Lygaeus diffusus Walker

Kondorosy, El Ő D, Lyal, Christopher Henry Coutts & Webb, Michael Donald, 2006, Nomenclatorial changes in Oriental Lygaeinae seed bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae), Zootaxa 1383, pp. 45-56 : 48

Lygaeus diffusus Walker

L. diffusus Walker, 1872: 59 ; Slater, 1964: 51.

Graptostethus diffusus (Walker) , Distant, 1901: 537. New placement: junior synonym of Graptostethus incomptus (Herrich-Schaffer, 1847) (Lygaeus) , syn. nov.

Material examined. Lectotype ɗ Lygaeus diffusus Walker , with the following labels: 1. Museum circular green-margined “Walker” type label, with “ TYPE ” pr; 2. small circular blue label with “Celebes” hwr, reverse side “[18]58 142” hwr [ BMNH register entry for 1858 142 reads: “Celebes (within 50 miles of Macassar) Purchased of Stevens Collected by Mr Alfred Wallace in 1857 1858]”; 3. “ Lygaeus diffusus ”, pr; 4. red label “LE CTOTYPE”, pr, “ Lygaeus diffusus Walker A. Slater 1977 .” hwr.

Paralectotype ɗ Lygaeus diffusus Walker , with the following labels: 1. small circular blue label with “ Flores ” hwr; 2. “Saunders 65. 13” pr.

Paralectotype ɗ Lygaeus diffusus Walker , with the following labels: 1. small circular blue label with “Mak.” hwr; 2. “Celeb Wallace” hwr and pr respectively; 3. “Saunders 65.13” pr; 4. “ Lygaeus diffusus Walker’s catal.” pr except diffusus hwr.

Remarks. Originally described from three specimens (syntypes) thus: “a. Celebes. From Mr. Wallace’s collection. b. Celebes. Presented by W.W. Saunders, Esq. c. Flores. Presented by W.W. Saunders, Esq.”. Graptostethus incomptus is close to G. s e r v u s (Fabricius), but in the latter the pubescence is far more dense. We place diffusus in synonymy with incomptus after having compared its lectotype with the types (BMNH) of other junior synonyms of incomptus , i.e., G. inornatus Distant and L. inequalis Walker. In addition, the first paralectotype listed above is not a Graptostethus species.