view) .................................................................... .......................................................................................... N. leiboensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
4. Phallobase with a dorsal process ...................................................................................................... 5
– Phallobase without a dorsal process ................................................................................................. 6
5. Ventral phallobasal process narrow. Dorsal phallobasal lobe widened at apex. Both parameres slenderer ..................................................................... N. xiaguanensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral phallobasal process much wider. Dorsal phallobasal lobe not widened at apex. Both parameres more robust ............................................................................................................. N. daxue sp. nov.
6. Ventral process of phallobase at apex widened, with sharp hooks or bent processes ....................... 7
– Ventral process of phallobase at apex convexly rounded or pointed .............................................. 18
7. Ventral process of phallobase at apex convexly widened, without sharp hooks ................................ ........................................................................................ N. luzhouana Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral process of phallobase at apex with sharp hooks or bent processes ...................................... 8
8. Right paramere deeply bifurcate. Hooks small ................................................................................. 9
– Right paramere simple, not bifurcate. Hooks large .........................................................................11
9. Ventral process in cross section circular ......................................................................................... 10
– Ventral process dorsoventrally flattened ............................ N. parausta Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
10. Ventral phallobasal process with less extended apical convexity and more less pointed. Right paramere with longer basal piece, its lateral branch is short and straight; left paramere straight (lateral view) ..................................................................... N. rubellula Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral phallobasal process with a slightly more extended apical convexity and more sharply pointed. Right paramere with shorter basal piece, its lateral branch is longer and more curved; left paramere strongly curved (lateral view) ............................................................................. N. yanyuan sp. nov.
11. Left paramere at apex strongly curved ventrally ............................................................................ 12
– Left paramere at apex straight ....................................... N. biuncinata Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
12. Eyes smaller, ratio diameter /interocular with: 0.58. Ventral process of phallobase exceeding parameres .................................................................................. N. usta Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Eyes moderate to large, ratio diameter/ interocular with> 0.7 ....................................................... 13
13. Ventral process of phallobase exceeding parameres ....................................................................... 14
– Ventral process of phallobase ending distally at same point as parameres ..................................... 15
14. Ventral phallobasal process straight (lateral view), its ventral distal tooth well pronounced. Parameres shorter and less strongly curved .............................................. N. nykli Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral phallobasal process well curved and its ventral distal tooth little pronounced. Parameres longer and more strongly curved ................................................................ N. mianningana sp. nov.
15. Ventral process of phallobase basally very enlarged and strongly dorsoventrally produced on right side, its width at base subequal to half of phallobase length .......................................................... 16
– Ventral process of phallobase basally only weakly enlarged and not dorsoventrally produced on right side, its width at base subequal to less than third of phallobase length .......................................... 17
16. Left paramere one third as wide as long ........................ N. sichuanica Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Left paramere half as wide as long ....................................... N. dundai Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
17. Ventral process of phallobase at middle strongly bent dorsally ......................................................... .................................................................................... N. pseudovulpes Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral process of phallobase nearly straight or only weakly bent at middle dorsally ....................... ...................................................................................... N. ganhaiziana Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
18. Ventral process of phallobase bent or strongly curved ................................................................... 19
– Ventral process of phallobase straight ............................................................................................ 24
19. Left paramere bifurcate, divided in two long lobes ........................................................................ 20
– Left paramere simple, not divided in two long lobes ..................................................................... 21
20. Ventral lobe of left paramere distinctly wider than dorsal one (lateral view) ..................................... .................................................................................. N. ningyuanensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral lobe of left paramere as wide as dorsal one (lateral view) ..................................................... ........................................................................................ N. heishuiana Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
21. Ventral process of phallobase sharply pointed at apex, curved slightly to the right ........................... ................................................................................... N. kunmingensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral process of phallobase convex at apex, curved slightly to the left ...................................... 22
22. Curvation of ventral process moderate, not exceeding width of process at middle ........................... ................................................................................................ N. kereni Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Curvation of ventral process strong, exceeding width of process at middle .................................. 23
23. Distal hook of ventral phallobasal process longer (dorsal view) ........................................................ .......................................................................................... N. baoshana Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Distal portion of ventral phallobasal process short and little hooked (dorsal view) .......................... ................................................................................................................... N. myanmarensis sp. nov.
24. Ventral process of phallobase in basal cross section circular ......................................................... 25
– Ventral process of phallobase in basal cross section flattened ............................................................ .......................................................................................... N. laocaiana Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
25. Ventral process of phallobase evenly widened towards apex ............................................................. .................................................................................... N. weishanensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
– Ventral process of phallobase not distinctly widened towards apex ............................................... 26
26. Right paramere spherical, at apex with a single process ................................................................ 27
– Right paramere spherical, but at apex with two separate processes ............................................... 28
27. Left paramere wider (dorsal view), strongly blown up and spherical (lateral view); ventral process of phallobase distinctly widened apically .................................................... N. vulpes (Arrow, 1946)
– Left paramere narrower (dorsal view), less blown up and less spherical (lateral view); ventral process of phallobase not widened apically ...................... N. yangjiapingensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
28. Left paramere at apex slightly less than total width of paramere (dorsal view). Parameres nearly elongate in lateral view ................................................................................................................... 29
– Left paramere at apex distinctly less than one third of total width of paramere.Parameres subsphaerical in lateral view ..................................................................... N. ruzickai Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
29. Parameres narrow, strongly bent to the left side (dorsal view) .................. N. alaoshanensis sp. nov.
– Parameres wider, nearly straight (dorsal view) ......... N. shinkaisiensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014
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 106-108, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.888.2231, http://zenodo.org/record/8246689