Abstract
This paper is based on a revision of recent collections (about 100 specimens) housed at Tel Aviv University and the Natural History Museum (London). Short characteristics of the genus Sphenometopa Townsend, 1908 and the monotypic subtribe Sphenometopiina, descriptions of three new species, redescription of Sphenometopa (Euaraba) fastuosa (Meigen, 1824) based on the Middle Eastern specimens, key and comments of ten Middle Eastern species and a list of all 50 species are given. Species of the genus are generally distributed in the Palaearctic, mainly in its mountainous eastern part, and several species are known from the Nearctic, Oriental and Afrotropical Regions. Sphenometopa (E.) proxima Verves & Khrokalo, sp. n. is described from Israel and Syria, and both S. (Xantharaba) freidbergi Verves & Khrokalo, sp. n. and S. (X.) theodori Verves & Khrokalo, sp. n. – from Israel. Three species (S. bifasciata, S. elegans, S. steini) are firstly recorded for Israel, and S. claripennis is firstly recorded for Syria and Iran. As a result, the genus Sphenometopa includes seven subgenera [Arabiopsis – 3; Asiaraba – 10; Euaraba – 24; Sahararaba – 1; Sphenometopa (s. str.) – 2; Tarsaraba – 4, and Xantharaba – 5 species], and 50 species.
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