Leoserica, Fabrizi & Eberle & Ahrens, 2019

Fabrizi, Silvia, Eberle, Jonas & Ahrens, Dirk, 2019, Unexpected diversity of Hyboserica chafers in South African forest remnants: cladistic analysis, new species and the new genus Leoserica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 186, pp. 950-982 : 978

LEOSERICA GEN. NOV.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:59B4AE95-CB98-4FE4-9A0B-75395E303CE1

Ty p e s p e c i e s: L e o s e r i c a k n y s n a n a (b y p r e s e n t designation).

Diagnosis: Body of medium size (8–11 mm), elongately oval, reddish to yellowish or dark brown, dorsal surface with iridescent shine; dorsal surface nearly glabrous. Labroclypeus moderately wide or wide, trapezoidal, with fine and dense punctures; anterior margin of labroclypeus weakly sinuate, rarely distinctly sinuate. Mentum anteriorly slightly elevated.Antenna composed of nine antennomeres, club short, in both sexes with three antennomeres. Pronotum subtrapezoidal and moderately wide, lateral margins sparsely setose, anterior angles well produced and moderately sharp, anterior margin convexly produced medially; basal margin with complete marginal line. Hypomeron simple, not carinate. Elytra with reduced epipleural margin, apical margin chitinous, without membranous rim of microtrichomes, intervals flat, evenly finely punctate, glabrous, odd intervals with punctures concentrated along the weakly impressed striae, apical setae on sutural interval absent. Ventral surface sparsely covered with short setae. Metatibia dorsally with two groups of spines and longitudinally convex; at apex not truncate or sinuate near tarsal articulation. Protibia bi- or tridentate, basal tooth small.

Etymology: The name of the new genus is a combination of the traditional genus name Serica and the prefix ‘Leo-’, lion, but which refers to Silvia and Dirk’s cat, Leo.