Serica porcula

Casey, 1885

Serica porcula is a small scarab beetle in the Scarabaeidae, described by Casey in 1885. measure approximately 7 mm in length and exhibit distinctive reddish-brown coloration with polished bearing faint longitudinal . The is distributed across the southwestern and western United States.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Serica porcula: /ˈsɛrɪkə ˈpɔrkʊlə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

The combination of small size (~7 mm), dark reddish-brown coloration with slightly paler legs and venter, polished non-iridescent surface, and the specific elytral —very feeble longitudinal with narrow, irregularly punctate intervals—distinguishes this . The pronotum with its narrow impunctate line and the triangular scutellum with broad median impunctate area are additional diagnostic features. Specific separation from other Serica species requires examination of these subtle sculptural details.

Appearance

are approximately 7 mm in length. The body is dark reddish brown overall, with legs and surface slightly paler. The surface is shining but not iridescent, and glabrous (hairless) above. The pronotum is finely and somewhat irregularly punctate, with a narrow impunctate (unpunctured) strip along the middle. The scutellum is triangular, as wide as long, with an acutely rounded tip; it is punctate except for a broad impunctate area along the middle. The are as wide as the pronotum at the base and widest at approximately two-thirds of their length from the base; the sides are very feebly arcuate. Longitudinal (ridges) are very feeble, broadly convex, impunctate and polished; the intervals between costae are much narrower, finely and very irregularly punctate with round, feebly impressed punctures.

Distribution

North America: United States (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming).

Tags

Sources and further reading