Bittacidae
Creators: name: Tan, Jiang-Li
name: Hua, Bao-Zhen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Mecoptera
Bittacidae

description: Key to the genera of the world Bittacidae (male)
1. Wings absent or vestigial .............................................................................................................................................. 2
- Wings normal................................................................................................................................................................ 3
2. Wings completely absent; USA ................................................................................ Apterobittacus MacLachlan, 1893
- Wings rudimentary; South Africa .............................................................................. Anomalobittacus Kimmins, 1928
3. Abdomen extremely long and slender, extending far beyond wing tips; compound eyes large, touching below the antennal bases; Neotropical Region ................................................................................................ Pazius Navás, 1913
- Abdomen not extending beyond wing tips; compound eyes apart below the antennae ............................................... 4
4. Cerci greatly enlarged, flattened, clasp-shaped, and longer than tergum IX................................................................ 5
- Cerci normal, not longer than tergum IX...................................................................................................................... 7
5. Antennae nearly as long as body or slightly longer; more than 34 flagellomeres; pterostigmal crossveins (Pcv) absent ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6
- Antennae less than half length of body; about 19 flagellomeres; Pcv 2; Australia ...... Tytthobittacus Smithers, 1973
6. Vein M trifurcate at first fork (M1+2, M3, M4), R2 and R3 separated before wing margin, Rs thus with four branches; Neotropical Region ............................................................................................................ Anabittacus Kimmins, 1929
- Vein bifurcated at first fork (M1+2, M3+4), R2 and R3 coalesced to wing margin, thus Rs with only three branches; North America .................................................................................................................. Orobittacus Villegas & Byers, 1981
7. Vein 1A in forewing short, extending at most to level of origin of M (OM), often only slightly beyond the level of humeral cross vein (h)................................................................................................................................................... 8
- Vein 1A in forewing long, extending approximately to the level of first fork of M (FM), well beyond OM............ 12
8. Vein 1A in front wing short, only slightly beyond level of h, 2A before level of h............................................ 9
- Vein 1A in front wing extending to level of OM, 2A beyond level of h.........................................................10
9. Subcosta (Sc) ending in Costa beyond the level of first fork of radial sector (FRs); proctiger small, not protruding between bases of epandrial appendages; eyes slightly convergent below antennal bases; Neotropical Region .......... ............................................................................................................................. Nannobittacus Esben-Petersen, 1927
- Vein Sc ending in Costa well before level of first FRs, close to origin point of Rs (ORs); proctiger large and com- plex, protruding between bases of epandrial appendages; eyes not convergent below antennal bases; Neotropical Region .......................................................................................................................................... Issikiella Byers, 1972
10. Vein CuP in hindwing coalesced with wing margin from the level of h to ORs; Australia ... Symbittacus Byers, 1986
- Vein CuP and 1A in hindwing fused for their whole length, and not merged in the wing margin ........................11
11. Wings without apical pigmentation; fourth tarsomere with three spines on each side; proctiger not enlarged or of complex structure; epandrial appendages simple, without denticulate processes on mesal surface; Australia ........... .............................................................................................................................................. Edriobittacus Byers, 1974
- Wings each with an apical pigmentation; fourth tarsomere with two spines on each side; proctiger enlarged and of complex structure; epandrial appendages with denticulate processes on mesal surface; Neotropical Region ............ ................................................................................................................................ Kalobittacus Esben-Petersen, 1914
12. In hind wing vein 1A short, CuP and 1A separated after OM, the apical cross vein lies between 2A and the fused CuP and 1A; Australia .......................................................................................................... Austrobittacus Riek, 1954
- In hind wing vein CuP and 1A separated before OM, the apical cross vein lies between 2A and the free apical por- tion of 1A .................................................................................................................................................................... 13
13. Body reddish brown and black, contrasting conspicuously; hind basitarsus and 4th tarsomere subequal in length.14
- Body yellowish and dark brown, contrasting indistinctly; hind basitarsus considerably longer than the 4th tarsomere .................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
14. Body with numerous spinules; tarsi of legs yellowish brown; hind femur mostly black, greatly swollen in basal two- thirds; Mexico ...................................................................................................................... Eremobittacus Byers, 1997
- Body without spinules; tarsi of legs black; hind femur reddish brown, not swollen distinctly; Australia ................. ............................................................................................................. Harpobittacus Gerstaecker, 1885
15. Wings each with an apical pigmentation; one Pcv; North America ................................ Hylobittacus Byers, 1979
- Wings without apical pigmentation; 1 or 2 Pcv ........................................................................................16
16. Gonocoxites with two long distal prolongations; Oriental Region................................... Bicaubittacus, gen. nov.
- Gonocoxites without long prolongations; cosmopolitan................................................. Bittacus Latreille, 1805
description: Published as part of Tan, Jiang-Li & Hua, Bao-Zhen, 2009, Bicaubittacus, a new genus of the Oriental Bittacidae (Mecoptera) with descriptions of two new species, pp. 27-40 in Zootaxa 2221 on page 28, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190074