Lasioserica kanpetlet sp. nov.

Type material examined.

• Holotype: ♂ “ MYANMAR: Chin State WNW Kanpetlet Natmataung Nat. P. / Oasis Mt. Resort 21°11'52.4"N 94°02'27.8"E ca. 1700 m, 30.5- 8.6. 2010 leg. Schillhammer (166) / 1403 Sericini Asia spec. ” (NHMW). • Paratype: 1 ♂ “ MYANMAR: Chin State WNW Kanpetlet Natmataung Nat. P. / Oasis Mt. Resort 21°11'52.4"N 94°02'27.8"E ca. 1700 m, 30.5- 8.6. 2010 leg. Schillhammer (166) ” (ZFMK).

Diagnosis.

The species has a somewhat intermediate morphology between Serica (s. str.), Neoserica (s. str.) and Lasioserica. While the number of lamellae (n = 4) of the antennal club of male distinguishes Lasioserica kanpetlet sp. nov. form Serica (n = 3), the apically dorsoventrally flattened phallobase resembles that of one of the species of Serica (s. str.) (see Ahrens 2005 a). Lasioserica kanpetlet sp. nov. has the serrated metatibia in common with Neoserica (s. str.) Brenske, 1894 and Lasioserica Brenske, 1896, which, however, is a quite homoplastic character (Ahrens 2006 b), while the serrated anterior margin of metafemur is present only in Lasioserica. The habitus of the species resembles most the species of the Lasioserica brevipilosa group (Ahrens 2004), from which the new species differs by the flattened phallobase, and the long antennal club.

Description of holotype.

Length: 5.5 mm, length of elytra: 3.8 mm, width: 2.9 mm. Body oblong, dorsal surface brown, frons darker, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull, labroclypeus shiny, pronotum and head with weak greenish shine, entire surface densely setose, with fine, moderately long and yellow setae, and on elytra additionally with a few larger, white, scale-like setae.

Labroclypeus narrowly subtrapezoidal, only little wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins straight and weakly convergent to strongly rounded anterior angles, lateral margin and ocular canthus produce a distinct angle; anterior margin concavely emarginate, margins moderately reflexed; surface flat and shiny, finely and densely punctate, punctures anteriorly less dense, with dense and long erect setae; frontoclypeal suture weakly incised and moderately curved; smooth area anterior to eye three times as wide as long; ocular canthus long and narrow, finely and densely punctate, with a short terminal seta. Frons finely and densely punctate, with dense, short, yellow, recumbent setae, in anterior quarter shiny, in posterior three quarters dull-iridescent. Eyes very large, ratio of diameter / interocular width: 1.1. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club in male with four antennomeres, three times as long as remaining antennomeres combined, strongly reflexed, all lamellae of same length. Mentum weakly elevated and flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum transverse, widest at middle, lateral margins in basal half almost straight and subparallel, only weakly narrowed towards base, anteriorly moderately curved and convergent to weakly produced anterior and blunt anterior angles, posterior angles blunt, rounded at tip; anterior margin convex, with a fine, complete marginal line; basal margin without marginal line; surface with dense and fine punctures each bearing either a short, recumbent, yellow seta; anterior and lateral borders sparsely setose; hypomeron indistinctly carinate. Scutellum triangular, apex sharply pointed, with fine and dense punctures and setae, smooth on basal midline.

Elytra oblong, widest shortly behind middle, striae moderately impressed, with fine and dense punctures; intervals moderately convex, with fine and dense punctures, with dense, short, recumbent, yellow setae and darker, impunctate areas, on odd intervals with a few fine, white scale-like setae; epipleural edge robust, ending at strongly rounded external apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose; apical margin membraneous, with a distinct rim of microtrichomes (100 x magnification).

Ventral surface dull, with large and dense punctures, densely finely setose, metacoxa laterally with a few robuster, adpressed setae. Mesoventrite between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate and setose, each sternite with a distinct transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a short, robust seta. Penultimate abdominal sternite with two widely separated indistinct tubercles. Ratio of length of metepisternum / metacoxa: 1 / 1.5. Pygidium strongly convex and dull, with fine, dense punctures and fine, short and long setae, with a narrow impunctate midline.

Legs moderately slender and long; femora dull on ventral face, with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate; anterior edge of metafemur acute, with an adjacent, continuously serrate line, weakly widened ventrally in apical half but not serrate, dorsally serrate. Metatibia moderately slender and short, widest at apex, ratio width / length: 1 / 4, distinctly carinate dorsally, with one group of spines only at four fifths of metatibial length, beside dorsal margin with an incontinuous serrate line convergent with dorsal margin behind middle, between serrated line and dorsal margin finely punctate and with a few short setae; lateral face longitudinally convex, with dense and coarse, elongate punctures, densely setose; ventral margin serrate, with three robust and long spines, of which the apical one is more distant; medial face finely and densely punctate, with minute setae; apex interiorly near tarsal articulation sharply truncate. Tarsomeres dorsally densely punctate and minutely setose, ventrally with short, sparse setae; metatarsomeres ventrally with a strongly serrate ridge and glabrous, laterally sharply carinate; first metatarsomere as long as the following two tarsomeres combined and more than twice as long as dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 1 A – D. Habitus: Fig. 1 E, F. Female unknown.

Variation.

Length: 5.5–5.6 mm, length of elytra: 3.8–4.1 mm, width: 2.9–3.1 mm.

Etymology.

The new species is named after its type locality, Kanpetlet (noun in apposition).