Table 2 Shared and variable morphological characters of Nymphister species

Shared synapomorphic characters

 Prosternal lobe narrow, strap-like

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Recurrent arms of inner lateral metasternal striae present

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Male abdominal sternite 8: halves separated, strongly reduced

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Male abdominal sternite 8: pair of small velae present

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Male abdominal tergite 8: intra-TAS plate absent

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Male abdominal tergite 9: apical projections present, fused to tergite body

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Male abdominal tergite 9: apical projections present thick, sclerotized

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Male abdominal tergite 10: absent

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female abdominal sternite 8: apical margin cut all the way to the base

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female abdominal sternite 8: basal bridge with prominent angulate basal angles

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female abdominal sternite 8: separarte median sclerite absent

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female abdominal tergite 8: present as two separate sclerites

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female coxites connected by dorsal ridge only

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female abdominal tergite 8: present as a s single plate conneted by its base to coxites

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Female genitalic sclerites present separate, simple elongate

yes

yes

yes

yes

Shared plesiomorphic characters

 Body shape globular, subspherical

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Trichomes present

no

no

no

no

 Tibia short, paddle-like

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Lateral prosternal striae present

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Preapical foveae present

no

no

no

no

 Outer lateral metasternal striae present

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Outer lateral metasternal striae continuous with their recurrent arms

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Longitudinal discal metasternal striae present

yes

yes

yes

yes

 Paired lateral striae of abdominal ventrite 1 present

yes

yes

yes

yes

Synapomorphic characters modified in one species

 Medially interrupted discal stria of mesosternite present

no

yes

yes

yes

 Inner lateral metasternal striae present

no

yes

yes

yes

 Inner lateral metasternal striae continuous with their recurrent arms

no ^a

yes

yes

yes

 Body surface with dense background microsculpture

no

yes

no

no

 Body surface with abundant long setae

no

yes

no

no

 Pronotal punctation present

no

yes

no

no

Plesiomorphic characters modified in one species

 Dorsal striae present

no

yes

no

no

 Carinal striae widely separated, parallel

no

yes

yes

yes

 Carinal striae united anteriorly

no

yes

yes

yes