Key for the species of Neriidae of Mexico

The species Nerius purpusianus Enderlein, 1922 is likely a junior synonym of Nerius plurivittatus and was not included in the key. Odontoloxozus longicornis and O. pachycericola key out to the same couplet because there is no reliable diagnostic characters to separate the two species (Pfeiler et al. 2013).

1. Tegument densely pruinose with numerous setulae with brown maculae at its base, giving the appearance of a brown-dotted body (Fig. 1I) … [ Odontoloxozus Enderlein: O. longicornis + O. pachycericola]

-. Tegument without these setulae or brown maculae throughout the body.......................................... 2

2. Antennal base opaque and brown to testaceous. Postgena with dense patch of yellow setulae. Anterior notopleural seta as long as posterior one (Fig. 1B). Discal scutellar seta well-developed, about one third the size of apical scutellar seta (Fig. 6D). Thorax with two wide silvery stripes dorsally (Fig. 1B)....................................................... 3

-. Antennal base shiny or opaque; if opaque, dark brown. Postgena with scarce or no yellow setulae. Anterior notopleural seta absent or present; if present, shorter than posterior one. Discal scutellar seta absent or inconspicuous. Thorax without two wide silvery stripes dorsally................................................................................. 4

3. Vibrissa present. Arista dorso-apical and brown. Four well-developed postsutural dorsocentral setae, increasing in size towards scutellum (Fig. 1B). First flagellomere rectangular................................. Eoneria blanchardi Aczél, 1951

-. Vibrissa absent. Arista apical with proximal half white and distal half brown. One well-developed postsutural dorsocentral seta, other dorsocentral setae very short (Figs 6B, D). First flagellomere slightly tapering towards apex.. Eoneria ramirezi sp. nov.

4. Presutural scutum and antepronotal ridge distinctly anterior to postpronotal carina (Fig. 2G). Pedicel elongate, at least twice as long as wide (Figs 1A, 2A, 2B, 3, 4A, 4B, 4C). Occiput at least as long as high (Figs 2A, 2B, 3A, 4A)................. 5

-. Presutural scutum and antepronotal ridge at same level as postpronotal carina (Fig. 2B). Pedicel stout, length 1.5 times width, at most. Occiput shorter than high........................................................................ 6

5. Male occiput as long as high (Fig. 2A). First flagellomere with widely rounded apex (Fig. 2B)............................................................................................. Cerantichir enderleini (Hennig, 1937)

-. Male occiput twice as long as high (Fig. 3A). First flagellomere with distal margin rounded and slightly expanded ventrally (Fig. 4A)................................................................... Cerantichir mexicana sp. nov.

6. Prosternum wide, reaching the proepisternum laterally. Inner process of pedicel wide, triangular....... 7 [ Nerius Fabricius]

-. Prosternum linear, separated from proepisternum by a wide membranous area. Inner process of pedicel narrow, triangular to finger-like....................................................................... 8 [ Glyphidops Enderlein]

7. Occiput inflated and shiny. Thorax with two broad silvery dorsomedian stripes on presutural and postsutural scutum separated by narrow brown stripe. Inner vertical seta short and outer vertical seta absent.............. Nerius pilifer Fabricius, 1805

-. Occiput flat and velvet pruinose. Thorax with two silvery dorsomedian stripes on presutural and postsutural scutum, separated medially by broad brown stripe narrowing toward scutoscutellar suture, and by dorsocentral brown stripe from transverse suture to scutoscutellar suture (Fig. 1H). Inner and outer vertical setae well developed..... Nerius plurivittatus Bigot, 1886

8. Arista with dense white pubescence on entire surface, or at least on basal third (Fig. 1E)............................. 9

-. Arista brown, with small bare white area at base (Fig. 1C, G)................................................. 10

9. Arista entirely dense white pubescent. Frontal vitta orange, with ovate black spot on posterior third, covering the ocellar tubercle (Fig. 1E)........................................................ Glyphidops filosus (Fabricius, 1805)

-. Arista white pubescent at base and brown and bare on distal two thirds. Frontal vitta yellow............................................................................................... Glyphidops xanthopus (Schiner, 1868)

10. Pleuron partly brown and yellow, with katatergite yellow (Fig. 5A, B). Occiput with ventral brown stripe narrowing posteriorly (Fig. 5A, B). Abdomen with dorsomedian yellow stripe extending from tergite 1 to tergite 6 at most (Fig. 1F).................................................................................... Glyphidops flavifrons (Bigot, 1886)

-. Pleuron mostly brown with bluish reflections and small yellowish areas on ventral proepisternum and dorsal anepisternum and katepisternum (Fig. 2D, E). Occiput with ventral brown stripe broad and linear (Fig. 2D, E). Abdomen uniformly brown, without dorsomedian yellow stripe (Fig. 1D)..................................... Glyphidops durus (Cresson, 1926)