Asiopus
Lopatin, 1965
Species Guides
3Asiopus is a of leaf beetles in the Chrysomelidae, currently treated as a synonym of Cryptocephalus. It was established by Lopatin in 1965 for certain Palaearctic . The genus name continues to appear in some databases and literature due to historical usage. Species formerly placed in Asiopus share the general characteristics of Cryptocephalus, including compact bodies and enlarged hind .
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Asiopus: //əˈsaɪ.ə.pəs//
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Distribution
Records indicate presence in Colombia (CO), Norway (NO), and Vermont, United States. The Norway and Vermont records likely reflect historical taxonomic usage rather than current valid distribution, as these regions fall outside the typical range of Cryptocephalus associated with this synonym. The Colombian record requires verification.
Similar Taxa
- CryptocephalusAsiopus is currently synonymized under this ; distinguishing features formerly used to separate Asiopus (such as certain pronotal or leg characters) are no longer considered valid at the generic level
Misconceptions
The continues to appear in some databases (notably iNaturalist, which lists it under Tenebrionidae) due to taxonomic lag and data errors. Asiopus is properly a synonym of Chrysomelidae:Cryptocephalus, not a valid tenebrionid genus.
More Details
Taxonomic status
GBIF correctly identifies Asiopus as a synonym of Cryptocephalus (Chrysomelidae), but iNaturalist erroneously lists it as a valid in Tenebrionidae. This discrepancy reflects common challenges in maintaining synchronized taxonomic databases. The original description by Lopatin (1965) applied to Palaearctic Cryptocephalus .
Data quality note
The 2,546 iNaturalist observations attributed to 'Asiopus' likely represent misidentifications, records of Tenebrionidae , or placeholder usage. Users should verify these observations against current Cryptocephalus .