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This paper revises the genus Ganelius Benesh, which is endemic to Madagascar, in the stag beetle tribe Figulini Burmeister (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Lucaninae). Species in the genus are striking in their highly sexually dimorphic mandibles, a character that rarely occurs in the tribe. The genus was previously comprised of four species, but three of these names were problematic or questionably applied. A lectotype is designated for G. madagascariensis Laporte, a neotype is designated for Ganelius oberndorferi Nonfried, and Nigidius passaliformis Benesh is newly synonymized with G. oberndorferi. Two new species, G. gnamptus Paulsen and G. zombi Paulsen, are described from western Madagascar. The identity of the overlooked Ganelius nageli (Kriesche) is fixed through a neotype designation, and the species is moved to the new genus Agnelius, which is distinguished from Ganelius by a lack of sexual dimorphism, serrate protibiae, and a more flattened body.
The cryptic assassin bug subfamily Physoderinae is characterized by a distinctly uneven species and genus-level diversity across continents, but the lack of a phylogeny has so far precluded investigations into the biogeographic history of the group. Endemic Madagascan Physoderinae (11 of the 15 genera) exhibit broad morphological diversity, but the large (38 spp.) and seemingly uniform genus Physoderes is widely distributed across the Oriental and Australasian regions. The three remaining genera are small or even monotypic and restricted to the Neotropical (Cryptophysoderes, Leptophysoderes) and Afrotropical (Porcelloderes) regions. To investigate relationships among Physoderinae, with emphasis on the monophyly of the Madagascan fauna and the monophyly of Physoderes, we conducted a cladistic analysis based on 57 morphological characters and complete genus-level taxon sampling. We found that the Madagascan fauna is not monophyletic, indicating that the island was colonized more than once, although the great majority of Madagascan taxa are part of a single clade. Overall relationships are recovered as Afrotropical Porcelloderes + [(Neotropical Cryptophysoderes, Leptophysoderes) + (Madagascan, Oriental and Australasian taxa)]. Physoderes is shown to be polyphyletic and 3 new genera, Breviphysoderes gen. nov., Macrophysoderes gen. nov. and Nanophysoderes gen. nov., are erected to accommodate new species and several species previously classified as Physoderes. A taxonomic revision of Physoderes and allied genera is conducted. Diagnoses, updated distribution ranges, habitus and genitalic images, and identification keys are provided. A total of 17 synonymies are given, and 15 new species and 3 new genera are described, focusing on the diversity of Physoderinae in the Oriental and Australasian regions. The new species are Breviphysoderes fulvopicta gen. et sp. nov., B. tenebrosa gen. et sp. nov., Macrophysoderes cirripilosa gen. et sp. nov., M. elongata gen. et sp. nov., M. finisterre gen. et sp. nov., M. grandis gen. et sp. nov., Paraphysoderes popeye sp. nov., Physoderes anamalaiensis sp. nov., P. brevipennis sp. nov., P. minime sp. nov., P. muluensis sp. nov., P. mysorensis sp. nov., P. nigripennis sp. nov., P. ractepilosa sp. nov. and P. tricolor sp. nov.
Astiella is an herbaceous genus endemic to Madagascar, originally described with a single species A. delicatula Jovet. Molecular and morphological evidence place it in the tribe Spermacoceae s. lat. of Rubiaceae. During herbarium studies and fieldwork in Madagascar, 11 new Astiella species were identified and these are described here: A. antongilensis Groeninckx sp. nov., A. antsalovansis Groeninckx sp. nov., A. confusa Groeninckx sp. nov., A. deblockiae Groeninckx sp. nov., A. desseinii Groeninckx sp. nov., A. homolleae Groeninckx sp. nov., A. latifolia Groeninckx sp. nov., A. longifimbria Groeninckx sp. nov., A. perrieri Groeninckx sp. nov., A. pulla Groeninckx sp. nov., and A. tsaratanensis Groeninckx sp. nov. The genus Astiella now holds 12 species in total that are all endemic to Madagascar.