Key to Chinese species of the genus Philoctetes

1. Head blue to black; pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum golden-red, rest of mesosoma blue; metasoma golden-red, T1 and T2 medially black (Fig. 1 A); apex of T3 without median notch................. P. simulator Rosa, Notton & Xu, sp. nov.

- Differently coloured; apex of T3 with median notch......................................................... 2

2. Body green or bluish-green, with golden reflections on mesoscutellum, metanotum and T3 (Figs 3 D, 3F).............. 3

- Body red or golden red, with or without dark or black areas on head and mesosoma (Figs 2 C, 2D).................... 4

3. Female mesoscutum with large punctures (Fig. 4 D) and erected setae; male flagellomeres elongated (Fig. 3 B)............................................................................... P. longiflagellis Rosa, Wei & Xu, sp. nov.

- Female mesoscutum with smaller punctures and inclined setae; male unknown................. P. mordvilkoi (Semenov)

4. Metanotum with large flat medial projection with apex U-shaped (Fig. 2 C); head and mesosoma with large dark or black areas (Figs 2 C, 2D); T3 with median notch deeply incised (Fig. 2 F)............................ P. mongolicus (du Buysson)

- Metanotum conical to slightly projected backward; head and mesosoma with uniform colouration, without black areas (Fig. 1 A); T3 with median notch shallowly incised (Fig. 1 C)........................................................ 5

5 Metanotum conical, not projected backward (Fig. 1 A), shorter than mesoscutellum dorso-medially (Fig. 1 B); tegula with metallic reflection; T2 with sparse punctuation dorsally (Fig.1 B).............................. P. deauratus (Mocsáry)

- Metanotum conical and with apex slightly projected backward, as long as mesoscutellum dorso-medially; tegula brown without metallic reflection; T2 with dense punctuation all over the tergum........................... P. horvathi (Mocsáry)