PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 92(2), 1990, pp. 304-305 THE STATUS OF THE GENUS MINEUS STAL, 1862 (HETEROPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE: ASOPINAE) Donald B. Thomas, Jr. USDA-ARS Screwworm Research, Apartado Postal 544, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. Abstract.— T\\Q synonymy of the genus Mineus Stai is confirmed. Mineus sthgipes is placed in the asopine genus Perillus Stai. Mineus triangularis (Walker) is transferred to the pentatomine genus Mormidea Amyot & Serville, where it is the senior synonym of Mormidea kirkaldyi Rolston. Key Words: Mineus, Pentatomidae, Asopinae, taxonomy The genus Mineus was erected by StSl ( 1 867) to hold a single species, Podisus strig-ipes Herrich-Schaefer, 1851. The species oc-curs throughout the eastern United States with records for New Mexico (Ruckes 1937) and Arizona (Froeschner 1988) probable misidentifications of Perillus exaptus (Say). A second species, Strachia triangularis Walker, was transferred to Mineus by Dis-tant (1900). The locality of origin given by Walker (1867) was Eucador. In his revision of the Asopinae, Schouteden ( 1 907) provid-ed a key to the genera which included Mi-neus and an excellent figure of Mineus stri-gipes. Schouteden listed Mineus triangularis with a question mark, and in a footnote he stated that based on Walker's description the species did not appear to belong in Mi-neus. Nothing further has been published on Mineus triangularis, and in spite of the excellent drawing, .Mineus strigipes is often misidentified in collections, being confused with Perillus exaptus. The source of the con-fusion is that Schouteden (1907) and later Torre-Bueno (1938) separate Perillus and Mineus by the presence of a subapical spine on the profemur. In Perillus exaptus. how-ever, the spine is reduced to a small tubercle which in some cases is absent altogether. The dorsal markings are similar enough so that someone using Knight's (1952) revi-sion of Perillus would easily confound the two species. It is generally overlooked (e.g. McPherson 1982, Froeschner 1988) that Hoffman (1971) synonymized Mineus un-der Perillus. an arrangement with which I am in complete accord. The genitalic struc-ture of strigipes is identical to that of the other species of Perillus. there being little interspecific variation in either males or fe-males of the genus. McDonald ( 1 966). who studied the genitalia, also concluded that strigipes belonged in Perillus, but it was not within the scope of his study to make formal nomenciatural changes. The species of Per-illus can be distinguished by the dorsal markings as described in Knight's (1952) revision and key. Perillus strigipes and Per-illus exaptus can be distinguished because strigipes always has a median, longitudinal stripe of yellow to red color on the midline of the pronotum, which is lacking in ex-aptus. The synonymy of Mineus under Perillus leaves Mineus triangularis without a genus. I recently examined the holotype of Struck-
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