Clastopus Fairmaire, 1898

Iwan, Dariusz, Kamiński, Marcin Jan & Aalbu, Rolf, 2012, A new species of the genus Clastopus Fairmaire, 1898 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pedinini) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 3351, pp. 60-68 : 61

Genus Clastopus Fairmaire, 1898

Clastopus Fairmaire, 1898: 407 .— Gebien 1910: 272, 1938: 291, Iwan 2001: 500, 2002a: 60, 2002b: 259, 2004: 739, 2005: 23, 2010: 50.

Hovademulus Iwan, 1996: 390 .— Iwan 1998: 331, Iwan 2001: 500 (syn.).

Type species. Clastopus Fairmaire, 1898 : Clastopus eurynotoides Fairmaire, 1898 ; designated by monotypy. Hovademulus Iwan, 1996 : Selinus punctipennis Fairmaire, 1902 (= Clastopus eurynotoides Fairmaire, 1898 ); by original designation.

Diagnostic characters. According to the taxonomic hypothesis proposed by Iwan (2001) this genus is characterized by: (1) deep circumocular depression; (2) widened mid part of mentum; (3) basal border of pronotum interrupted medially; (4) posterior angles of pronotum not protruding beyond the base; (5) 5th abdominal ventrite unmarginated; (6) protibia in both sexes slender and (7) male protibia having concavity on the inner side.

Systematic position. According to the results of Iwan`s (2002a) cladistic analysis genus Clastopus is closely related to Hovademus Ardoin, 1970 and Pokryszkiella Iwan, 1996 . These genera forms a monophiletic group characterised by the structure of pronotum (posterior angles not reaching the middle of the base and basal border interrupted medially) (Fig. 1). Clastopus differes from Hovademus and Pokryszkiella by having a narrower border of prosternal proccess and short metasternum. Additionally, from Pokryszkiella is can be distinguished by the lack of horns on the anterior margin of clypeus.

Distribution. Madagascar (Fig. 21).

Included species (5): C. aberlenci Iwan, 2005 , C. eurynotoides Fairmaire, 1898 , C. ordinarius ( Iwan, 1996) , C. tenuiculus ( Iwan, 1996) and C. griswoldi sp. nov.