Revision of the plant bug genus Diognetus, with descriptions of thirteen new species from the Oriental and Eastern Palearctic Regions (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae)

Abstract: The mirine plant bug genus Diognetus Distant, 1904 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae: Mirini) is revised. Eighteen Oriental and Eastern Palearctic species are properly assigned to the genus. Diplotrichiella Poppius, 1915, syn. nov. and Yamatolygus Yasunaga, 1994, syn. nov. are synonymized with Diognetus; accordingly the following two new combinations, one substitute name and one new synonymy are proposed: Diognetus flavigenis (Horváth, 1905) comb. nov. and D. insulanus (Yasunaga, 1994) comb. nov. (transferred from Yamatolygus); D. yamato Yasunaga nom. nov. for Yamatolygus pilosus Yasunaga, 1994, junior secondary homonym of D. pilosus (Poppius, 1914); and Diplotrichiella rufescens Poppius, 1914, syn. nov. = Diognetus intonsus Distant, 1904 (valid name). Thirteen species are described as new: Diognetus bagmaticus sp. nov. (from Nepal), D. cheimon sp. nov. (Japan), D. dhampus sp. nov. (Nepal), D. duwalorum sp. nov. (Nepal), D. giganteus sp. nov. (Malaysia), D. gotohi sp. nov. (Malaysia), D. laureus sp. nov. (Japan), D. magnificus sp. nov. (Indonesia), D. minusculus sp. nov. (Malaysia), D. puspae sp. nov. (Nepal), D. schuhorum sp. nov. (Indonesia), D. styrax sp. nov. (Taiwan) and D. vernus sp. nov. (Japan). The generic characters are reassessed and discussed, on the basis of detailed observation of external structures using scanning electron microscopy as well as male and female genitalia.

Key words: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Diognetus, classification, new species, SEM documentation, East Palearctic Region, Oriental Region