Key to species of the Anthaxia candens species­group

1 Pronotum green with two black, longitudinal spots; elytra green or golden­green with two longitudinal orange or purple stripes or with large, black, saddle­shaped spot margined by yellow­orange and with long, green postscutellar stripe; pronotal sculpture consisting of rounded or transversely widened cells with distinct central grains; elytra never caudiform............................................................................................................. 2

­ Different colouration; central part of pronotum with transversely very enlarged cells without central grains or with transverse wrinkles which are laterally bent towards anterior pronotal angles; elytra very often caudiform................................................... 4

2 Elytra green with two orange or purple longitudinal stripes and with silky lustre; male metatibiae (Fig. 8); aedeagus as in Fig. 1; 6.8–8.5 mm; Syria, Turkey .......................... .............................................................. A . rutilipennis Abeille de Perrin, 1891 (Fig.15)

­ Elytra lustrous, green with black, saddle­shaped spot margined by golden­orange and with long, green postscutellar stripe.............................................................................. 3

3 Central part of pronotum with more transverse sculpture; male metatibiae less curved (Fig. 9); aedeagus as in Fig. 2; 5.5–8.0 mm; Turkey (Taurus)........................................ ................................................................................. A. turcica Svoboda, 1994 (Fig. 16)

­ Central part of pronotum only with slightly transversely enlarged cells; male metatibiae strongly curved (Fig. 10); aedeagus as in Fig. 3; 6.0–8.0 mm; Greece ..................... ........................................................................... A. vittula Kiesenwetter, 1857 (Fig. 19)

4 Elytra not caudiform, black with blue­green lustre (male) or violet with golden green or blue­green postscutellar, triangular field; pronotum with orange lateral portions and large, black central spot which is nearly divided into two parts by very narrow, bluegreen stripe; cells on lateral portions of pronotum small, rounded with tiny, nearly indistinct central grains; male metatibiae nearly straight, very slightly incurved and finely serrate on inner margin (Fig. 14); aedeagus as in Fig. 4; the largest species of the subgenus Anthaxia: 9.0– 13.5 mm; Crete ...................... A . ariadna Bílý, 1982 (Fig. 18)

­ Elytra more or less caudiform, purple with large, black, saddle­shape and well­limited spot or whole body completely bright­bronze with or without indistinct, dark, saddleshaped spot; male metatibiae strongly curved............................................................... 5

5 Entire body bronze or bright bronze with or without indistinct, dark, saddle­shaped elytral spot..................................................................................................................... 6

­ Elytra red, purple or golden­orange with large, black or blue­black and well­limited, saddle­shaped spot ........................................................................................................ 7

6 Entire body bronze or bright­bronze; lateral pronotal margins slightly rounded, maximum pronotal width at anterior third; central part of pronotum with transverse wrinkles which are laterally bent towards anterior pronotal angles; male unknown; 6.1–7.5 mm; S Iran ...................................................................... A. jenisi new species (Fig. 21)

­ Whole body bronze, sometimes with greenish lustre, elytra with poorly limited and unclear, dark, saddle­shaped spot; pronotum with two large, indistinct and dark spots;

central part of pronotum with fine, transverse wrinkles which are arcuately bent towards anterior pronotal angles; male unknown; 7.0– 7.2 mm; Armenia ...................... .................................................................. A. superba Abeille de Perrin, 1900 (Fig. 17) 7 Ventral surface bright bronze or red­bronze; pronotum red­bronze with two large, poorly limited and sometimes merging dark spots; male metatibiae only very slightly bent with several very small, preapical teeth on inner margin (Fig. 11); aedeagus as in Fig. 5; 6.0– 7.1 mm; SE Turkey ............ ....... A. pyrosoma new species (Fig. 22)

­ Ventral surface black, blue or green; pronotum black or black with green lateral margins and narrow, blue­green medial stripe; male metatibiae strongly curved; larger species................................................................................................................................. 8

8 Ventral surface and pronotum black; elytra distinctly caudiform; metallic postscutellar field missing; black, saddle­shaped elytral spot reaching nearly apex of elytra; male unknown; 6.0– 10.2 mm; SE Turkey, Syria ..................................................................... ........................................................... A . lucens urens Abeille de Perrin, 1882 (Fig. 23)

­ Ventral surface blue or green; pronotum black with narrow, blue or green medial line; lateral portions of pronotum green, blue­green or violet; elytra only slightly caudiform; metallic (blue or green) postscutellar field well­developed reaching midlength of elytra; black, saddle­shaped elytral spot far not reaching elytral apex ..................... 9

9 Slender species, elytra 1.9–2.0 times as long as wide; pronotum 1.7–1.8 times as wide as long, less rounded laterally; black, saddle­shaped elytral spot truncate or incurved posteriorly reaching only apical fourth of elytra; male metatibiae distinctly more strongly curved (Fig. 12); aedeagus as in Fig. 6; 7.0–10.0 mm; Austria, Czech Rep., France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine ........................ ................................................................................. A.candens (Panzer, 1793) (Fig. 24)

­ Stouter species, elytra 1.7–1.9 times as long as wide; pronotum 1.6–1.7 times as wide as long, more rounded laterally; black, saddle­shaped elytral spot rounded posteriorly, reaching apical fifth of elytra; male metatibiae distinctly less curved (Fig. 13); aedeagus as in Fig. 7; 5.8–9.1 mm; Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Turkey ......................................... A. lucens lucens Küster, 1852 (Fig. 23)