Stizocera plicicollis Click here for a larger view

Stizocera poeyi Click here for a larger view

Stizocera submetallicus Click here for a larger view

Stizocera atiaia (Martins & Napp, 1983):89. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera caymanensis (Fisher, 1941):114. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera dozieri (Fisher, 1947):33. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera floridana (Linsley, 1949):154. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera insulana (Gahan, 1895):106. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera jassuara (Martins & Napp, 1983):89. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera phtisica (Gounelle, 1909):643. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera poeyi (Guérin-Méneville, 1838):284. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera punctiventris (Cazier & Lacey, 1952):25. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera submetallicus (Chemsak & Linsley, 1968):29. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera suturalis (Martins & Napp, 1992):464. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera vanzwaluwenburgi (Fisher, 1932):46. NEW COMBINATION

Stizocera wagneri (Gounelle, 1913):212. NEW COMBINATION

Species examined.--S. armata Audinet-Serville, 1834; S. armigera (White, 1853); S. bisignata Zajciw, 1958; S. boyi Melzer, 1927 ("Typus"); S. curacaoae Gilmour, 1968; S. diversipennis Zajciw, 1962; S. floridana (Linsley, 1949); S. geniculata (Pascoe, 1866); S. horni Melzer, 1923 ("Typus", "Cotypus"); S. juati Martins & Napp, 1983 (holotype); S. laceyi Linsley, 1934b; S. lissonota (Bates, 1870); S. longicollis Zajciw, 1963; S. mojuba Martins & Napp, 1983 (holotype, Paratypes); S. nigroflava Zajciw, 1965; S. pantonyssoides Zajciw, 1968; S. plumbea Gounelle, 1909; S. rugicollis (Guérin-Méneville, 1844); S. seminigra Martins & Napp, 1983 (Paratypes); S. spinicornis (Fairmaire, 1864); S. sublaevigata Zajciw, 1962; S. submetallicus (Chemsak & Linsley, 1968); S. tristis (Guérin-Méneville, 1844); S. vanzwaluwenbergi (Fisher, 1932).

Diagnosis.--Key characters: Ommatidial size coarse (Fig. 39b); prosternal process not planar, apex expanded (Fig. 18); mesal antennal spines present (Figs. 8b, 9b); pronotal impunctate regions present; pronotum without longitudinal rugosities or large, uniformly-sized confluent punctures; femoral carinae absent; procoxal cavities closed laterally (Fig. 24); profemoral apices rounded (as in Fig. 26); mesal mesofemoral apices dentiform to spinose (as in Fig. 25a, b); lateral mesofemoral apices rounded to dentiform (as in Figs. 25b, 26c); mesal and lateral metafemoral apices spinose (as in Figs. 8c, 9c); spines of femora broad and shorter than spine on antennomere three; femora strongly clavate and pedunculate in most specimens (Fig. 37a); procoxal cavities open posteriorly (Fig. 18); transverse ridges on pronotum absent in most species; tibial carinae present (but coded both ways in key because of difficulty in interpreting character states); apices of elytra, femoral spines, and most of head normally concolorous with adjacent regions; prosternal process between procoxae gradually declivous (Fig. 44a); integument sparsely covered with long, erect flying hairs (Fig. 16) and never with patches of distinct, dense pubescence; body shiny in appearance; antennomeres never strongly spinose laterally (normally spinose mesally, only); pronotum constricted at base and usually anteriorly (Figs. 12g); rounded or acute lateral tubercles present or absent (highly variable). Length: 8-17 mm.

Distribution and Diversity.--Southeastern United States, México to Panamá, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colómbia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, West Indies, Antilles. Forty-one species.

Discussion.--As already discussed, I do not think there are sufficient characters to merit separation of Ironeus submetallicus, Nesostizocera, and Stizocera. They all share the same type of pronotum with a strong posterior constriction with medial anterior extension. They all have variably spined meso- and metafemora, and comprise a clade (Fig. 57) based on the implied weighting phylogenetic analysis. The relationships of Stizocera to other elaphidionine genera remain equivocal, however (Fig. 50).

Stizocera species somewhat resemble those of Castiale, Ironeus, Nephaliodes, and Psyrassa, but differ in following respects: All Castiale specimens have metallic green elytra (no Stizocera species have this character); Ironeus species have finely-faceted eyes and unarmed femoral apices (coarsely faceted eyes and moderately spinose metafemora in Stizocera); Nephaliodes and Psyrassa also have unspined femoral apices and lack the antero-medial extension from the posterior pronotal constriction, characteristic of Stizocera.