Key to the Iranian species of Hyperaspis

1. Pronotum black in the middle, with yellow, orange or red lateral, sometimes also front margins...................... 2

- Pronotum orange or brown with contrasting pattern........................................................ 13

2. Elytra completely black, without spots (Fig. 14); pronotum black with red lateral margins; body length 2.8–3.0 mm; penis guide almost symmetrical, pointed (Fig.1).................................................. H. concolor Suffrian

- Elytra black with yellow, orange or red markings........................................................... 3

3. Single pair of red spots in posterior half of elytra (preapical).................................................. 4

- More than one pair of yellow, orange or red markings....................................................... 5

4. Body not uniformly oval, wider posteriorly; pronotum with broad red lateral margins; each elytron with reddish spot (Fig. 23); penis guide with truncate apex and large median tooth (Figs. 9, 10); body length 3.1–5.0 mm........ H. reppensis (Herbst)

- Body uniformly oval; pronotum with narrow orange lateral margins; each elytron with orange spot (Fig.15); penis guide broad, shorter than parameres, with oblique apex and small median tooth (Fig. 2); body length 3.2–4.0 mm... H. duvergeri Fürsch

5. Each elytron with two rounded spots, one (discal) in anterior half, one (preapical) in posterior half.................... 6

- Elytra with more complex pattern...................................................................... 10

6. Each elytron with two yellowish spots of almost same size (Fig. 20); penis guide with asymmetric apex and small median tooth (Fig. 6); body length 2.8 mm ...................................................... H. persica Duverger (male)

- Discal spot smaller than preapical one, orange or red........................................................ 7

7. Penis guide symmetrical, slender, with rounded apex, without median tooth (Fig. 3)........... H. femorata (Motschulsky)

- Penis guide asymmetrical, with straight or oblique apex...................................................... 8

8. Penis guide broad with squarely truncate apex and large blunt median tooth (Fig. 8); elytron with discal spot moderately large (Fig. 22).................................................................. H. quadrimaculata Redtenbacher

- Penis guide with obliquely truncate apex and small median tooth; elytron with discal spot very small or absent.......... 9

9. Penis guide much shorter than parameres (Fig. 4); spots on elytra orange (Fig. 17)............ H. histeroides (Faldermann)

- Penis guide almost as long as parameres (Fig. 11); spots on elytra red (Fig. 24)....................... H. syriaca Weise

10. Each elytron with three spots (anterior, discal, preapical) and narrow lateral stripe joined with at least anterior spots, yellow or orange; penis guide long, slender, with sharp median tooth.................................................. 11

- Each elytron with large irregular, red patch in the middle, often reaching lateral margin, sometimes with small black spot in center of patch; head black; body length 3.0 mm (Fig. 19)............................. H. persica Duverger (female)

11. Head brown; pronotum black with anterior and lateral margins yellowish orange; preapical spot on elytron not confluent with lateral stripe (Fig. 21); body length 2.8–3.0 mm; penis guide as long as parameres and much wider than parameres (Fig. 7).......................................................................................... H. polita Weise

- Head black with yellow or yellowish brown part anteriorly and sometimes also laterally; pronotum black with yellowish area laterally; preapical spot on elytron confluent with lateral stripe; penis guide much longer and hardly wider than parameres..................................................................................................... 12

12. Head black except for yellowish brown anterior and lateral margins; elytron with discal spot separate from anterior spot/stripe (Fig. 18); body length 2.0–3.0 mm; basal part of penis guide twice as wide as distal part (Fig. 5)...................................................................................................... H. marmottani (Fairmaire)

- Head black, yellow anteriorly; elytron with discal spot connected to anterior spot/stripe (Fig. 26); body length 1.8–3.2 mm ...

........................................................................... H. vinciguerrae Capra (female) 13. Elytra brown, with basal, discal, lateral and apical creamy brown spots which are variously confluent and irregularly scattered; pronotum brown with creamy brown apical and lateral margins, with an anchor-like spot basomedially which is connected to the anterior margin (Fig. 25); body length 2.5 mm .............................. H. transversoguttata Weise (female)

- Elytra whitish, with black stripe along suture and each elytron with black, elongate discal, comma-like stripe; pronotum orange, darker mediobasally (Fig. 27); body length 1.2–2.7 mm; penis guide slender, rounded apically, with small median tooth (Figs. 12, 13)............................................................. H. vinciguerrae Capra (male)