Myrmecolax, Westwood, 1861

Zheng, Xuhongyi & Zhou, Changfa, 2025, Rediscovery of Myrmecolacidae from China with a new Myrmecolax species and a checklist of Chinese twisted-wing parasite (Insecta: Strepsiptera), Zootaxa 5646 (4), pp. 562-574 : 568-569

Key to Asian Myrmecolax with type locality

1 R 2 clearly bifurcated, with anterior branch often directed to wing base........................................... 2

- R 2 simple or rather slightly bifurcated, with short anterior branch.............................................. 13

2 Aedeagus with rounded apex............................................................................ 3

- Aedeagus with sharp apex.............................................................................. 4

3 Aedeagus with a shorter dorsal hook and a thin shaft. Laos...................... M. genitalis Kifune & Hirashima, 1989

- Aedeagus with a longer dorsal hook and a thick shaft. Sri Lanka.......................... M. nietneri Westwood, 1861

4 Flabellum of 3rd antennomere reaching about basal 1/3 of 7th antennomere...................................... 5

- Flabellum of 3rd antennomere reaching at least middle of 7th antennomere....................................... 6

5 Length ratio of 6th and 7th segments 1:2; body length 1.75 mm. Indonesia............... M. flagellatus (de Meijere, 1908)

- Length ratio of 6th and 7th segments 1:1.51; body length 1.85 mm. Malaysia.......... M. danielssoni Kathirithamby, 1994

6 Flabellum of 3rd antennomere reaching middle of 7th antennomere............................................. 7

- Flabellum of 3rd antennomere extending beyond middle of 7th antennomere...................................... 8

7 R3 distally forked. India.......................................... M. pierci (Chattopadhyay & Chaudhuri, 1980)

- R3 not forked. Thailand.............................................. M. chantaneeae Kifune & Hirashima, 1979

8 Aedeagus straight. China..................................................... M. pachygnathus Lu & Liu, 2014

- Aedeagus curved......... ...................................... ..................................... ...9

9 Aedeagus strongly curved, width of apical structure subequal to shaft length. China........... M. arcuatus Lu & Liu, 2014

- Aedeagus curved at base; width of apical structure much shorter than shaft....................................... 10

10 Base of aedeagus extremely thin with a right-angled protrusion. Malaysia.............. M. malayensis Kathirithamby, 1993

- Base of aedeagus thick with smooth margins................................................................11 11 R 2 bifurcated with long anterior branch extend beyond apex of R 1. Philippines................. .. M. furcatus Bohart, 1951

- R 2 bifurcated with short anterior branch not reaching apex of R 1 ...............................................12

12 Body length ca. 1.0 mm; combined length of antennomeres VI and VII subequal to antennomere V; aedeagus with a broad base. India....................................................................... M. plantipes (Chaudhuri, 1978)

- Body length ca. 2.0 mm; combined length of antennomeres VI and VII longer than antennomere V; aedeagus with a narrowed base. China......................................................................... M. aranealis sp. nov.

13 R 2 straight. India........................................................... M. comparilis Roy & Hazra, 2017

- Apex of R 2 slight bifurcated or at least curved..............................................................14

14 Flabellum of 3rd antennomere reaching at least middle of 7th antennomere. Phillippines........... M. rossi Bohart, 1951

- Flabellum of 3rd antennomere reaching at most base of 7th antennomere........................................ 15

15 Postscutellum short, slightly longer than wide. Philippines............................. M. philippinensis Bohart, 1941

- Postscutellum long, about 1.5 times as long as wide. Philippine............................ M. culionensis Bohart, 1951