S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 50. (Budapest, 1989)

Basing on the above facts, Dr. Bonfils and myself have arrived to the conclusion that the two taxa mentioned are identical and that Japananus meridionalis Bonfils, 1981 is thus a younger synonym of J. hyalinus (Osborn, 1900); however, Dr. Bonfils has not published this opinion. Unfortunately, both Bonfils (1981) and Lauterer 11984) had at their disposal only scanty material from North America and thus were unable to assess the variation range in that region. The variation range of the European population is probably smaller than that of the American population, suggesting that the European population originates from a small, genetically uniform, ancestral population. According to the personal communication of Professor Dr. D.A. Young, the population of Neoaliturus tenellus Baker, introduced into North America, shows a similar tendency: that population has a smaller variation range than in the Mediterranean Subregion, its original homeland. Japananus hyalinus (Osborn), 6 J. hyalinus is rapidly spreading over Europe. Its original focal distribution is changing into overall, as is probably the case in south-eastern Europe, and at present the species is spreading in the northern, eastern and apparently also western directions. Its distribution in Europe has been summarized by Nast (1987) and supplemented by Arzone, Vidano and Alma by northern Italy (although the species has not been evaluated taxonomically), and Jansky (in litt.) prepares a paper on its distribution in Slovakia. Judging from the rate at