Serica elongata Nonfried, 1892, 1891

Serica elongata Nonfried, 1892 View in CoL

( Figs 1–2 View Fig View Fig )

Serica elongata Nonfried, 1892: 261 View in CoL ; BRENSKE (1902: 35); LAGO (2021: 209).

Serica uniformis Nonfried, 1892: 260 View in CoL ; synonymized by BRENSKE (1902: 35).

Serica delicata Dawson, 1922: 161 View in CoL , syn. nov.

Type material. Serica elongata . LECTOTYPE: J (here designated; Figs 1A–F, I View Fig , 2A View Fig ), labelled: “ Coll. Nonfried Honduras / Brsk. vid. J / Serica elongata ” ( NMPC).

Serica uniformis . LECTOTYPE: ♀ (here designated; Figs 1G–H, J View Fig , 2B View Fig ), labelled: “ Coll. Nonfried Honduras / Brsk. vid. ♀ / Serica uniformis ” ( NMPC).

Redescription (male, lectotype of S. elongata ). Length: 6.9 mm, length of elytra: 5.0 mm, width: 3.6 mm. Body oblong, dark reddish brown, antenna yellow, dorsal surface dull and densely setose on head, otherwise almost glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal and wide, widest at base, lateral margins straight and strongly convergent to weakly rounded anterior angles, lateral margin and ocular canthus producing a distinct blunt angle, margins weakly reflexed, anterior margin distinctly emarginate medially; surface weakly convex medially and moderately shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, distance between punctures less than their diameter, with a few short setae anteriorly; frontoclypeal suture indistinctly incised and medially curved; smooth area in front of eye 2.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus long and slender, impunctate (1/3 of ocular diameter), without terminal seta. Frons dull, with fine and dense punctures, almost glabrous, with single and short seta anteriorly beside each eye. Eyes moderately large, ratio of diameter / interocular width: 0.69. Antenna yellow, with nine antennomeres; club with three thick lamellae, 1.2 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum convexly elevated anteriorly.

Pronotum moderately wide, widest at base, lateral margins in basal half straight and weakly narrowed anteriorly, in anterior half weakly convex and more strongly convergent, anterior angles weakly produced and rectangular, posterior angles blunt and weakly rounded at tip, anterior margin weakly convexly produced medially, with fine but distinct marginal line, basal margin without marginal line; surface with dense and robust punctures, with microscopic setae in punctures only; anterior and lateral margins sparsely setose; hypomeron distinctly carinate at base, but not produced ventrally. Scutellum moderately narrow and long, sharp at apex, with evenly scattered, robust, and dense punctures, with microscopic setae in punctures.

Elytra narrow and oblong, widest in posterior quarter, striae distinctly impressed and finely and densely punctate, intervals convex and moderately densely punctate, punctures concentrated along striae, glabrous, penultimate interval with some single fine setae; epipleural margin robust, ending at strongly curved external apical angle of elytra, epipleura sparsely setose, apical border chitinous, without rim of short microtrichomes.

Ventral surface dull, with large and dense punctures, sparsely and shortly setose, setae partly adpressed. Metacoxa glabrous, laterally with a few fine setae. Each abdominal ventrite with indistinct transversal row of coarse punctures bearing short setae between fine and moderately dense punctation. Mesoventrite between mesocoxae almost half as wide as mesofemur, with irregularly scattered fine setae. Ratio of length of metepisternum / metacoxa: 1 / 1.3. Pygidium weakly convex, coarsely and densely punctate, without smooth mid-line, glabrous, with a few short setae at apex.

Legs slender and with shiny surface; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate; metafemur ventrally dull, sharply margined anteriorly and without submarginal serrated line, posterior ventral margin straight, with a few strong setae basally, only weakly widened externally and not serrated in apical half. Metatibia moderately slender and long, widest at apex, ratio width / length: 1 / 3.4, dorsal margin moderately carinate, with two groups of spines, basal group of spines at basal quarter, apical one at two thirds of metatibial length, basally with a few single fine spines in punctures; lateral face almost flat, with a few coarse punctures; ventral margin finely serrated, with four fine, equidistant spines, medial face very sparsely punctate, apex interiorly near tarsal articulation concave. Tarsomeres dorsally robustly but not densely impunctate, ventrally with sparse, short setae; metatarsomeres dorsally without longitudinal impressions, ventrally glabrous and with strongly serrated ridge, with subventral, longitudinal carina immediately beside it, first metatarsomere little longer than subsequent tarsomere and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia moderately long, bidentate, protarsal claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner protarsal claw apically bluntly truncated.

Aedeagus: Figs 1A–D View Fig . Habitus: Figs 1E–J View Fig .

Variation. Female ( lectotype of S. uniformis ): Length: 8.0 mm, length of elytra: 5.9 mm, width: 4.1 mm. Antennal club distinctly shorter than remaining antennomeres combined, eyes smaller, ratio of diameter / interocular width: 0.55.

Comments to classification. Since NONFRIED’ s (1892) original description of both taxa did not include information on how many specimens the description was based, we designated here a lectotype for Serica elongata Nonfried, 1892 and Serica uniformis Nonfried, 1892 from the only available single specimen for each taxon. Based on our examination, these two specimens represent different sexes of the same species: S. elongata is a male, S. uniformis is a female. Serica elongata Nonfried, 1892 is synonymous with Serica delicata Dawson, 1922 , syn. nov., from Florida. The male genitalia of both taxa are perfectly identical in shape of parameres and phallobase. The name Serica elongata Nonfried has priority over Dawson’s name.