Tectocoris HAHN 1834
Creators: name: Gerry Cassis
name: Loren Vanags
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2006
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Scutelleridae
Tectocoris

description: Tectocoris HAHN 1834 (Figs 1f, 2 g-i, 45, 46, 47, 48)
Tectocoris HAHN 1834: 33 (gen. nov.); DALLAS 1851: 3 (description); STÅL 1865: 33 (key); MAYR 1866: 17 (list); STÅL 1873: 11 (list); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (catalogue); SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 19 (description); KIRKALDY 1909: 306 (catalogue); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 568 (list); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 600 (catalogue)
Type species: Tetyra cyanipes FABRICIUS 1803 (= Cimex diopHtHalmus THUNBERG 1783), monotypy
Diagnosis: Tectocoris is recognised by the following combination of characters: large, elongate-ovoid body (Figs 1f, 45a,b); head elongate (Fig. 46a); anterolateral margins of pronotum strongly divergent posteriorly (Figs 1f, 45a,b); posterior margin of pronotum excavate (Figs 1f, 45a,b); anterior margin of proepisternum entire (Fig. 46b); external efferent system of metathoracic glands reduced, linear (Fig. 46d); mesepimeron without evaporative areas (Fig. 46d); abdominal SIII-SIV sulcate; males with androconial glands on abdominal SIV-VI (Figs 2 g-I, 45c); male SVIII visible (Fig. 46e); parameres strongly hooked (Fig. 47b); aedeagus with three conjunctival appendages (Figs 47c,d); CAI medially fused (Figs 47c,d); ductus seminis proximalis bounded by ligamentary tubule (Figs 47c,d); ejaculatory apparatus box-like (Fig. 47c), heavily sclerotized; spermathecal reservoir greatly enlarged, oval; and, spermathecal pump minute.
Description: Body elongate-ovoid (Figs 1f, 45a,b); aposematic colouration, often sexually dimorphic (Figs 1f, 45a,b), females mostly oranges, dorsum often with iridescent green or blue markings (Figs 1f, 45a,b), males ranging from uniformly orange to mostly iridescent green or blue, with orange markings (Figs 1f, 45a,b); dorsum densely punctulate (Figs 1f, 45a,b); body nearly glabrous (Figs 1f, 45a,b). Head: elongate, little longer than wide, porrect, weakly convex (Fig. 46a); lateral margins of jugae rectilinear, carinate in profile (Fig. 46a); clypeus extending beyond jugae (Fig. 46a); bucculae elongate, margins low (Fig. 46a); eyes small. Pronotum: callosite region and disc co-planar, without transverse furrow (Figs 1f, 45a,b); anterolateral margins strongly divergent, weakly sinuate, explanate (Figs 1f, 45a,b), carinate in profile (Fig. 46b); humeral angles angulate (Figs 1f, 45a,b); posterior margin excavate (Figs 1f, 45a,b). Scutellum: strongly convex; strongly declivent beyond midpoint (Figs 1f, 45a,b); lateral margins convex (Figs 1f, 45a,b); base of corium and clavus visible (Figs 1f, 45a,b); tip of membrane wing visible (Figs 1f, 45a,b). Hemelytra: exocorium expanded (Figs 1f, 45a,b). Thoracic Pleura: anterior edge of proepisternum linear, explanate (Fig. 46c); external efferent system of metathoracic glands greatly reduced, ostiole minute, peritreme as linear sulcation (Fig. 46d); evaporative areas reduced, not extending to mesepimeron (Fig. 46d). Thoracic Sterna: prosternum depressed (Fig. 46c); mesosternum weakly impressed, laterally striate; metasternum flat. Pregenital Abdomen: laterally rounded, posterior angles weakly acuminate (Fig. 45c); abdominal SIII-SIV medially sulcate, housing labium; males with androconial glands present sublaterally on SIV-VI (Figs 2 g-i, 45c); male SVIII visible, strongly overlapping posterior margin of pygophore (Fig. 46e). Male Genitalia: posterior region of pygophore visible, margin notched medially (Figs 46e,f, 47a); genital opening broad, densely setose (Figs 46e,f, 47a); parameres with arcuate, broad stem, densely setose, crown strongly hooked (Fig. 47b); aedeagus large; phallotheca sub-cylindrical, without processes (Figs 47c,d); ductus seminis proximalis narrow, bounded by ligamentary-derived membraneous tubule (Figs 47c,d); CAI large, lobe-like, without sclerotization (Figs 47c,d); CAII membraneous lobe, with short, acute lobal sclerite (Figs 47c,d); CAIII large, membraneous, medially sclerotized, fused basally, with subapical sclerotized thorn-like process (Figs 47c,d); vesica moderate size, subequal to uninflated CAII, S-shaped (Figs 47c,d). Female Terminalia: paratergites VIII moderate size, triangular, medially not con-tiguous in ventral view; paratergites IX small suboval, medially separated; gonocoxae I moderate size, subelliptoid, medially con-tiguous. Spermatheca: fecundation canal moderate size; reservoir large, oval, membra-neous; spermathecal pump minute, with flanges vestigial, pump oval with acute apex.
Diversity and distribution: Tectocoris is a monotypic genus which is known primarily from the Melanesian and Australian subregions of the Australian zoogeographic region, as well as Indonesia.
Included species:
T. diopHtHalmus (THUNBERG 1783) Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu
Remarks: The taxonomic history of this genus and species is convoluted, owing in part to the extreme colour variability found. This species has been placed in a number of genera with varying specific epithets and subspecies. A list of these synonyms can be found in CASSIS & GROSS (2002) and above. SCHOUTEDEN (1904) and KIRKALDY (1909) placed the insect in the tribe Scutel-lerini with other members of the current subfamily Scutellerinae. MCDONALD (1961, 1963b) also placed it within the tribe Scutellerini, but proposed that it occupies a taxonomic position of its own. KUMAR (1965) placed the species in the tribe Pachycorinae, a group otherwise absent from the Australian continent.
description: Published as part of Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), pp. 275-398 in Denisia 19 on pages 381-384, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.12996779