key

 -   Subfamilies
 -   Asilinae
    Neoitamus
 -   cothurnatus
 -   cyanurus
 -   socius

  contents & layout
  & copyright:
  Fritz Geller-Grimm
  Imprint

 
Identification key to the species of Neoitamus

back to the key to Asilinae

The males of the three species occurring in Germany can be fairly easily distinguished by the hypopygium. The females, however, were much more difficult to identify before SPEIGHT (1988) provided an identification key to females, which was based on the development of microtrichia in the basal radial cell of the wings. During my work I have not encountered variation in this character and therefore it seems good for distinguishing between females. A table for comparison of taxa is provided on this CD-ROM.

1 a.	Males . . . . . . . . . . . . to 2

1 b.	Females . . . . . . . . . . . . to 4

2 a.	Tergite 6 predominantly tomentose, only shiny dorsally; epandria short, more or less square, not as elongated as socius dorsally [Fig. 1] . . . . . . . . . . . . Neoitamus cothurnatus (Meigen, 1820)

2 b.	Tergite 6, like tergite 7, predominantly shiny (atomentose) [Fig. 2], [Fig. 3] . . . . . . . . . . . . to 3

3 a.	Epandria more than twice as long as wide [Fig. 4] . . . . . . . . . . . . Neoitamus cyanurus (Loew, 1849)

3 b.	Epandria distinctly shorter and basally broader than apically [Fig. 5] . . . . . . . . . . . . Neoitamus socius (Loew, 1871)

4 a.	Sternite 7 with tomentose longitudinal stripes [Fig. 6] . . . . . . . . . . . . Neoitamus cothurnatus (Meigen, 1820)

4 b.	Sternite 7 entirely shiny [Fig. 7], [Fig. 8] . . . . . . . . . . . . to 5

5 a.	Microtrichia in basal radial cell developed only at apical margin [Fig. 9], [Fig. 10] . . . . . . . . . . . . Neoitamus cyanurus (Loew, 1849)

5 b.	Microtrichia in basal radial cell distinct on anterior margin [Fig. 11], [Fig. 12] . . . . . . . . . . . . Neoitamus socius (Loew, 1871)