Melolontha wangyutangi Wang & Qiu, 2025

Wang, Fa-Lei, Wang, Zhen, Xiong, Zi-Chun & Qiu, Jian-Yue, 2025, Two new species and one new record of the genus Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 from China (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Zootaxa 5618 (2), pp. 206-220 : 213-214

Melolontha wangyutangi Wang & Qiu , sp. nov.

( Figs 13–24 , 44 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, male ( MYNU): CHINA: Shannxi / Weinan City , Huazhou district, Jindui Township / alt. 1400–1450 m, 1. VII. 2021 / Jian-Yue Qiu & Yu-Tang Wang leg. // HOLOTYPE // Melolontha wangyutangi / Wang & Qiu det. 2024 .

Description of holotype, male. Habitus ( Figs 13–15 ). Length: 21.4 mm, width: 12.2 mm. Body elongate ovoid, moderately convex in profile.

Color. Entire body reddish-brown; antennal, head, pronotum, scutellum, abdominal sternites, and joints of legs blackish-brown. Whole body surface with grayish-yellow to yellowish-brown setae ( Figs 1–3 ), sides of sternites with rather weak patches, densely covered with greyish-yellow setae.

Head. Clypeus rectangular, lateral margin nearly parallel, anterior margin strongly reflexed and straight, apical angles broadly rounded; disc depressed; surface with dense, fine punctures, covered with yellow-brown setae. Frons densely, largely punctate, surface with long, yellowish-brown setae, sparser on disc, becoming lighter and denser laterally. The maximum transverse head width 1.68 times the interocular distance, ocular canthus setaceous.Antenna with 10 antennomeres, antennal club composed of 7 antennomeres, weakly curved in the middle, 2.5 times longer than antennomeres 1–3 combined ( Fig. 16 ).

Pronotum transverse, surface with dense punctures, covered with moderately long, yellowish-brown setae, denser and shorter on the broad area laterally; anterior margin with long hair-like setae. Lateral margin convergent in the middle, anterior 1/2 with serrations, posterior 1/2 slightly flat. Anterior angles obtuse, apex broadly rounded, posterior angles sub-right-angle, apex slightly extended.

Scutellum arcuate, lateral margins crooked; surface densely punctate, covered with similar setae to those on the disc of pronotum.

Elytra with four costae (costa I as sutural costa), costa I gradually narrowed to the hind angles, costae II and III melted before basal area, fused together at apical protrusion; costa IV feebly developed, start from the inner side of humeral umbone. Elytra with four intervals (interval 4 as area between costa IV and epipleura), intervals sparsely, largely, shallowly punctate, surface densely with short setae, area around apical angles and apical protrusion with denser, lighter, shorter yellowish-brown setae. Basal area of elytra (between humeral umbone and costa II) with two large semicircles depressed area which covered with dense setae. Basal margin slightly raised.

Pygidium ( Fig. 20 ). Apex rounded, sides straight; surface covered with dense yellowish-brown setae, similar to those on the hind angles of elytra.

Ventral surface. Hypomeron, metasternum, metepistenum overall covered with long, grey ish-yellow, hair-like setae. Mesometasternal process short, trapezoidal ( Fig 18 ), sides slightly parallel, apex broadly rounded. Sternites with evenly distributed, dense short yellowish-brown setae, scattered with several long greyish-yellow setae, sides of abdominal sternites with rather weak, transversal, greyish-yellow bands ( Fig. 19 ). Setae on the margin of propygidium longer and lighter.

Legs. Protibia weakly bidentate ( Fig. 17 ), surface sparsely, shortly setose, terminal tooth prolonged, proximal tooth sub-right-angle, apex rounded. Mesotibia and metatibia cylindrical, apex widened and glabrous, inner surface with a row of long setae, both with two unequal length spurs.

Genitalia (see Figs 21–24 ).

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. Based on the habitus and the male genitalia, this new species belongs to the reichenbachi group, which previously contained only one species ( Keith 2008; Li et al. 2010): Melolontha reichenbachi Keith, 2008 . Melolontha wangyutangi sp. nov. differs from M. reichenbachi in the following characters: antennomere 3 ( Fig. 16 ) only swollen apically (antennomere 3 swollen apically, also with a distinct stab in M. reichenbachi , Fig. 29 ); apex of pygidium ( Figs 14 , 20 ) rounded (apex of pygidium slightly straight, concaved in the middle in M. reichenbachi , Figs 30 , 33 ); pronotum moderately convex in profile ( Fig. 15 ), sides convergent after middle (pronotum strongly convex in profile, sides semicircle, without distinct convergence in M. reichenbachi , Fig. 29 ); mesometasternal process ( Fig. 18 ) shorter, sides parallel (mesometasternal process longer, gradually tapered in M. reichenbachi , Fig. 39 ); sides of abdominal sternites ( Fig. 19 ) with rather weak greyish-yellow bands (bands on sides of abdominal sternites nearly invisible in M. reichenbachi , Fig. 36 ); parameres distinctly shorter and stronger ( Figs 21–23 ), lateral convexity weaker, forming short, flat area in dorsal view, prolonged area of basal parameres in ventral side ( Fig. 22 ) weakly prominent (parameres long and slender, lateral convexity stronger, forming long, flat area in dorsal view, prolonged area of basal parameres in ventral side rather prominent in M. reichenbachi , Figs 40–43 ).

Chinese name. Ṫ堂DẆDZaek

Etymology. The new species is named after Yu-Tang Wang who collected the type.

Distribution. Known so far only from the type locality: southeastern Shannxi, central China ( Fig. 44 ).

Figures

FIGURE 44. Distribution map of four Melolontha species in this study.

FIGURES 13–15. Habitus of Melolontha wangyutangi Wang & Qiu sp. nov., holotype. 13, dorsal view; 14, ventral view; 15, lateral view from left. Scale bar: 10.0 mm.

FIGURES 16–24. Diagnostic characters of Melolontha wangyutangi Wang & Qiu sp. nov.. 16, antenna; 17, protibia; 18, mesometasternal process; 19, lateral view of elytra; 20, pygidium; 21, dorsal view of male genitalia; 22, ventral view of male genitalia; 23, lateral view of male genitalia from left; 24, caudal view of male genitalia. Scale bars: 3.0 mm in A: fig. 16; 5.0 mm in B: fig. 17; 2.0 mm in C: fig. 18; 5.0 mm in D: fig. 19; 5.0 mm in E: fig. 20; 3.0 mm in F: figs 21–24.

FIGURES 1–3. Habitus of Melolontha daliensis Wang & Qiu sp. nov., holotype. 1, dorsal view; 2, ventral view; 3, lateral view from left. Scale bar: 10.0 mm.

FIGURES 25–30. Habitus of Melolontha species. 25, 26, Melolontha phupanensis Keith, 2008, male; 27, 28, Melolontha phupanensis Keith, 2008, female; 29, 30, Melolontha reichenbachi Keith, 2008, male. 25, 27, 29, dorsal view; 26, 28, 30, ventral view. Scale bars: 10.0 mm in A: figs 25–28; 10.0 mm in B: figs 29, 30.

FIGURES 31–43. Diagnostic characters of Melolontha species. 31, 34, 37, 43, Melolontha phupanensis Keith, 2008, male; 32, 35, 38, Melolontha phupanensis Keith, 2008, female; 33, 36, 39, 40–42, Melolontha reichenbachi Keith, 2008, male. 31–33, pygidium; 34–36, lateral view of elytra; 37–39, mesometasternal process; 40–43, male genitalia. 40, 43, dorsal view; 41, ventral view; 42, lateral view from left. Scale bars: 5.0 mm in A: figs 31, 32; 5.0 mm in B: fig. 33; 5.0 mm in C: fig. 34; 5.0 mm in D: fig. 35; 5.0 mm in E: fig. 36; 3.0 mm in F: fig. 37; 3.0 mm in G: fig. 38; 3.0 mm in H: fig. 39; 3.0 mm in I: figs 40–42; 3.0 mm in J: fig. 43.