| ventral anterior corner of metapleural episternum |
| with a small hump or spine sticking out | without hump or spine |
| prosternum |
| unarmed or with two widely separated and short spines | usually with a pair of fairly long spines (but there are species without spines) |
| mesosternum |
| broad and flat, anterior margin ledge-like or sharp-edged, furrows originating in the widely separated dimples directed obliquely inward and toward anterior margin and not crossing | with rounded, blunt or unbordered anterior margin, furrows originating in the frequently coalesced dimples initially crossing and then running obliquely outward toward anterior margin |
| geographic distribution |
| Old World tropics | New World tropics (but Pterophylla camellifolia in Eastern US almost up to Great Lakes), western Africa, Madagascar and Australia |
