Microphotina, Beier, 1935

Key to males of Microphotina View in CoL (sensu lato)

1. Ventral phallomere bearing elongated lateral patch of setae ventrally ( Fig 4A View FIGURE 4 ); On left phallomere, afa large, strongly hook-like ( Fig 4B View FIGURE 4 .). Distributed in French Guiana and Northeastern Amazonia ( Brazil: Amazonas, Pará)..... Microphotina vitripennis View in CoL

- Ventral phallomere lacking elongated patch of setae ventrally; left phallomere with afa reduced, shaped differently from above.............................................................................................. 2

2. Left phallomere with afa distinctly unguiform ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Distributed in Western Amazonia ( Peru)................................................................................................... Microphotina panguanensis View in CoL

- Left phallomere with afa not unguiform................................................................... 3

3. Subgenital plate between the styli even ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ). Distributed in French Guiana............... Microphotina viridescens View in CoL

- Subgenital plate between styli notched ( Fig. 4E–F View FIGURE 4 ).......................................................... 4

4. Distal notch of subgenital plate narrow, styli insertions outside of the notch ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ). Distributed in French Guiana.......................................................................................... Microphotina viridula View in CoL

- Distal notch of subgenital plate broad, styli insertions within the notch ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ). Distributed in southern Amazonia ( Brazil: Mato Grosso)...................................................................... Microphotina cristalino

Comparative taxonomy and systematics. The female of Microphotina superficially resembles that of Chromatophotina , but there are some evident differences between them. Relative to Chromatophotina , Microphotina has a more compact build, resulting in a relatively shorter and stouter body ( Figs. 5B–E View FIGURE 5 ). This is exemplified by pronotal proportions: the ratio metazona/prozona is ≤ 2.6 in Microphotina , while in Chromatophotina it is ≥ 3. As in Chromatophotina , Microphotina also exhibits a whitish pigmentation along the sides of the pronotum, which stems from the whitish costal area of the mesothoracic wings, altogether forming a continuous stripe. However, in Microphotina , this stripe is only subtly visible near the base of the pronotum, whereas in Chromatophotina the same reaches as far as the supracoxal dilatation. Moreover, the costal area of the forewings is only partially whitish in Microphotina , whereas in Chromatophotina it is strikingly white throughout its entire extent.Another distinguishing feature is the strongly contrasting crossveins of the forewings of Microphotina , which stand out against the membrane. In contrast, Chromatophotina has the forewing membrane and crossveins concolorous.Additionally, the longitudinal veins of the forewings are more tightly arranged in Microphotina and subtend less complex reticulation, compared to Chromatophotina . Differences observed in the abdomen include the abdominal pleural membrane, which is pale pink in Microphotina but strikingly white in Chromatophotina . Lastly, Microphotina has shorter and conical monochromatic cerci, while in Chromatophotina the same are noticeably elongated, flattened, and in great part pigmented in a dark purplish color. Overall, Microphotina has a more compact body form compared to the more elongated Chromatophotina , akin to the difference between the sister genera Photina Burmeister, 1838 and Hicetia Saussure & Zehntner, 1894 ( Photinaini ), where Photina is the robust form and Hicetia the slender one. The ootheca of Microphotina closely resembles that of Chromatophotina , as well as Orthoderella Giglio-Tos, 1897 , and Paraphotina Giglio-Tos, 1915 , in the Orthoderellini ( Fig. 2E View FIGURE 2 ). They all share a similar overall shape and structure, outer wall characteristics (coloration, smooth texture), and a curved, ridged emergence area ending in a short, blunt residual process.

In light of the new information, we present a key to distinguish between Microphotina and Chromatophotina :