Selaserica sororinitida Ranasinghe & Eberle & Athukorala & Benjamin & Ahrens 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ranasinghe, Sasanka
name: Eberle, Jonas
name: Athukorala, Namal
name: Benjamin, Suresh P.
name: Ahrens, Dirk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Selaserica
Selaserica sororinitida

description: Selaserica sororinitida sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 2B2B4EB0-D50B-409B-8F87-4577B9BC235B
Figs 3E–H, 7B, 8B
Diagnosis
Selaserica sororinitida sp. nov. is in shape of aedeagus and external morphology similar to Sel. nitida (Candèze, 1861) and Sel. knucklensis Fabrizi & Ahrens, 2014. Selaserica sororinitida differs by the antennal club, which is longer compared to that of Sel. nitida but shorter in comparison with that of Sel. knucklensis. From both species Sel. sororinitida can also be distinguished by the shape of the aedeagus: the right paramere is in the new species shorter and less narrowed before the apex (lateral view); the phallobase is not widened distally as in Sel. knucklensis.
Etymology
The name is derived from the Latin noun ‘ soror ’ (sister) with ‘ nitida ’ from the species Sel. nitida, with reference to the strong morphological similarity with Sel. nitida (noun in nominative case).
Type material
Holotype SRI LANKA • ♂; “ X-SR0670, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33159ºN, 80.86110ºE; 1139m; 17-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK.
Paratypes SRI LANKA • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0224, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0227, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0228, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0229, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0230, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0231, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0232, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0233, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0234, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0235, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0236, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0237, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0240, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0511, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0512, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0513, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0514, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0515, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0516, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0517, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0518, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0519, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0520, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0521, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0941, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0942, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-18- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0563, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33616ºN, 80.85907ºE; 1197m; 18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0664, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33501ºN, 80. 85966ºE; 1171m; 18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR0669, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33159ºN, 80. 86110ºE; 1139m; 17-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X- SR0915, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33159ºN, 80. 86110ºE; 1139m; 17- X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “ X-SR1135, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33501ºN, 80. 85966ºE; 1171m; 21-II-2019; Eberle & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X-SR0186, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 20-II-2019; Eberle & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X- SR0239, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 18-X- 2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X-SR0943, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 17-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X-SR2194, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33082ºN, 80.86203ºE; 1108m; 05-XII-2020; Ranasinghe & Athukorala leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X-SR2184, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33159ºN, 80. 86110ºE; 1139m; 05-XII-2020; Ranasinghe & Athukorala leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X-SR0793, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33501ºN, 80. 85966ºE; 1171m; 18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK • 1 ♀; “ X-SR0795, Sri Lanka, Kandy District, Deanston, Knuckles South; 7.33501ºN, 80. 85966ºE; 1171m; 18-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light ”; ZFMK.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Length: 10.2 mm, length of elytra: 7.1 mm, width: 5.6 mm.
HABITUS (Fig. 3H) AND COLOURATION. Body oblong, reddish brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface shiny and glabrous, ventral surface dull.
HEAD. Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and strongly convergent to strongly rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing an indistinct blunt angle, margins weakly reflexed; anterior margin shallowly sinuate medially; surface almost flat, finely and densely punctate, distance between punctures subequal to their diameter, with a few robust setae anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture very feebly impressed and curved medially; smooth area in front of eye approximately three times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long and narrow, impunctate, with a single short terminal seta. Frons with fine, sparse punctures, posterior third impunctate, surface glabrous except for a few long setae beside eyes. Eyes large, ratio of diameter/ interocular width: 0.9. Antenna yellowish brown, with nine antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and anteriorly flattened.
PRONOTUM. Moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half almost straight and weakly convergent, in anterior half weakly convex and distinctly narrowed towards anterior angles, anterior angles moderately produced and moderately sharp; anterior margin moderately produced medially, its marginal line complete; surface moderately densely and finely punctate, glabrous; anterior and lateral borders sparsely setose; basal margin without marginal line. Hypomeron ventrobasally not carinate. Scutellum wide, triangular, with fine and dense punctures, glabrous, apical portion completely impunctate.
ELYTRA. Oblong, widest in posterior third, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals flat, with fine, sparse punctures, glabrous, only on penultimate lateral interval a few single long, erect setae; epipleural edge fine, ending well anterior to convex external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose; apical border membranous, apex covered with a narrow rim of short microtrichomes.
VENTRAL SURFACE. Dull, thorax and metacoxa with large and dense punctures, with long and dense setae; metacoxa glabrous except for a few long setae laterally; each abdominal sternite with evenly distributed fine and dense punctures, and with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust seta, other punctures with a short or minute setae, penultimate sternite apically with a shiny smooth but very short chitinous border. Mesosternum between mesocoxae little narrower than maximum width of mesofemur.
Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.28. Pygidium weakly convex, shiny, finely densely punctate, with long fine setae along the apical margin, otherwise glabrous.
LEGS. Moderately wide and shiny; femur with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate; metafemur with acute anterior edge, without an adjacent serrated line, anterior longitudinal row of setae complete; posterior ventral margin almost weakly convex, weakly widened in apical half, not serrated, glabrous; posterior dorsal margin smooth, densely shortly setose. Metatibia moderately wide and long, widest at apex, ratio width/length: 1/3.3; dorsal margin longitudinally convex, with two groups of spines, basal one at first quarter, apical one at three quarters of metatibial length, without a serrated line; lateral face longitudinally convex, with very sparse and fine punctures, glabrous; ventral margin serrated, with five robust equidistant spines; medial face smooth; apex interiorly near tarsal articulation concavely emarginate. Tarsomeres dorsally impunctate and glabrous, ventrally with dense, long and robust setae; metatarsomeres ventrally with a serrated ridge, beside it without additional strong longitudinal carina; first metatarsomere one third of its length longer than dorsal tibial spur, distinctly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined. Protibia moderately long, tridentate, basal tooth smaller than the two distal ones. Protarsomeres ventrally with long and dense yellow setae forming a setose pad, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of claws sharply pointed.
AEDEAGUS. Fig. 3E–G.
Variation
Length: 9.9–12.0 mm, length of elytra: 7.1–8.1 mm, width: 5.3–5.8 mm.
Female
Length: 12.0– 12.2 mm, length of elytra: 8.1–8.3 mm, width: 6.2–6.4 mm. Eyes as smaller than in male; antennal club with three antennomeres and longer than remaining antennomeres combined.
Distribution
See Fig. 7B.
description: Published as part of Ranasinghe, Sasanka, Eberle, Jonas, Athukorala, Namal, Benjamin, Suresh P. & Ahrens, Dirk, 2022, New species of Sericini from Sri Lanka (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Part II, pp. 57-101 in European Journal of Taxonomy 821 (1) on pages 63-66, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.821.1799, http://zenodo.org/record/6595468