This taxonomic work discusses the mealybugs (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Coccoidea, Pseudococcidae and Putoidae) of southern Asia, an area comprising 17 countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam). It reviews 354 species in 62 genera, of which 147 species and 6 genera are new to science. There are 15 new combinations of species and 19 species are placed in synonymy. A key to genera and keys to species are provided. For each species a description is given, followed by a distribution list and notes on biology, host plants and economic importance when known. Full-page illustrations are provided tor all 339 species that have been available tor study.
The new genera described are Aemulantonina, Crenicoccus, Exallomochlus, Extanticoccus, Hordeolicoccus and Lanceacoccus. Birendracoccus Ali is placed in synonymy with Phenacoccus Cockerell (syn. n.), Heteroheliococcus Wu & Tang and Novonalicoccus Ghosh & Ghose are here regarded as synonyms of Heliococcus Šulc (syn. n.), Lachnodiopsis Borchsenius is synonymised with Paraputo Laing (syn. n.), Planococcoides Ezzat & McConnell and Indococcus Ali are synonymised with Formicococcus Takahashi (syn. n.), and Parkermicus Khalid 8. Shatee is treated as a synonym of Dysmicoccus Ferris (syn. n.). Lectotypes for 31 species are designated. For reasons given in the text, the opportunity is taken to include a single species of the family Putoidae, the first to be described from tropical Asia.