Perilampus carolinensis, Smulyan. Darling, 1996

Key to the P. carolinensis View in CoL species complex

1. Parascrobal area in lateral view usually gradually narrowed (A), though rarely abruptly narrowed (B); gena sculpture entirely striate or with short and narrow smooth area (A) or with long and wide smooth area (B); lower face setae sparse (C) or dense (D), clypeus rarely with large bare area near dorsal margin; shape of the lateral panel of pronotum in posterior oblique view varies (E, F); if parascrobal area in lateral view abruptly narrowed (B), then lateral panel of pronotum with triangular flange (E) and/or clypeus densely setose (D) and/or gena entirely striate or with short and narrow smooth area (A)................................................................................................ P. hyalinus View in CoL species complex

- Parascrobal area in lateral view abruptly narrowed (a, b); gena with long and wide smooth area (a, b); lower face sparsely setose throughout (c) or clypeus with large bare area near dorsal margin (d); lateral panel of pronotum without flange (f) or with small rounded flange in posterior oblique view (e)...................................... P. carolinensis View in CoL species complex, 2

2(1) Parascrobal area abruptly narrowed at slightly below (A) to above the midlevel of the eye; lower face sparsely setose throughout (B, C); male scape pits sparse throughout, covering about 0.2–0.4× scape length (D, E).............................. 3

- Parascrobal area abruptly narrowed near lower eye margin (a); clypeus with large bare area near dorsal margin (b, c); male scape pits dense dorsad and laterad, and sparse mesad and ventrad, covering about 0.2× scape length (d, e).................................................................................................... P. falcatus clade, 6

3(2) Head cupreous; parascrobal area in lateral view abruptly narrowed at or above midlevel of the eye (A); median ocellus advanced (B); female flagellum light brown or yellow.................................................. P. regalis Smulyan View in CoL

- Head greenish blue to violaceous; parascrobal area in lateral view abruptly narrowed below midlevel of the eye (a); median ocellus in line with lateral ocelli (b); female flagellum dark brown or black...................... P. carolinensis View in CoL clade, 4

4(3) Frontal carina narrower around median ocellus (A); pitted area on male scape short, covering about 0.2× scape length (B)....................................................................... P. minasgerais Yoo and Darling sp. nov.

- Frontal carina wider around median ocellus (a, b); pitted area on male scape short to long, covering 0.2–0.4× scape length.. 5

5(4) Female scrobal cavity in anterior view narrower (A); pitted area on male scape long, covering 0.3–0.4× of scape length (B, C)................................................................................. P. carolinensis Smulyan View in CoL

- Female scrobal cavity in anterior view wider (a); pitted area on male scape short, covering about 0.2× of scape length (b, c)......................................................................... P. cabecar Yoo and Darling sp. nov.

6(2) Frontal carina wider around median ocellus; distance between lateral ocellus and frontal carina short (FCLO/LOD about 0.6 for female (A), 0.4 for male (B))................................................ P. falcatus Yoo and Darling sp. nov.

- Frontal carina narrower around median ocellus; distance between lateral ocellus and frontal carina long (FCLO/LOD 0.9–1.0 for female (a), 0.8 for male (b)).......................................................................... 7

7(6) Frontal carina gradually narrowed around median ocellus (A); head and lateral lobes of mesoscutum cupreous along notaulus (A, B)..................................................................... P. tupa Yoo and Darling sp. nov.

- Frontal carina abruptly narrowed around anterior ocellus (a, arrow); head and mesoscutum without cupreous iridescence (a, b)........................................................................ P. arasy Yoo and Darling sp. nov.

Perilampus carolinensis View in CoL species complex

Diagnostic description. Species in this complex can be recognized by the combination of the following character states: an abruptly narrowed parascrobal area in the lateral view ( Figs 3I View FIGURE 3 , 9I View FIGURE 9 , 11I View FIGURE 11 ); an gena with wide and long smooth area ( Figs 3I View FIGURE 3 , 9I View FIGURE 9 , 11I View FIGURE 11 ); the lateral panel of the pronotum in oblique view without a flange ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ) or with only a small rounded flange ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ) below the level of the mesothoracic spiracle in posterior oblique view; lower face below the torulus with setae sparse and evenly distributed throughout ( Figs 3H View FIGURE 3 , 7H View FIGURE 7 ) or with a wide and bare area on the clypeus dorsad ( Fig. 11H View FIGURE 11 ); and the male scape pits either sparse throughout ( Figs 4F, G View FIGURE 4 ) or dense dorsad and laterad but sparse mesad and ventrad ( Figs 12G View FIGURE 12 , 14G View FIGURE 14 ). Most of the P. hyalinus species complex has gradually narrowed parascrobal area ( Yoo and Darling 2024, figs 6J, 12J). Few species of the P. hyalinus species complex have abruptly narrowed parascrobal area, but have a varying combination of the following character states that are absent in the P. carolinensis species complex: the gena sculpture entirely striate or with a short and narrow smooth area ( Yoo and Darling 2024, fig. 18J); the lateral panel of the pronotum in oblique view with a triangular flange ( Yoo and Darling 2024, fig. 16D); the lower face below the torulus with setae densely distributed throughout ( Yoo and Darling 2024, fig. 17C); and male scapes with densely distributed pits ( Yoo and Darling 2024, fig. 17 G, H).

Distribution. This species complex includes two clades ( P. carolinensis ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 , IIa) and P. falcatus clades ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 , IIb)) and a species sola ( P. regalis ). All species occur in the Neotropical region, and only P. carolinensis and P. regalis have distributions that extend into the Nearctic region.