Neolethaeus Distant, 1909

Li, Junlan & Bu, Wenjun, 2006, Three new species of Neolethaeus Distant (Hemiptera: Lygaeoidea: Rhyparochromidae: Lethaeini) from China, with a key to the Chinese species, Zootaxa 1270, pp. 45-56 : 46

Neolethaeus Distant, 1909 .

Neolethaeus Distant, 1909: 340 ; Zheng & Zou, 198: 123; Slater & O’Donnell, 1995: 99. Type species: Neolethaeus typicus Distant, 1909 .

Diagnosis. Body oval, usually dark with yellow maculae; rostrum reaching mesocoxae to metacoxae, first segment reaching base of head; pronotum with a distinct collar, lacking a distinct transverse impression, lateral margin distinctly carinate; scutellum with an obscure “V” shaped carina; clavus with four rows of punctures; membrane with four veins, the second, third and fourth ones united near the middle by a transverse vein, forming two basal cells; legs with slightly incrassate fore femora armed with spines.

The males of most species possess incrassate hind femora with many protuberances, posterior margin of abdominal sternum VII with three pointed processes. Several species, such as N. assamensis Distant , N. esaki Hidaka and N. densus sp. nov., however, lack such structures.