Genus Sagola Sharp, 1874

Sagola Sharp, 1874: 506 . Broun 1880: 134; Reitter 1882: 199; Brendel 1888: 302; Schaufuss 1888: 64; Raffray 1890: 84, 1893: 2, 1904: 492; Casey 1894: 434; Hudson 1923: 365, 1934: 183; Jeannel 1961: 47, 1967: 442; Newton 1985: 195; Newton and Chandler 1989: 18; Kuschel 1990: 48; Klimaszewski et al. 1996: 147; Chandler 2001: 50; Newton and Thayer 2005a; Nomura and Leschen 2006: 241.

Type Species. Sagola misella Sharp (designated by Oke 1928: 5).

Diagnosis. The members of the genus Sagola can be distinguished from other genera of Pselaphinae by the following combination of characters: habitus elongate parallel, dorsoventrally slightly flattened; antenna gradually clavate, not abruptly clubbed; dorsum of head with anterior or posterior frontal fovea or both; prosternum with median procoxal fovea and lateral procoxal fovea (Fig. 59p); mesoventrite with promesocoxal fovea (Fig. 59q); metaventrite with lateral metasternal fovea (Fig. 59q); abdominal ventrites IV–VI with basolateral fovea (Fig. 59r); abdominal tergite VI slightly larger than V and smaller than VII (Fig. 59r).

Comments. Males of many species possess secondary sexual characters such as an enlarged triangular head (Figs. 69, 70z), enlarged hind tarsal claw (Fig. 56k), and/or semicircular depression on the fore femur (Fig. 4u: arrow). Males of other species lack obvious characters that distinguish them from females. Most keys provided here are based on male characters, so recognizing the sex of specimens is important to evaluate secondary sexual characters used in the keys. Male abdominal ventrite IX is usually fragile and partially concealed by ventrite VIII, rendering it simple and reduced in appearance (Fig. 2; male). Females possess a more robust, triangular abdominal ventrite IX bearing a pair of long setae (Fig. 2; female) that are usually visible in ventral view.

Antennal shape is usually unique within speciesgroups and individual species. However, apparent variations may result from viewing at inconsistent orientations among specimens. Characterizing antennomeres is difficult, but still useful in comparing types or specimens in series.