Key to the species of the Nososticta salomonis complex

1a - From Solomon Islands (Map 1); (Pls 7, 8)........................................................ N. salomonis

1b - From Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (Maps 2–4).......................................................... 2

2a - Male S2 with distinct blue dorsal marking (Figs 55, 56)....................................................... 3

2b - Male S2 without distinct blue dorsal marking............................................................... 4

3a - Male S2 with distinct antero-dorsal mark or pair of marks and postero-dorsal mark (Fig. 55); poststernum in both sexes with very dark well-defined wing-shaped mark (Figs 57); Bismarck Archipelago; a single surprising record from north-eastern New Guinea (Map 2).............................................................................. N. africana

3b - Male S2 with distinct postero-dorsal mark only (Fig. 56); poststernum in both sexes without very dark well-defined wing-shaped mark (Fig. 58); from Tagula in the Lousiade Archipelago (Map 3)........................... N. tagula sp. nov.

4a - Male ante-humeral patches separated by stalked Y- shaped, black median area (Fig. 59); female ante-humeral patches reverse comma-shaped, bent, markedly shorter than one half the length of mesanepisternum (Fig. 60); from Bougainville Island (Map 1)................................................................................. N. hedigeri sp. nov.

4b - Male ante-humeral patches separated by variably trapezoidal black median area (Figs 61, 63, 65); female ante-humeral patches not reverse comma-shaped or bent (Figs 62, 64)............................................................. 5

5a - Both sexes with ante-humeral patch shorter than one half the length of mesanepisternum (Figs 61, 62); from northern and eastern New Guinea (Map 4)............................................................. N. stueberi sp. nov.

5b - Both sexes with ante-humeral patch longer than one half the length of mesanepisternum (Figs 63–65); from southern New Guinea (Map 4)....................................................................................... 6

6a - Male with medial and apical margin of ante-humeral patch sinuous or curved and metepimeral patch convex in dorsal half (Fig. 63) and with abdominal segment 7 dorsally unmarked; known only from Western Province, Palmer River Catchment, upper Fly River basin (Map 4)....................................................................... N. chrismulleri

6b - Male with medial and apical margin of ante-humeral patch almost straight, metepimeral patch not convex in dorsal half (Fig. 65) and with abdominal segment 7 with pair of separate or connected bluish spots anterior to a rather diffuse and ill-defined bluish area; female with large bluish antero-dorsal patch on abdominal segment 7; known from Gulf Province, Kikori River basin (Map 4).......................................................................... N. boonei sp. nov .