The following generic key is still in development. It is meant to be maximally useful for non-experts and thus focuses on more easily visible characters.

1. Mandible unidentate and sickle-shaped . . . . 2

- Mandible bidentate (ventral tooth at least represented by small notch) . . . . 3

2. Gastrocoeli and thyridia wider than interthyridial width. Scutellum strongly raised above postscutellum . . . . Heterischnus (present throughout North America)

- Gastrocoeli and thyridia narrow and subobsolete. Scutellum nearly flat and not significantly raised above postscutellum . . . . Stenodontus (present at higher latitudes, high elevation sites in the southeastern U.S., and in southeastern Arizona and Mexico)

3. 3rs-m of fore wing absent (areolet open apically) . . . . Epitomus (several undescribed species present in North America despite genus unrecorded from Nearctic)

- 3rs-m of fore wing present (areolet pentagonal) . . . . 4

4. Gastrocoeli and thyridia absent . . . . 5

- Gastrocoeli and thyridia present . . . . 8

5. Areola heart-shaped. Overall color usually black . . . . Dicaelotus

- Areola coffin-shaped or rectangular. Predominantly brownish-red, . . . . 6

6. Female metasomal apex amblypygous. Female mandible enlarged. . . . Colpognathus

- Female metasomal apex oxypygous. Female mandible of normal width. . . . 7

7. Body elongated. Surface sculpture overall granulate. . . . Eparces (Northeastern U.S. and costal regions of south GA to south FL).



- Body of normal dimensions. Surface sculpture variable but with at least moderate punctation . . . . Centeterus (throughout North America)

8. Postpetiole coarsely, densely punctate . . . . Herpestomus

- Postpetiole varing from smooth to longitudinally rugulose. . . . 9

9. Gastrocoeli and thyridia narrow (thyridium narrower than interthyridial width). Female with 7th tergite constricted anteriorly. Mandible with ventral tooth reduced to small notch. . . . Jethsura

- Gastrocoeli and thyridia wide (single thyridium greater than interthyridial width). Mandible with ventral tooth not significantly reduced. . . . 10

10. Female with large projection on ventral surface of hind coxa formed by the juncture of two carinae. Ventral surface of clypeus roughened medially. . . . . Dirophanes

- Female with or without hind coxal projection but if present then never carinate. Ventral surface of clypeus either smooth or punctate but never roughened.i. . . . 11

11. Ventral margin of clypeus wide and punctate. . . . Phaeogenes - Ventral margin of clypeus smooth and always without punctures . . . 12 12. Carina immediately behind mandible strongly elevated resulting in a deeply excavated area posterior to mandible. Clypeus sharply impressed. Scutellum flat (not raised above postscutellum). Head wide and transverse . . . Aethecerus

- Scutellum usually at least weakly convex and partially raised above postscutellum (some Tycherus with a entirely flat scutellum). Head normally about as wide as long (some Tycherus with wide transverse heads). . . . 12

13. Head strongly convex anteriorly. Epistomal suture absent (supraclypeal area and clypeus forming smooth uninterrupted surface). Ventral margin of of clypeus sharply impressed (resulting in what appears to be a double margin) . . . Diadromus

- Head weakly convex anteriorly. Epistomal suture present. Ventral margin of clypeus variable not impressed. . . . 13

14. Ovipositor projecting significantly past metasomal apex. Surface scultpure granulate and impunctate. . . . Tereberella (rare)

- Ovipositor not significantly projecting past metasomal apex. Surface sculpture at least partially punctate. . . .14

15 . . . . Phaeogenes

- . . . . Tycherus