Genus Tepperia Lea, 1903

Tepperia Lea, 1903: 660; Marshall, 1936: 195 (in key;

type species designation: Tepperia sterculiae Lea, 1903); Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999: 128 (cataloged; Cryptorhynchini: Cryptorhynchina; type species: “NYD”).

Diagnosis. This genus can be distinguished from other genera of Cryptorhynchina by a combination of the following characteristics: rostrum stout; frons wider than half width of an eye; basal margin of each elytron rounded near scutellar shield; legs short; each femur ventrally with a median tooth; meso- and metatibiae angulate basally along outer margins; mesoventral receptacle cavernous, projecting ventrally; and ventrite II nearly as long as III and IV combined (Lea 1903 & 1913; Marshall 1936).

Distribution. Australia; the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan — new records.

Remarks. Alonso-Zarazaga and Lyal (1999) noted the type species of Tepperia as “NYD” (not yet designated) in their catalog, but Marshall (1936: 195) had previously designated T. sterculiae as the type species, stating that “ T. sterculiae is now fixed as the type of the genus”.

The genus Evaniocis Lea, 1913, which comprises two Australian species and closely resembles Tepperia, was erected based on the “coarsely faceted eyes and elytra not separately rounded at base” (Lea 1913); however, the relationship between the two genera warrants attention since states of these characteristics seem to be variable within Tepperia.

In the course of his study on New Zealand taxa of Cryptorhynchinae, Lyal (1993) indicated that the presence of a “spiculum relictum” can be regarded as a trait of generic importance. On the other hand, Lyal (1993) noted that the shape of the basal sclerite (= copulatory sclerites sensu Lyal 2010) is variable within the subfamily and is sometimes crucial for distinguishing genera. At that time, morphological characteristics of male terminalia had not been studied for Tepperia and its relatives. As described below, we observed structures of the male terminalia of three Tepperia species, T. sterculiae, T. palawanica and T. vagabunda, for the first time, and revealed that their male terminalia are similar in having a spiculum relictum of sternite VIII and a tubular copulatory sclerite in the endophallus. In order to assess the significance of structures of the male terminalia in delimiting the genus Tepperia, it is necessary to examine the character states in other congeners, as well as in members of related genera.