Eopachylopus Reichardt, 1926

Eopachylopus Reichardt, 1926: 14 (as a subgenus of Neopachylopus Reichardt, 1926). Eopachylopus: REICHARDT (1941): 157, 327; KRYZHANOVSKIJ & REICHARDT (1976): 111, 241; MAZUR (1984): 108; ÔHARA (1994): 214, 262; MAZUR (1997): 266; MAZUR (2004): 91.

Type species: Pachylopus ripae Lewis, 1885, original designation.

Diagnosis. Cuticle not metallic, usually black with red elytral maculae; frontal stria carinate; supraorbital, postorbital striae complete; frontal disc smooth; pronotal disc almost smooth, marginal pronotal stria complete, pronotal foveae absent, pronotal hypomeron glabrous; elytral disc smooth, marginal elytral stria complete, apical elytral stria complete, dorsal elytral striae abbreviated, sutural stria well-impressed, basally abbreviated. Propygidium with sparse round punctures and microsculpture; pygidium almost smooth. Prosternal process strongly compressed, knife-like, pre-apical foveae absent; carinal striae present only on prosternal apophysis; lateral prosternal striae very shortened, convergent anteriorly, apically connected attaining about middle of prosternal process; discs of meso- and metaventrite smooth; lateral disc of metaventrite and metepisternum with dense setiferous punctures. Posterior surface of protibia with several rows of denticles; mesotibia and metatibia slightly thickened and dilated apically; anteriorly with at least four dense rows of denticles; claws of apical tarsomere long, thin; metafemora thickened.

Differential diagnosis. By the compressed prosternal process Eopachylopus is somewhat similar to the genus Chivaenius differing from it by numerous characters: absent pronotal as well as elytral punctation (present in Chivaenius), the shape of tibiae, much shorter ventral vestiture (considerably longer in Chivaenius) as well as the frequent presence of red elytral maculae (absent in Chivaenius).

Biology. Eopachylopus is a littoral taxon, occurring under wrack where it probably preys on wrack-associated dipteran larvae (Ôhara, pers. comm. 2006).

Distribution. This is a monotypic genus with Eopachylopus ripae, as its only representative. This species is distributed in Japan and in Russian Far East. Recently recorded also from Hong Kong (DE ROUGEMONT 2000); the identity of these specimens needs to be confirmed by further studies.

Species examined. Eopachylopus ripae (Lewis, 1885) .

Discussion. This taxon is defined by several putative synapomorphies, e.g. very shortened lateral prosternal striae or absent pre-apical foveae and knife-like prosternal process. However, its phylogenetic validity should be tested in the future, focusing especially on its relationship with Nearctic as well as Middle-Eastern representatives of the genus Neopachylopus . Eopachylopus was originally described as a subgenus of Neopachylopus .