Maladera judithae Sreedevi & Ahrens, 2025

Maladera judithae Sreedevi & Ahrens View in CoL , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1F–J View FIGURE 1 )

Type locality. INDIA: Kerala, Wayanad, Kalpetta, Madakkimala , 11°55 N’; 76°04’ E.

Type material examined. Holotype, ♂: “ INDIA: Kerala, Wayanad, Madakkimala , 11°55 N’; 76°04’ E, 13.iv.2021, leg. Judith /SER06/ICAR-NBAIR/S20” ( NBAIR). GoogleMaps

The specimen bears a red printed label: Maladera judithae sp. n., HOLOTYPE, Kolla Sreedevi and Dirk Ahrens, Det. 2025.

Description of the holotype, male. Body. Length: 9.3 mm, length of elytra: 7.1 mm, width: 3.8 mm. Body oval, dorsal and ventral face reddish brown, dull, partly with iridescent shine, antenna yellowish, labroclypeus shiny, except some single setae on head dorsal surface nearly glabrous.

Head. Labroclypeus moderately wide and subtrapezoidal, widest at base, lateral margins weakly convex and convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin weakly bisinuate, margins weakly reflexed; lateral margin and ocular canthus produce a distinct angle; surface slightly convex medially, coarsely and densely punctate; smooth area anterior to eye flat, 1.1 times as wide as long; ocular canthus short and broad (1/4 of ocular diameter), finely densely punctate, with a terminal seta. Frons dull, with moderately dense, fine punctures, with a few single setae beside eyes. Eyes small, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.48. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with three antennomeres and straight, slightly shorter than remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum transverse, widest shortly before base, lateral margins evenly convex and convergent anteriorly, slightly narrowed towards base, anterior angles produced, sharp, posterior angles blunt, distinctly rounded at tip; anterior margin weakly convex, with complete fine marginal line, base without marginal line; surface moderately densely and finely punctate; anterior and lateral margin finely sparsely setose. Scutellum wide, triangular, with fine, moderately dense punctures.

Elytra widest at posterior third, iridescent, striae finely impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals convex, with fine, evenly moderately dense punctures; epipleural edge distinct, ending at convex external apical angle of elytra, epipleura sparsely setose; apical border of elytra narrowly membraneous.

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and moderately densely punctate, glabrous, metasternal disc sparsely covered with fine, short setae; metacoxa with a few longer setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, punctures with minute setae, each sternite with a transverse row of punctures each bearing a fine seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae slightly narrower than mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.2. Pygidium weakly convex, shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, without midline, with a few robust setae along apical margin.

Legs short and wide, shiny; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and sparsely punctate. Anterior margin of metafemur acute, without continuous adjacent serrated line, anterior row of setae complete; posterior ventral margin smooth, strongly widened at ventral apex, dorsal posterior edge smooth, neither serrate, finely shortly setose. Metatibia very short and wide, widest at middle, ratio of width/length: 1/2.2, with two groups of spines, basal group shortly before middle, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length, with fine setae and a serrated line basally subparallel to dorsal margin; lateral face longitudinally convex, shiny, base and only on sides finely punctate; ventral margin finely serrate, with four equidistant robust setae; medial face smooth and glabrous; apex finely serrate, moderately concavely sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres dorsally impunctate, glabrous, neither laterally nor dorsally carinate, moderately setose ventrally. Metatarsomeres smooth, first tarsal segment slightly shorter than the next two segments combined together and longer than the dorsal tibial spur. Protibia moderately long, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical.

Aedeagus. Figs. 1F–I View FIGURE 1 . Habitus. Fig. 1J View FIGURE 1 . Female unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Maladera judithae sp. nov. is in the shape of the genitalia and its external morphology similar to Maladera initialis Ahrens & Fabrizi, 2016 . The new species differs from M. initialis by the different shape of the parameres ( Figs. 1F–I View FIGURE 1 ): the left paramere of the new species is much longer than in M. initialis , the right one is slightly longer.

Etymology. The new species is named after the collector of the species, Ms. Judith Corolin Correya

Distribution. Known from the type locality only ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ).