In systematic literature before 2010 the name
Melanatria Bowdich, 1822 was generally used for this group. Another name, which was used particularly in earlier taxonomic literature of the 19th century is
Pirena Lamarck, 1799. However, it has been shown that both names are not available for this genus. The name
Melanatria is a nomen dubium, not based on a recognizable species while the name
Pirena is a junior synonym of
Faunus Born, 1758, which is a different genus within the family
Pachychilidae. Therefore, introduction of a new name,
Madagasikara, was required to maintain a stable taxonomy. ==Species==