Identity of Japanese Species of the Flea Hopper Mirid Genus Halticus, with a Description of a New Species from the Ryukyu Islands (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)

The identities of the Japanese fleahopper species of the genus Halticus Hahn, 1833 (Orthotylinae: Halticini) are reviewed. The population of Halticus in Japan has traditionally been regarded as a single taxon, H. insularis Usinger, 1946. However, two species, Halticus minutus Reuter, 1885 [= H. tibialis Reuter, 1891] and H. esakii new species (herein diagnosed and described), are now verified to occur in Japan. An annotated checklist and a key are provided to aid in identification of three Halticus species confirmed to inhabit the warmer (subtropical and tropical) regions of Japan, Micronesian islands and atolls, and the Oriental Region. New distributional records of H. insularis and H. minutus in Southeast Asia are also presented.