New species of the plant bug genus Neolygus Knight from Japan, Taiwan and Thailand (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirini) Author Yasunaga, Tomohide text Zootaxa 2024 2024-05-02 5446 4 451 487 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5446.4.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5446.4.1 1175-5326 11102124 C204C80E-332C-4537-A6BA-1FC372BD6783 Neolygus babai n. sp. Figs. 5F–G , 11A–E , 18A–K Material examined. Holotype ( ♂ ). TAIWAN : Nantou Co., Mt. Yu-Shan ( 1900 m alt.), 23.48, 120.93 4 Jul 1986 , K. Baba ( NMNS ) ( AMNH _ PBI 00378770 ) . Paratypes : TAIWAN : same data as for holotype, 1♀ ( TYCN ) . Taiwan : Nantou Hsien , Puli , 12 May 1987 , S. Gotoh , 1♀ ( TYCN ) ; Puli , Habun River , 24.02, 121.13, UV lighting, 20 May 1988 , S. Gotoh , 1♂ ( TYCN ) . FIGURE 11. Male (A–C, F–H) and female (D–E, I–L) genitalia of Neolygus babai n. sp. (A–E), N. formosaroseus n. sp. (F–I) and N. fuscovultus n. sp. (J–L) A, F, Left paramere. B, G, Right paramere. C, H, Vesica. D, I, L, Female genital chamber. E, K, Posterior wall of bursae. J, Apex of ovipositor (gonapophysis I). Scale bars 0.2 mm. Diagnosis. Recognized by its moderate sized, elongate oval body ( Fig. 5F ); reddish brown head with pale striae on frons ( Fig. 5G ); darkened apical 1/3 of clypeus; dark brown thoracic pleura and abdomen; and reddish brown metafemur.A combination of these diagnostic characters enables this new species to be distinguished from any other Asian congeners. Description. Body moderate in size, subparallel-sided ( ♂ )/ elongate-ovoid ( ♀ ); dorsum pale green, partly tinged with red ( Fig. 5A ), with densely distributed, pale, simple, reclining setae. Head shiny reddish brown, with pale striae on frons ( Fig. 5B ); basal transverse carina of vertex narrower than pronotal collar; apical 1/3 of clypeus fuscous. Antenna pale brown; apical 1/3–1/4 of segment II, entire III and IV darker. Labium shiny pale brown, slightly exceeding apex of mesocoxa. Pronotum immaculate; thoracic pleura dark brown; scent efferent system creamy yellow, with dark margin, somewhat triangular ( Fig. 18B ); scutellum pale brown. Clavus widely darkened; membrane smoky brown, with pale veins and a semitransparent, pale spot posterior to apex of cuneus. All coxae and legs pale; base of each coxa more or less brownish; metafemur reddish brown; apical part of each tarsomere III darkened; meta-tarsomere II longer than III ( Fig. 18C ); pretarsal structure as in Fig. 18D ; parempodia developed. Ventral side of abdomen widely dark brown ( ♂ )/ pale brown ( ♀ ). Male genitalia ( Figs. 11A–C , 18E–H ): Parameres as in Figs. 11A–B , 18E–F ; left paramere with developed, spatulate process at apex of hypophysis ( Fig. 18E ); vesica with short, broad, almost straight spiculum weakly curved apically and rather wide ventral sclerite ( Figs. 11C , 18G–H ). Female genitalia ( Figs. 11D–E , 18I–K ): Sclerotized rings thin-rimmed, rather ovoid, mesially separated to each other ( Fig. 11D ); posterior wall as in Figs. 11E , 18J–K ; spinules on interramal sclerite rather sparsely distributed mesially ( Fig. 18J ); interramal lobe small, semi-circular ( Fig. 11E , 18J ); lateral lobe with uniformly distributed, scaly microstructures ( Fig. 18K ). Measurements : See Table 1 . Etymology. Named after the late Dr. Kintaro Baba, who provided quite a few Taiwanese mirid specimens; a noun in genitive case. Distribution . Taiwan ( Nantou ). Biology. Unknown. Remarks . In Taiwan , three species originally described by Poppius (1915) under Lygus (sensu lato), L. bipuncticollis , L. matsumurae and L. v-nigrum , are now placed in Neolygus (cf. Schwartz & Kerzhner 1997 ; Lu and Zheng 1998b ; National Museum of Natural Science 2023 ); of these, L. bipuncticollis is not a genuine member of Neolygus (Yasunaga in prep.). The present work adds four new species to the Taiwanese fauna.