N. pilifer Fabricius

Nerius Fabricius

Diagnosis

Fronto-orbital plate black narrow, with white pruinescence; three fronto-orbitalorbial setae well-developed. Ocellar triangle black opaque and flat. Postgena with patch of white setulae. Occiput wide, brown to black, velvet or shiny. Antennal base brown to black and shiny, except N. czerny Aczél, with a rather subshiny base, covered with faint yellow pruinescence. Antenna not elongate, nearly half head length. Inner process of pedicel reaching the basal third of the first flagellomere; triangular and wide at base. First flagellomere wide with widely rounded apex; arista brown and bare. Prosternum very wide, united to the inferior sides of propleura, apparently forming a continuous sclerite in front of the procoxa. Postpronotal carina shiny protuberant. Legs brown to blackish brown. Basicosta with one conspicuous seta. Vein dm-cu curved, not oblique. Male genitalia relatively long and slender; when folded reaches the posterior margin of segment 2 ventrally.

Species accounts

1. Nerius brachantichirinus Hennig

2. Nerius czernyi Aczél

3. Nerius lanei Aczél

4. Nerius laticornis Hennig

5. Nerius ochraceus Schiner

6. Nerius pilifer Fabricius

7. Nerius plurivittatus Bigot

8. Nerius purpusianus (Enderlein)

9. Nerius terebrans Hennig

Key to species of Nerius

1 Legs dark brown ... 2

1' Legs yellow; 3-4 fronto-orbital setae present ... 8

2 Four fronto-orbital setae present; mesonotum with two inconspicuous grey lateral stripes (male) ... N. terebrans

2' Three fronto-orbital setae present ... 3

3 Median longitudinal stripe on mesonotum relatively narrow and with a more or less conspicuous dark median line ... 4

3' Median longitudinal stripe of mesonotum not narrow, wider on the scutum and forming three narrow dark brown stripes (a complete median and two shorter lateral ones); always three fronto-orbital setae are present ... 5

4 Postpedicel of male wide-ovate, widening towards the apex, only 1.45 times as long as wide; thre fronto-orbital setae and inner vertical seta always present; epandrium togetherwith the cercus, twice as long as syntergosternite 8 ... N. laticornis

4' Postpedicel of both sexes elongate-ovate, more or less tapering towards apex; 1.8-2.1 times longer than wide; 2-3 fronto-orbital setae present; inner vertical seta very small or absent; epandrium and cercus shorter, only 1.6-1.8 times as long as the syntergosternite 8 ... N. pilifer

5 Postpedicel nearly orbicular in the male, hardly longer than wide; inner vertical seta strong; dark lateral vitta of the mesonotum running from the middle of the prescutum to the prescutellar dorsocentral seta in front of the scutoscutellar suture; postabdomen when folded attains middle of basal region of the fourth preabdominal segment ... N. lanei

5' Postpedicel in both sexes ovate, tapering toward apex; dark lateral vitta of scutum originates behind transverse suture, on the scutum .... 6

6 Epandrium "hardly longer" than the syntergosternite 8; oviscape as long as the preabdomen (7-8.5 mm) ... N. purpusianus

6' Epandrium conspicuously (2-2.3 times) longer than syntergosternite 8 ... 7

7 Inner vertical seta present; antennal base with a rather dense brown dusting , subshining; head and frons relatively narrow (1.45-1.6); postcranium long (eyes only 2.1 times as long as the postcranium); postabdomen when folded attains the median region of the third abdominal segment ... N. czernyi

7' Inner vertical seta absent; antennal base polished and shining, without dusting; head and frons relatively wide (1.1-1.3); postcranium short (eyes 3.2-3.9 times longer than postcranium); postabdomen when folded attains the base of fourth or apex of third abdominal segment; oviscape 2.7-2.8 times longer than wide ... N. plurivittatus

8 Femora with blackish brown distomedian rings ... N. ochraceus

8' Dark distomedian rings on femora absent or rather inconspicuous ... N. brachantichirinus