Teddus, Schwartz & Weirauch & Schuh, 2018

Schwartz, Michael D., Weirauch, Christiane & Schuh, Randall T., 2018, New Genera And Species Of Myrtaceae-Feeding Phylinae From Australia, And The Description Of A New Species Of Restiophylus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae) Michael D. Schwartz Christiane Weirauch, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (424), pp. 1-161 : 81-83

Teddus , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Teddus katrinae , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: Habitus including scalelike setae and coloration pattern with transverse fascia reminiscent of many species placed in the Leucophoropterini and Pilophorini , but these tribal associations rendered as myrmecomorphic convergence when examining the unique genitalia of both sexes of Teddus . Genitalic structure unequivocally places Teddus in the Leptidolon group of genera, within which it can be distinguished by the conspicuous habitus.

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Macropterous, body elongate; total length 2.79–2.97, pronotum width 0.95–0.98. COLORATION (pl. 5): Dark mahogany brown with four conspicuous, bright white, elongate triangular sections at base of corium and cuneus, and adjacent portion of embolium; apex of scutellum obscurely pale; ventral portion of head, antennal segment 1, xyphus, procoxa, basalar plate with varying intensity of pale slightly reddish coloration; tibial spines black without dark bases; hemelytral membrane slightly fumose with central area pale, long vein of large cell dark, short vein pale; abdominal sterna 2–6 pale on central patch. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (fig. 19D): Subshining; mixed vestiture of dense white or black scalelike setae— black setae generally distributed, except on white colored areas of hemelytron and cuneus; white setae on head, mesoscutum, scutellum basally, white colored patches on corium and cuneus, distal margin of corium, and paracuneus; scalelike setae present on ventral surfaces including femora; dorsum also with sparse, black, simple setae. STRUCTURE: Head (figs. 19A, B, pl. 5): Short, transverse, conforming to anterior margin of pronotum; in lateral view frons surpassing anterior margin of eyes by one-half width of eye, eyes occupying 75% height of head, and antenna fossa dorsal to ventral margin of eye by diameter of fossa; eyes large, shallowly emarginate near fossa. Antenna: Segment 2 86% of head width. Labium: Reaching to apex of mesosternum. Thorax (figs. 19A, B, pl. 5): Pronotum: Relatively short, subcampanulate, lateral margins slightly concave, calli separate, weakly raised, posterior lobe flat, posterior margin straight; mesoscutum moderately exposed. Pretarsus: Claw relatively small, slightly curved; parempodia short, setiform; pulvilli small attached to claw base proximad of angle (fig. 18C). Hemelytron: Costal margin straight. GENITALIA (fig. 19C, pl. 32A– J): Pygophore: Small, broadly conical; caudal surface broad, covered with dense field of short, fluted, peglike bristles (fig. 19C, pl. 32J); left side of aperture without clump of bristles or tubercle. Endosoma: J-shaped medium sized, consisting of two straps, ventral strap terminating at base of secondary gonopore just distad of middle of endosoma in thin spine with slender apex, dorsal strap continuing distad of secondary gonopore, terminating in well-sclerotized somewhat flat, pointed, dorsal apical spine; short ventral apical spine situated just distad of secondary gonopore, equal in length to secondary gonopore; slender, smooth, apically pointed, C-shaped process arising at midpoint of secondary gonopore on right side of endosoma, wrapped around left side of endosoma; region near secondary gonopore slightly expanded and smoothly membranous on ventral surface; dorsal strap without spines basad of secondary gonopore. Secondary gonopore: Well formed, open on caudal surface, very faint, situated within membrane, about 5× length of secondary gonopore from apex of dorsal strap. Phallotheca: Narrow, gently tapered to small flattened palmate tip; entire anterior surface with long crested flange; moderate-sized ovate aperture on left apical surface; right internal surface with long strut. Parameres: Left paramere: Elongate shoulder between posterior and anterior processes extruded, without marginal lobe; posterior process short, bent ventrad, apex chiseled; anterior process relatively long, with two long terminal setae. Right paramere: Small, ovate with short beveled apex.

FEMALE (pl. 5): Coloration as in male; differing from male with subovoid body, less transverse head, slightly more rounded frons, wider vertex, smaller eyes, antennal segment 2 more slender, pronotum narrower anteriorly, costal margin more curved; total length 2.72– 2.99, pronotum width 0.99–1.07. GENITALIA (pl. 32K–N): Posterior margin of sternite 7: With wide shield-shaped projection. Vestibular sclerites: Relatively small, pair of parallel sclerites, oriented in dorsoventral plane; flat paramedial triangular plates forming anterior wall of genital chamber; vestibular sclerites situated between and reaching anteriad to level of posterior margin of sclerotized rings in dorsal view. First gonapophyses: Ventral extension attached to pair of small globular sclerites. Ventral labiate plate: Paramedial anteroventral extension small and short; entire anterior surface of covered with weakly sclerotized sheet; surface of ventral labiate plate ventral to sclerotized rings membranous. Dorsal labiate plate: Relatively small, transverse, with wavy margins, concave lateral to ring. Sclerotized rings: Relatively small, subovoid with sunken lateral margin, not reaching lateral margin of dorsal labiate plate; rings separated by width of ring, relatively thick walled. Posteromedial region: Divided, sunken, medial microspiculate membrane, located ventrad of lateral oviducts and spermathecal gland. Intersegmental membrane: With small bowtie- or shield-shaped sclerite situated posteriad of posteromedial region of dorsal labiate plate; not projecting into genital chamber. Anterolateral region: Region anterior to rings with microspicules. Posterior wall: Complex among phylines, entirely sclerotized somewhat bat shaped, convex in dorsal view, broadly bowed anteriad; medial region strongly sclerotized with flat dorsoposterior plate and unique ornamentation. Interramal sclerites: Strongly sclerotized plate occupying entire interramal space, except for ventromedial opening; dorsoposterior region wide and clearly attached to paired ventrolateral regions; anterior surface of posterior wall with two sets of paired paramedial undulating prominences directed into the genital chamber; dorsoposteriormost paramedial region with concave microspiculate surface and an adjacent pair of short, discrete, smooth lobes; minute sclerite barely projecting posteriad. Interramal lobes: Absent.

ETYMOLOGY: A fanciful name for its “teddy bear” appearance as originally coined by Katrina Menard, especially the faux furry appearance of the dense scalelike setae.

DISCUSSION: The widely distributed scalelike setae, relatively broad head, and boxlike pronotum give a rectangular habitus, similar to that of Hypseloecus Reuter but divergent from the more sinuous body forms of many other Pilophorini and most Leucophoropterini . The relatively short hemelytron is not typical even in the weakly myrmecomorphic genera ( Ausejanus , Tuxedo , and Sthenaridea ) of these two other phyline tribes.

Nonetheless, the structure of genitalia in both sexes clearly demonstrates that Teddus belongs to the Leptidolon group of genera and of the known taxa of this group is most closely related to Ancoraphylus . The endosoma, with dorsal and ventral apical spines and a curved process near the secondary gonopore, as well as female genitalia with a strongly sclerotized posterior wall and unique dorsoposterior elaboration, are currently not known in other phylines.