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The phylogeny of the hydrophilid genus Sternolophus Solier, 1834 was examined in this study using 60 morphological adult characters, eight of them continuous and 52 discrete. The cladistic analysis resulted in a single most parsimonious tree with two major subclades corresponding, respectively, to species previously assigned to the subgenera Sternolophus s. str. Solier and Neosternolophus Zaitzev, although they are not re-instated. The species groups S. angolensis (Erichson, 1843) and S. solieri Castelnau, 1840 are recovered as monophyletic. The biogeography and diversification of the species of Sternolophus are briefly discussed.

The Old World water scavenger beetle genus Sternolophus Solier is revised. Six new species are described: Sternolophus acutipenis sp. n., S. insulanus sp. n., S. jaechi sp. n., S. mandelai sp. n., S. prominolobus sp. n. and S. solitarius sp. n. Three taxa are reinstated as valid species: Sternolophus angustatus (Boheman), S. elongatus Schaufuss and S. mundus (Boheman). The subgenera within the genus are rejected and Neosternolophus Zaitzev syn. n. is synonymized with Sternolophus s. str. Lectotypes are designated for Hydrophilus angolensis Erichson, H. angustatus , H. rufipes Fabricius, Sternolophus brachyacanthus Regimbart, S. comoriensis Fairmaire, S. elongatus , S. frater Schaufuss, and S. rufipes var. foveoliceps Kolbe . On the basis of similar morphological characters, two species-groups are proposed for some of the species within the genus: The angolensis group including S. angolensis , S. inconspicuus (Nietner), S. mundus , and S. solitarius , and the solieri group including S. angustatus , S. elongatus , S. mandelai, S. rufipes Fabricius, and S. solieri Castelnau. Sternolophus unicolor (Castelnau) is considered a nomen dubium. Male genitalia and other diagnostic morphological characters are illustrated, and distribution maps are presented for all 17 species.