A LUCID® key to the subgenera and species-groups of Sphenoptera Dejean of the Palaearctic (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Sphenoptera Dejean (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a large genus of over 1,200 species that occurs in the Palaearctic, Oriental, and Afrotropical regions. The last comprehensive treatment of the genus was published in 1926 by Obenberger. Since then, numerous changes in definition of the subgenera have rendered that publication less-than-useful, and recently proposed species-groups have never been defined. Interest in this genus is more than academic, with potential biological control agents being discovered, but without the ability to consistently identify them. As a first step, we have created a concise and easy-to-use key to subgenera and species-groups of the Palaearctic region. A set of consistent, reliable characters was defined, then recorded in a matrix-style format and used to generate a computer based key to species-groups utilizing LUCID® key builder software. Photographs of the various character states were added to the key to facilitate ease of use and clarity.