Key to species of Platypalpus from Middle Asia

1 Thorax yellow, at most with dark median stripe on mesoscutum............................................... 2

- Thorax black to brown................................................................................ 6

2 (1) Two pairs of vertical setae......................................................... P. amankutanensis sp. nov.

- One pair of vertical setae.............................................................................. 3

3 (2) Occiput black. Male: stylus white on basal half............................................................. 4

- Occiput mostly yellow. Male: stylus brown................................................................ 5

4 (3) Male: left epandrial lamella yellow, with setose outgrowth ventrally. Female: abdominal segments 8–9 contrastingly brownish...................................................................... P. kandybinae Shamshev & Grootaert

- Male: left epandrial lamella black, without setose outgrowth ventrally. Female: abdomen yellow... P. luteoloides Grootaert

5 (3) Apical spur on mid tibia black and sharply tipped in both sexes. Male: left epandrial lamella without process (Fig. 27)....................................................................................... P. sublutescens sp. nov.

- Apical spur on mid tibia yellowish, shallowly spoon-shaped and blunt tipped in female, black and saddle-like carved apically and armed with apical spine (as in P. cothurnatus) in male. Male: left epandrial lamella with setose process (Fig. 15)............................................................................................. P. sagma sp. nov.

6 (1) Stylus white........................................................................................ 7

- Stylus brown to black................................................................................. 8

7 (6) Mesoscutum lustrous............................................................... P. penesmirnovi sp. nov.

- Mesoscutum microtrichose............................................................ P. pallidiseta Kovalev

8 (7) 0–1 pair of vertical setae.............................................................................. 9

- Two pairs of vertical setae............................................................................ 25

9 (8) Mesoscutum lustrous.................................................................... Platypalpus sp. 1.

- Mesoscutum microtrichose........................................................................... 10

10 (9) Both basal antennal segments brown to black............................................................. 11

- Both basal antennal segments yellow to brownish red...................................................... 16

11 (8) Stylus thickened, lanceolate in shape...................................................... P. ozerovi Shamshev

- Stylus thin......................................................................................... 12

12 (11) Proepisternum without process. Anterior notopleural seta present............................. P. subinfectus sp. nov.

- Proepisternum with polished hood-like ventral process (P. m i n u t u s -complex). Anterior notopleural seta absent......... 13

13 (12) Legs entirely black. Male: finger-like apical projection on right epandrial lamella saw-toothed.......... Platypalpus sp. 4.

- Legs partly yellow to brownish yellow. Male: finger-like apical projection on right epandrial lamella rounded.......... 14

14 (13) Postpedicel 2.5–2.9X longer than broad, stylus 1.1–1.4X longer than postpedicel. Male: left epandrial lamella nearly straight ventrally............................................................................... Platypalpus sp. 5.

- Postpedicel shorter and stylus longer. Male: left epandrial lamella either with indentation in middle and setose outgrowth or its ventral margin forming angled line..................................................................... 15

15 (14) Male: left cercus extremely long and narrow.................................................. Platypalpus sp. 6.

- Male: left cercus short, triangular in lateral view............................................... Platypalpus sp. 7.

16 (10) Anterior notopleural seta present (if acrostichals closely biserial and strongly divergent, compare P. kirtlingensis)....... 17

- Anterior notopleural seta absent........................................................................ 18

17 (16) Postpedicel yellowish in basal part (in dorsal view). Dorsocentrals biserial and as long and strong as acrostichals. Male: left cercus with lustrous hook at apex..................................................... P. longiseta (Zetterstedt)

- Postpedicel black. Dorsocentrals nearly uniserial and at least some of them distinctly longer and more bristle-like than corre- sponding acrostichals. Male: left cercus without hook (Fig. 37)............................ P. zeravshanensis sp. nov.

18 (16) Acrostichal setae very closely biserial (almost uniserial) and strongly divergent................ P. kirtlingensis Grootaert

- Acrostichal setae broadly biserial and not strongly divergent................................................. 19

19 (16) Katepisternum entirely microtrichose. Tarsi yellow except contrastingly black last tarsal segment................... 20

- Katepisternum at least with lustrous spot. Tarsi various..................................................... 21

20 (19) Postpedicel 2.3X longer than broad. Stylus thickened. Mid tibia with very short blunt apical spur..... P. niyazovi Shamshev

- Postpedicel 1.5–1.7X longer than broad. Stylus thin. Mid tibia with long and pointed apical spur...................................................................................................... P. samarkandensis sp. nov.

21 (19) Postpedicel yellow with blackish tip. Mesoscutum with two dark stripes between rows of setae. Abdomen with grey fasciae on all terga, broad in male and narrow in female................................................ P. virgatus sp. nov.

- Not as above....................................................................................... 22

22 (21) Stylus greatly thickened. Small spur on mid tibia.......................................................... 23

- Stylus thin. Long, sharply pointed spur on mid tibia........................................................ 24

23 (22) Palpus short (1/3rd as long as proboscis), dark. Clypeus microtrichose. Male: left epandrial lamella with finger-like apical pro- jection (Fig 30)..................................................................... P. tumidiarista sp. nov.

- Palpus long (2/3rds as long as proboscis), yellow. Clypeus partly lustrous. Male: left epandrial lamella without finger-like api-

cal projection..................................................................... P. farabiensis Shamshev 24 (22) Legs entirely yellow including apical tarsal segments. Mesoscutum densely golden-yellow microtrichose. Male: left cercus without long spine-like process at apex...................................................... Platypalpus sp. 2.

- At least apical tarsal segment darkened. Mesoscutum light grey microtrichose. Male: left cercus with long spine-like process at apex (Fig. 32).................................................................... P. uzbekistanicus sp. nov.

25 (8) Mesoscutum at least partly lustrous, devoid of microtrichia.................................................. 26

- Mesoscutum entirely microtrichose..................................................................... 27

26 (25) Posteroventral setae on mid femur absent. Mid tibial spur nearly absent. Katepisternum largely lustrous (up to posterior margin)........................................................................ P. commutatoides sp. nov.

- Posteroventral setae on mid femur present. Mid tibial spur rather long, pale and blunt-tipped. Katepisternum with very small lustrous patch in middle (♀ only)........................................................... Platypalpus sp. 3.

27 (25) Apical spur on hind tibia absent. Posteroventral setae on mid femur absent. Acrostichals biserial. Postpedicel 2– 3 X longer than broad; stylus as long as postpedicel; basal two segments reddish yellow. Legs entirely yellow including last tarsomere. All body setae pale....................................................................... P. spatenkai sp. nov.

- Apical spur on hind tibia present. Posteroventral setae on mid femur present. Other characters different................ 28

28 (27) Katepisternum entirely microtrichose or with indefinite sublustrous patch in middle. Both basal antennomeres and basal third of postpedicel yellow, otherwise brownish black. Legs entirely yellow including last tarsomere. Spur on mid tibia rather short and blunt......................................................................... P. chimganensis sp. nov.

- Katepisternum largely lustrous. Antennae black. Legs extensively darkened. Spur on mid tibia rather long and sharp-tipped (species status cannot be resolved without associated males)...................................... Platypalpus sp. 8.