Key to the Cophura

This key was created with the key to the Cophura in Pritchard's "Revision of the genus Cophura Osten Sacken" from 1943.

The species which occur only in Mexico are removed as well as strictly west coastal and CA species. Southwestern and Texas species are included.

Species not included for the area are fisheri Wilcox 1965 (NV AZ), getzendaneri Wilcox 1959 (AZ), tolandi Wilcox 1959 (AZ) and vandykei Wilcox 1965 (AZ). 

1   Scutellum entirely pollinose.

                                                                        2

1’  Scutellum  with broad posterior margin largely or entirely bare of pollen.

                                                                                        12

2   Wings somewhat ovoid, largely or entirely dark brownish (Sodalis group). Posterior femora yellowish. (MX AZ)

                                                                          sodalis

Osten Sacken 1887

2’  Wings elongate, slender, hyaline or essentially so, the veins sometimes clouded.

                                                                           3

3   Femora yellowish except at distal end; posterior coxa without anterior tubercle; mesonotum white pollinose; abdomen shining black with lateral pollen. (NE TX CA to UT)

                                dora

Pritchard 1943

3’  Femora largely or entirely black; posterior coxa with anterior tubercle; mesonotum with short setae and outstanding bristles or with erect brown hair.

                                                 4

4   Abdomen largely bare of pollen dorsally and shining black.

                                                                                                                    5

4’  Abdomen entirely pollinose, except caudal segments of female.

                                                  7

5  Legs with proximal half of tibia yellowish; cinereous pollen of abdomen forming a lateral stripe. (TX OK)

texana

Bromley 1934

5'  Legs entirely black; cinereous pollen of abdomen lateral but projecting inward on each segment.

6

6   Abdominal cinereous pollen extending inward along anterior margin of the segments, meeting to form fasciae on two, three and four. (NM)

                                                                                                                        ameles

Pritchard 1943

6’  Abdominal cinereous pollen extending inward along posterior margins of the segments, well separated dorsally. (AZ CA NV)

                                                                                                      fur

(Williston) 1885

7  Anterior calli of mesonotum bearing short bristles; femora black; anterior four tibia typically reddish proximally. (AZ NM)

                                                                 arizonensis

(Schaeffer) 1916

7’ Anterior calli of mesonotum only pollinose.

                                                                                          8

8  Scutellum with a single pair of marginal bristles. (MX)

                                                  9

8’ Scutellum with two or three pairs of marginal bristles.

                                               11

9  Posterior femora with numerous long bristles below, without fine hairs; femora usually with distal ends reddish, especially posteriorly; abdomen uniform cinereous pollinose. (OK CO KS TX)

                                                                                 stylosa

Curran 1931

9’ Posterior femora with three or four slender bristles below and a few short, fine hairs; femora entirely black; abdominal pollen brown or brownish fasciate.

                           10

10   Abdomen with dorsum uniformly dark brown pollinose contrasting with a lateral cinereous stripe; wings largely fuliginous on distal half; median plate of male genitalia sharply convex distally, without indentation. (AZ)

                                        hesperia

(Pritchard) 1935

10’  Abdominal tergites cinereous pollinose posteriorly; wings hyaline; median plate of male genitalia nearly flat with a median indentation on distal third. (AZ UT)

                                                             pollinosa

Curran 1930

11  Anterior tibia black; abdominal tergum dark brown pollinose with a cinereous stripe on each side. (AZ)

                                                      vera

(Pritchard) 1935

11’ Anterior tibia reddish-yellow on proximal three-fourths; abdomen cinereous pollinose. (CO AZ NM OK TX)

                                                                 lutzi

Curran 1931

12   Posterior coxa without tubercle.

                                                                             13

12’  Posterior coxa with elongate tubercle.

     14

13   Face with only oral bristles and hairs, and at narrowest point fully two-thirds as wide as width of one eye; thorax nearly bare of hairs and bristles; wings long and slender; hind tibiae slender; brown species with brown legs and hyaline wings (Painteri group). (AZ CA NM Baja)

                                                                                            painteri

Pritchard 1943

13’  Face hairy, at narrowest point about one-half as wide as width of one eye; thorax pilose; wings broad at base and strongly tapering; hind tibiae stout, enlarged; species with black thorax, yellow abdomen and legs, and with wings dark brown on proximal two-thirds (Sculleni group). (AZ NM TX)

                                                                                       sculleni

Wilcox 1937

14   Anal cell closed and petiolate; scutellum nearly as long as wide, somewhat triangular, the caudal margin with a bare spot on either side; wings broadly rounded; mesonotum with dorsocentrals well differentiated; reddish species with brown wings (Bella group). (AZ NM TX)

                           bella

(Loew) 1872

14’  Anal cell open; scutellum twice as wide as long, the caudal margin well rounded and entirely bare of pollen; wings elongate; mesonotum without dorsocentrals well differentiated; black species with more hyaline wings.

                 15

15   Tibiae with appressed hairs white. (NM)

                                                                                                                                 caca

Pritchard 1943

15’  Tibiae with appressed hairs black. (Far west into CO and NE)

                                                                    brevicornis

(Williston) 1883