Review of the species assigned to the genus Megalocoleus Reuter, 1890 (Heteroptera: Miridae).

The 24 species assigned to the genus Megalocoleus are re-examined after study of all available types. The male and female genitalia provide much more reliable diagnostic characters than do external characters and are often essential for distinguishing species. Nevertheless some external characters are useful but particularly difficult to apply to specimens not in perfect condition. At the time of this review, it seems that the genus cannot be properly defined without study of the species in the closely related genus Amblytylus. The following changes can nevertheless be proposed at present: - Restoration of one species, Megalocoleus krueperi (Reuter, 1879) bona species; consequently M. satrapes Horvath, 1907 and M. binotatus (Wagner, 1953), previously synonyms of M. lunula, must be synonyms of M. krueperi Reuter, 1879. - Placing eight species into synonymy : M. hungaricus Wagner, 1944 n. syn. of M. naso (Reuter, 1879); M. ocrensis Wagner, 1972 n. syn. of M. exsanguis (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1835); M. bifidus Wagner, 1973 n. syn. and M. fasciatus Wagner, 1969 n. syn. of M. lunula (Fieber, 1861); M. hirsutus Drapolyuk, 1991 n. syn. of M. signoreti (Reuter, 1879); M. confusus Wagner, 1958 n. syn. and M. pericarti Linnavuori, 1970 n. syn. of M. molliculus (Fallen, 1807). - Exclusion from the genus Megalocoleus of four species; three species are new synonyms : M. temoralis (Reuter, 1879) n. syn. de Tinicephalus hortulanus (Meyer-Dur, 1843), M. fumanae Wagner, 1974 n. syn. of Tinicephalus croceus Wagner 1969; M. servadeii Wagner, 1954 n. syn. of Amblytylus tarsalis Reuter, 1894; one species, M. atricornis becomes Tinicephalus atricornis (Wagner, 1965) n. comb. A practical key (in French and in English) for identification, based on external characters, offers separation of the 14 species of Megalocoleus forming the genus after the present study.