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) .

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.