Neoserica daxue Ahrens 2023, sp. nov.

Neoserica daxue sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 5141D981-8C74-4916-AC62-CE039C5EBF60 Fig. 2A–E Diagnosis Neoserica daxue sp. nov. differs from N. xiaguanensis Ahrens, Liu & Fabrizi, 2014 by the shape of the ventral phallobasal process, which is much wider, by the dorsal phallobasal process (dorsal view), which is not widened at apex, as well as by the shape of both parameres being slightly more robust but similar in shape. Etymology The new species is named (name: noun in apposition) for its occurrence in the Daxue Shan, China. Type material examined Holotype CHINA • ♂; “China, Daxue Shan Mts., Sichuan, Mianning, 1850 m, 6.vi.1999, 28°33’N, 102°10’E, V. Siniaev & A. Plutenko lgt. / 1153 Sericini: Asia spec.”; CP. Description MEASUREMENTS. Length: 8.4 mm, length of elytra: 5.6 mm, width: 4.6 mm. HABITUS AND COLORATION (Fig. 2E). Body oblong, reddish brown, ventral surface and antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull and almost glabrous. HEAD. Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and convergent to moderately rounded anterior angles, lateral border and ocular canthus producing a distinct, blunt angle, margins weakly reflexed, anterior margin distinctly sinuate medially; surface flat and shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, with a few long, erect setae; frontoclypeal suture feebly incised and medially curved; smooth area in front of eye approximately 1.2 times as wide as long; ocular canthus moderately long and slender, very finely and sparsely punctate, with a fine terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and moderately dense punctures and with a few long setae beside eyes and behind frontoclypeal suture. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter / interocular width: 0.65. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with four antennomeres, nearly 1.3 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated anteriorly. PRONOTUM. Moderately wide, widest shortly before base, lateral margins evenly curved and narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, anterior angles well produced and sharp, 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, otherwise glabrous; anterior and lateral borders sparsely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate at base. Scutellum narrow and long, sharp at apex, smooth on basal midline, with minute setae in punctures only. ELYTRA. Oblong, widest in posterior third, striae distinctly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals convex, coarsely and moderately densely punctate, on odd intervals with a few long erect setae, otherwise with minute setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border membranous, with 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 convex and external apical angle 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/ 1.6. Pygidium moderately convex, finely and densely punctate, without smooth midline, with short 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 / 3.1, dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group shortly before middle, apical one at about three quarters of metatibial length, basally with a few single, fine spines; external face longitudinally convex, with coarse, sparse punctures, glabrous; ventral margin finely serrated, with four fine, equidistant spines; medial face impunctate, apex concavely truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally impunctate, with sparse, short setae ventrally; metatarsomeres glabrous dorsally, with a strongly serrated ridge ventrally, and with a fine longitudinal carina immediately beside it; first metatarsomere little longer than following two tarsomeres combined and distinctly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia long, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner protarsal claw bluntly truncate apically. AEDEAGUS. Fig. 2A–D. Female Unknown.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 102-103, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.888.2231, http://zenodo.org/record/824668