Tepperia palawanica Tsuji & Yoshitake 2025, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Tsuji, Naomichi
name: Yoshitake, Hiraku
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Tepperia
Tepperia palawanica

description: Tepperia palawanica (Heller, 1913), comb. nov.
(Figs. 12–14, 19–21 & 25–36)
Cyamobolus palawanicus Heller, 1913: 140 (type locality: “ PALAWAN ”) & fig 2; Schultze, 1916: 144 (cataloged: Cebu Is. & Palawan Is.) & 184 (biological note); Hustache, 1936: 238 (cataloged: “ Philippines ”).
Diagnosis. From all known Tepperia and Evaniocis species, this species can be easily distinguished by the pronotum and elytra covered with light-colored scales except several brown scaly markings. In addition, this species is characterized by the rostrum whose dorsal contour is slightly curved and the elytral humeri covered by dark brown scales.
Redescription. Male. Measurements (n = 4; in mm): TL: 7.9–8.6 (lectotype 7.9, mean 8.1); LP: 2.4–2.5 (2.4, 2.4); WP: 2.6–2.7 (2.6, 2.7); LE: 5.5–6.0 (5.5, 5.6); WE: 3.5–3.8 (3.5, 3.6).
Integument reddish to dark reddish brown. Body generally covered with dull-white to yellowish brown recumbent scales. Frons and vertex covered with subovate scales; medial part of vertex with ill-defined dark brown patch. Rostrum covered with brownish subovate scales on basal half; apical margin of squamous part shallowly notched; apical half subglabrous, sparsely covered with minute scales. Pronotum covered with subovate scales, lacking suberect scales, with two pairs of dark brown scaly patches on postmedian and median parts along midline; postmedian patches connected with median ones by slightly paler scales, sometimes become obscure; median patches elongate apically with slightly paler scales; apical part covered with darker scales along margins except middle, with imbricate scales medially. Lateral parts of prothorax covered with general scales sparsely mingled with suberect scales, with irregular patch of brownish scales on middle of each side; prosternal canal mostly glabrous, but apical part densely covered with light-colored slender scales. Scutellar shield glabrous. Elytra mostly covered with subovate scales, usually with three pairs of irregular patches of dark brown scales on basal part between 2nd and 5th intervals, near humeri, and behind middle between 2nd and 4th intervals, sometimes with additional pair of patches on subapical swellings; basal patches indistinctly marginated and connected laterally with humeral patches by paler scales; sutural intervals covered with smaller scales, which become sparser on basal part; strial punctures each bearing whitish subrecumbent spathulate scale. Mesoventral receptacle glabrous on inside of receptacle canal, densely covered with minute scales on apical margin. Mesepimera, mesanepisterna, and lateral parts of mesoventrite mostly covered with subovate scales. Metaventrite and metanepisterna also covered with light-colored subovate scales; metaventrite glabrous on postmedial part; sclerolepidia absent. Femora irregularly mottled with light-colored to brown scales on anterior surfaces; each femur with triangular glabrous portion on apico-ventral part. Abdominal ventrites closely covered with pale brown scales, sparsely mingled with subrecumbent ones.
Head (Fig. 19). Apical part of vertex gently flattened medially; frons flattened, 0.8 times as wide as base of rostrum at narrowest point between eyes. Rostrum stout, LR/WRM 2.4–2.5, LR/LP 0.7, in profile slightly curved ventrad, very slightly attenuate toward apex, excepting apical part more strongly attenuate; dorsal surface mostly slightly convex but sometimes slightly carinate along midline, rugosely to densely punctate from base to apical part, excepting impunctate portion along midline; punctures become smaller toward apex; medial part of apex depressed, impunctate, flanked by two shallow oblique furrows; sides gradually attenuate from base to before middle, then subparallel to subapical part, and finally weakly bulged near apex; apical margin shallowly arcuate in median part; dorsal contour slightly arcuate in profile. Antennae inserted at middle; scape strongly clavate, slightly shorter than funicle; funicle with 1st and 2nd segments subconical, with 3rd to 7th barrel-shaped, successively dilated distally; approximate length ratio of 1st to 7th as follows: 3: 2: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1.3; club fusiform, 2.0–2.5 times as long as wide, 0.6–0.7 times as long as funicle, loosely segmented. Mandibles robust, each with rounded outer margin and large inner tooth.
Thorax. Prothorax subconical, LP/WP 0.9, weakly constricted subapically; pronotum densely punctate, uniformly convex, indistinctly carinate along midline; sides parallel or slightly attenuate from base to behind middle, then roundly convergent to subapical constriction, and finally slightly attenuate to apical margin, which is strongly arched in dorsal view; lateral parts rugosely punctate, obscurely granulate on middle. Mesoscutellum with scutellar shield round to subovate, approximately as wide as elytral sutural interval, weakly convex.
Elytra subovate, LE/WE 1.5–1.6, with weakly produced humeri, wider than prothorax, WE/WP 1.3–1.4, evenly convex excepting subbasal part weakly prominent between 2nd to 4th intervals, with weak subapical swellings; sides subparallel from humeri to apical 2/5, then gently arcuately convergent to subapical swellings, and finally rounded apically, slightly emarginate at apices. Intervals weakly convex, wider than striae, partially granulate; sutural ones faintly depressed near base; 8th and 9th irregularly granulate on humeri; 9th granulate behind humeri to just before middle, then granulate-costate to subapical part; 10th flattened basally, granulate-costate excepting base. Striae shallowly sulcate excepting middle of 9th more deeply sulcate; 10th relatively short, terminated before middle; ventral surface with submarginal ridges sublinear in ventral aspect, not arched anteriorly, with two asymmetric files on apico-internal part.
Femora robust, gently expanded from base to before middle, not clavate, with ventral tooth near middle, shallowly ventrally sulcate from middle to apex; dorsal contour weakly arcuate; profemora slightly longer than either meso- or metafemora. Tibiae simple along outer margins, not tuberculate; pro- and mesotibiae (Fig. 21) gently attenuate toward apex, obtusely angulate basally on outer margins; mesotibiae slightly shorter than either pro- or metatibiae, hardly to barely curved inward; metatibiae subparallel-sided, more weakly angulate basally on outer margins than on pro- and mesotibiae. Tarsi stout; 1st tarsomere subconical, 1.6 times as wide as long, approximately twice as long as and as wide as 2nd, 1.1–1.3 times as long as 3rd; 2nd subrectangular, 1.3–1.5 times as wide as long, half as wide as 3rd; 3rd subcordate, 1.5 times as wide as long; 5th clavate, slightly longer than 3rd.
Rostral canal reaching level between anterior margins of mesocoxae; prosternal canal approximately as wide as procoxa, gradually expanded toward apex; mesoventral receptacle subtrapezoidal, 1.3–1.4 times as wide as long, shallowly concave along anterior margin, strongly bulged ventrally, overhanging anteriorly above canal, declined posteriorly, on declivity, indistinctly costate along midline and compressed laterally. Metaventrite flattened or slightly depressed medially, 1.3–1.6 times as long as mesoventrite along midline; apical part triangularly depressed; apical depression declined medially, slightly impressed along midline.
Abdomen. Ventrites irregularly punctate; ventrite I with abdominal process narrowly acuminate, approximately 1.4 times as long as II along midline, flattened medially, shallowly emarginate along apical margin; II slightly longer than III and IV combined; III and IV subequal in length, each punctate in distorted row; V subtrapezoidal, approximately 3.0 times as wide as long, with apical margin subtruncate.
Terminalia. Tergite VII (Fig. 25) transverse, subtrapezoidal, with two longitudinal distorted rows of setiferous tubercles on medial part. Rectum with rectal ring. Penis (Figs. 26 & 27) with body much shorter than its apodemes, approximately 1.5 times as long as wide, weakly sclerotized dorsally, subparallel-sided from base to subapical part, in lateral view flattened dorso-ventrally, moderately curved ventrally; apex (Fig. 28) rounded, flanked by several minute setae; endophallus spinulate basally, with tubular copulatory sclerite which is widened apically, dorsally produced in two laminae apically. Tegminal ring (Fig. 29) with weakly sclerotized parameroid lobes, which are fused basally; diameter of tegminal ring longer than its apodeme. Sternite VIII (Fig. 30) composed of two narrowly separated sublunate sclerites; spiculum relictum present, slightly sclerotized (Fig. 30). Spiculum gastrale (Fig. 31) shorter than penis; apical arms short, widely divergent, with narrow basal sclerotized flange.
Female. Measurements (n = 3; in mm): TL 6.7–8.7 (mean 7.8), LP 2.1–2.6 (2.4); WP 2.3–2.9 (2.6); LE 4.6–6.1 (5.4); WE 3.0–3.9 (3.5). Rostrum (Fig. 20) LR/WRM 2.7, LR/LP 0.6–0.7; lateral parts of dorsal surface with sparser punctures on apical half; sides more strongly attenuate from base to middle. Prothorax LP/WP 0.9–1.0. Elytra LE/ WE 1.5–1.6, WE/WP 1.3–1.4. Ventrite I slightly inflated medially excepting abdominal process flattened.
Terminalia. Tergite VII (Fig. 32) subtrapezoidal, slightly wider than long, with two longitudinal distorted rows of setiferous tubercles on medial part; apical margin gently arcuate; tergite VIII (Fig. 35) slightly longer than wide; sides rapidly tapered apicad; apical margin weakly arcuate, notched at middle. Spiculum ventrale (Fig. 36) with apical plate subovate, gradually tapered apicad, notched at middle of apical margin; apodemes short, approximately as long as apical plate. Ovipositor (Fig. 33) with styli slender, approximately 1/3 length of gonocoxite; vagina and bursa copulatrix simple, neither spinulate nor sclerotized. Spermatheca (Fig. 34) c-shaped; cornu short, gradually attenuate and slightly curved apically; collum obliquely convex downward; ramus vestigial; insertions of duct and gland widely separated; gland short, sclerotized basally.
Type material examined. Lectotype (here designated; SMTD), male: “typus” (surface, typed) and “palawani- / cus Heller” (back side, handwritten) (red card), “Acc. No. 6108 / Lot / Bu.of Sci., P.I.” (typed and partly handwritten on a white card), “Collected by / E. D. Merrill.” (typed on a pale brown card); “1911 / 7” (typed and partially handwritten on a yellow card), “Staatl. Museum für / Tiekunde Dresden” (typed on a white card), and “LECTOTYPE / Cyamobolus / palawanicus / Heller, 1913 / Des. N. Tsuji & H. Yoshitake, 2025” (typed on a red card; newly attached). Paralectotype, 1 female: “Acc. No. 6108 / Lot / Bu.of Sci., P.I.” (typed and partly handwritten on a white card), “Collected by / E. D. Merrill.” (typed on a pale brown card); “1911 / 7” (typed and partially handwritten on a yellow card), “syntypus” (typed on a reddish orange card), “Staatl. Museum für / Tiekunde Dresden” (typed on a white card), “bei Metacymia? / Heller det: 1934” (partially handwritten and stamped on a white card), and “PARALECTOTYPE / Cyamobolus / palawanicus / Heller, 1913 / Des. N. Tsuji & H. Yoshitake, 2025” (typed on a red card; newly attached).
Non-type material examined. The Philippines: [Palawan Is.] 3 males & 2 females, Taytay, W. Schultze leg. (SMTD).
Distribution. The Philippines (Cebu Island and Palawan Island).
Natural history. Schultze (1916: 184) mentioned as “Very injurious to seeds of Heritiera littoralis Dryand. ”, suggesting that T. palawanica larvae develop in fruits of H. littoralis.
description: Published as part of Tsuji, Naomichi & Yoshitake, Hiraku, 2025, Presence of the genus Tepperia Lea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Oriental Region, with new combination for a Philippine species and description of a new insular species associated with the looking-glass mangrove, Heritiera littoralis Dryand. ex Aiton (Malvaceae), pp. 126-138 in Zootaxa 5613 (1) on pages 129-132, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5613.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/15216270