Key to the species of the genus Sympagus

[modified from Hovore & Toledo (2006) and Monné & Botero (2015)].

1. Pronotum with dark-colored median longitudinal vitta, extending from head to elytral base; elytral pattern bold, distinctly ornate, yellow and brown or whitish and brown..............................................................2

- Pronotal coloration variable; dark areas on disk, if present, irregular in outline, elytral pattern ornate or diffuse, but always consisting of several different colors.........................................................................5

2. Outer angle of elytra unarmed or slightly projected. Mexico (Chiapas, Veracruz), Guatemala.................................................................................................... S. cedrelis Hovore & Toledo, 2006

- Outer angle of elytra dentate or strongly projected............................................................3

3. Prothorax unarmed, laterally rounded. Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama............. S. laetabilis (Bates, 1872)

- Prothorax armed with lateral tubercle situated in posterior third.................................................4

4. Pronotum with a large round dark-brown spot on each side of median vitta. Ecuador (Fig. 1).......... S. cooperi sp. nov.

- Pronotum without rounded spots on each side of median vitta. Panama................... S. birai Monné & Botero, 2015

5. Dorsal elytral pattern boldly marked, with pale pubescence on vittae and bands of a darker background, or with distinct black maculae, bordered with yellow, on red– brown background....................................................6

- Dorsal elytral pattern diffuse, consisting of vaguely defined pale areas on dark-brown, gray and black background, or the disk mostly dark grayish-brown with basal area light brown, and with pale band before apex..............................7

6. Pronotum with sparse yellow pubescence across middle; elytra with well-defined black maculae on reddish-brown background. Bolivia .................................................................... S. buckleyi (Bates, 1885)

- Pronotum pale with dark longitudinal median area; elytra with pale “M”- shaped marking on basal half, broadly dark-pubescent on post-median third, pale apically. Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, French Guiana, Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Mato Grosso)...................................................................... S. favorabilis Tippmann, 1960

7. Pronotum and basal portion of elytra brown, elytral disk dark gray-brown with large black maculae on epipleura, pair of velvety black maculae behind middle; posterior femora wholly pitchy or dark reddish-brown. Panama ............................................................................................... S. monnei Hovore & Toledo, 2006

- Pronotum and elytra mottled gray and brown, epipleura with semicircular black macula at basal third and irregular pale fascia at middle, extending partially onto disk; posterior femora pitchy with base red-brown. Ecuador, French Guiana, Bolivia, Brazil (Amazonas).................................................................. S. bimaculatus (Gilmour, 1959)