Lechius Iwan, 1995

Iwan, Dariusz & Kamiński, Marcin Jan, 2012, Revision of the Malagasy genus Lechius Iwan, 1995 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pedinini), Zootaxa 3399, pp. 23-34 : 24

Lechius Iwan, 1995

Lechius Iwan, 1995: 404 .— Iwan 2001: 501, 2002a: 73; 2002b: 274; 2010: 35, Iwan et al. 2012: 67 .

Type species. Selinus abacoides Fairmaire, 1902 (by original designation); gender masculine.

Diagnostic characters. The taxonomic concept of this genus was proposed by Iwan in 1995. According to Iwan`s hypothesis, this genus is characterized by the presence of a groove below the ventral margin of eye (Fig. 1) and the bordering of the 5th abdominal ventrite (Fig. 2) ( Iwan 1995, 2002a). The newly available material supports this hypothesis.

Systematic position. According to the results of a cladistic analysis performed by Iwan (2002a), the genus Lechius is a member of the platynotoid lineage within the subtribe Platynotina and it is most closely related to the genera Pseudoselinus Iwan, 2002 and Upembarus Koch, 1956. The later transfer of Pseudoselinus and Upembarus into the Ectateus generic group ( Iwan & Banaszkewicz 2005, Kamiński & RaŠ 2011) might suggest that Lechius is also a member of this generic group ( Kamiński & RaŠ 2011).

Distribution. Madagascar ( Fig. 19 ).

Species included (5): L. aalbui sp. nov., L. abacoides ( Fairmaire, 1902) , L. longiclavis sp. nov., L. madagascariensis ( Iwan, 1998) and L. steineri Iwan, 1995 .

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 19. Intercoxal process of prosternum of L. longiclavis sp. nov. (17). Male mesofemora of L. madagascariensis (18). Distribution of the species of Lechius (19).