SPHAEROCERA IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA — RICHARDS 239 



Key to Species of Subgenus Parasphaerocera Spuler ^ 



1. Abdomen dorsally with no pale spots or with very small ones, much less than 



half as long or half as wide as a tergal plate 2 



Abdomen dorsally with two large pale spots, at least two-thirds as wide or 

 as long as a tergal plate 5 



2. Legs mainly black. Neither sternite 3 nor 4 sclorotized. Abdomen with 



two small pale spots (U.S.A.) . . Sphaeracera annulicornis Malloch, 1913, 9 

 Legs entirely pale. Sternites 3 and 4 represented by at least small plates . 3 



3. Facial plate in form of a small, very transverse triangle. Abdomen with 



two small pale spots. Sternites (cT) 1 + 2 with a small oval central plate, 

 sternite 3 transverse, rounded posteriorly, sternite 4 subrectangular (Costa 



Rica and, apparently, Brazil) S. flavicoxa Malloch, 1925 



Facial plate trapeziform, not so transverse (only 9 seen) 4 



4. Abdomen with two small pale spots. Sternites 1 + 2 large, subrectan- 



gular, sternite 3 smaller, oval, sternite 4 square, sternite 5 trapeziform 



(Panama) S, guttula, new species 



Abdomen entirely black dorsally, Sternites 1 + 2 small, pyriform, sternite 

 3 narrow, sublinear, sternite 4 trapeziform, narrowed posteriorly, longer 

 than broad (Panama) S. pallipes Malloch, 1913 



5. Femora with at least the basal half black 6 



Femora pale yellow, at most the distal part slightly browner or, in one 



species, the foretibiae dark 8 



6. Femora with distal half sharply pale. Sternite 3 small, pyriform, twice as 



long as broad in cf, not sclerotized in ?; sternite 4 subrectangular, in 

 cf rather wider than long, in ? three times as long as broad (Central 



America and U.S.A.) S. varipes Malloch, 1913 



Femora black, apices narrowly pale (not seen, separation after Malloch) . 7 



7. Venter of 9 with two sclerotized plates. Cheeks closely striate in middle 



(Florida) S. striata Malloch, 1925 



Venter of 9 with three sclerotized plates. Cheeks not striate in middle 

 (Maryland) S. nigrifeniur Malloch, 1925 



8. Males 9 



Females 15 



9. Sternite 4 not transverse, sternite 5 concealed. Ninth tergite emarginate, 



cerci separated by deep V-shaped emargination. Prosternum with 



small triangular plate with a narrow anterior projection (Ecuador) . . 10 



Sternite 4 distinctly transverse 11 



10, Facial plate raised hito a rounded convex boss. Sternite 3 parallel sided. 



S. chirtiborazo, new species 

 Facial plate fiat. Sternite 3 clearly narrowed posteriorly. 



S. levicastilli, new species 



11, Sternite 3 transverse, widely trapeziform with posterior margin slightly 



concave; sternite 4 about six times as wide as long (Ecuador), 



S. trapezina, new species 

 Sternite 3 not transverse 12 



12, Sternites 3 and 4 rectangular (Ecuador) . . . S. transversalis, new species 

 Sternite 3 clearly not rectangular 13 



3 S. galapagensis Curran, 1934, runs down in this key to S. varipes Malloch and 

 cannot be distinguished from it by any character mentioned in the description. 



