Sycanus Amyot & Serville, 1843: 360. Type species by monotypy: Reduvius collaris Fabricius, 1781, India.
Cosmosphodrus Stål, 1867a: 278 (downgraded to subgenus by Stål, 1874b: 29; syn. Lethierry & Severin, 1896: 171). Type species by subsequent designation (V.G. Putshkov et al., 1987: 103): Sycanus generosus Stål, 1864 (= Sycanus stali Dohrn, 1859), Philippines (Manila).