Unexpected discovery of the Australian seed bug Brentiscerus putoni (White, 1878) (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Lygaeoidea, Rhyparochromidae, Drymini) in Japan suggests the possibility of a recent introduction due to human activity

Abstract

The genus Brentiscerus Scudder, 1962 (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Lygaeoidea, Rhyparochromidae, Drymini) is widely distributed in the Australian Region; however, no species have been recorded in the Palaearctic Region. Here, we report Brentiscerus putoni (White, 1878) from Japan, based on materials collected from Honshu, Kyushu, and Kamikoshiki-shima Island. This discovery represents the first Palaearctic record of the genus and suggests that B. putoni may be an alien species in Japan. All 25 specimens were collected in a well-investigated region of Japan since 2013.