On some New-Guinean Batrachomorphus species (Hemiptera, Jassidae)

The genus Batracomorphus was erected by Lewis in 1836 to contain B. irroratus, then a new species from near London. Lewis published a very detailed description of his new genus, and compared it with Iassus Germar (= Allygus atomarius F.) or Phrynomorphus Curtis (= Euscelis lineolatus Brullé); then he writes: "but the position of the antennae, ocelli, &c. evidently allies it to Bythoscopus, Germ." (= Iassus lanio F.), "from which its depressed form will at once distinguish it". The name was emendated by Agassiz to Batrachomorphus. After Lewis many authors, who were not able to see "at once" the difference, united Batrachomorphus with the genus in which they placed Iassus lanio F. Ribaut gives a more detailed account of the characters separating the two genera. From this it appears that most — if not all — oriental and australian species are to be brought to Batrachomorphus, chiefly because of the number of spines on the posterior knees. Two genera of australasian insects were described in 1906 resp. 1930, which are to be reunited with Batrachomorphus, viz., Eurinoscopus Kirkaldy and Marquardtella Schmidt. Both descriptions compare their object with the genus Bythoscopus Germar (= Iassus F.) and its type lanio L., which induced the authors to create a new genus. A comparison with the type of Batrachomorphus, however, shows that at most a few unimportant differences in the nervature of the tegmina can be traced, which are not of generic importance, the less so as the nervature is apt to considerable individual variation. Only very few species have been mentioned as occurring in New Guinea up to now. Walker mentions quite a number of "Bythoscopus" species