S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 58. (Budapest, 1997)

graphic appliance: Tessovar); Washington = US National Museum, USA (B. B. Norden). Symbols: F-I (-II and -III) = flagellomere I (II and III); MOD = midocellus diameter; MS = malar space (measured at its shortest distance from eye margin to mandible base), OOL = ocular-ocellar line; POL = postocellar line; PD = puncture diameter; Ped = pedicellus; T-I, etc., I = the first tergum. Subgenus Leiocleptes Móczár, 1962 Cleptes (Leiocleptes) Móczár, 1962: 118. - Type species: Cleptes nitidulus (Fabricius, 1793). Cleptes (Leiocleptes): Kimsey, 1981: 809, 812; Bohart and Kimsey, 1982: 12, 16; Móczár 19976 (reinstated). Cleptes (Melanocleptes) Móczár, 1962: 121. - Type-species: Cleptes morawitzi Radoszkowski, 1877: 6; Krombein, 1979: 1221; Kimsey, 1981: 809, 812; Bohart and Kimsey, 1982: 12, 14. Cleptes (Leiocleptes) and Cleptes (Melanocleptes): Kimsey and Bohart, 1991: 53, 56 (synonymized). Cleptes (Zimmermannia) Móczár, 1962: 120. Type species Cleptes ignitus (Fabricius, 1787); Kimsey and Bohart, 1991: 57 (synonymized). Pronotum simple (Fig. 2) without a posterior groove or row of pits or groove along mid-line. Pronotal disc more or less convex, only rarely flat behind the transversal groove in lateral view and evenly curved towards mesonotum; posterior declivous part attaches the mesonotum without depression. Postscutellum transversal, partly strikingly, rarely scarcely wider than its length. The edge of the lateral margins of abdomen rather sharp mostly in male, in some species of the "alienus" group, but in any case to a much smaller degree as in the subgenus Oxycleptes. Mesopleuron smooth directly below tegulae, the rest of it is more or less with striatiform punctures. Last 8 flagellomeres brownish on lower side ($) or some bear fine tyloidea (<?). The present valid 27 taxa of the subgenus Leiocleptes occur in the central and southern parts of the Holarctic, and partly in the Oriental Region. Checklist of species Cleptes alienus group Cleptes alienus Patton, 1879 - USA (widespread), South Canada Cleptes purpuratus Cresson, 1879 - West USA Cleptes speciosus Aaron, 1855 - USA, South Canada Cleptes nitidulus group Cleptes afer Lucas, 1849 - Spain, North Africa and Middle East Cleptes anceyi Buysson, 1891 - Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco Cleptes blaisdelli Bridwell, 1919 - West USA, North-west Mexico Cleptes caucasicus Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1920 - Georgia, Iran, South Russia, Turkey Cleptes hyrcanus Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1920 - Iran