Drilus Olivier, 1790

Kundrata, Robin, Kobieluszova, Lucie & Bocak, Ladislav, 2014, A review of Drilini (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae) of the Northern Levant, with description of a new species from Syria and a key to Levantine species, Zootaxa 3755 (5), pp. 457-469 : 458

Drilus Olivier, 1790

Drilus Olivier, 1790: 1 .

Type species. Drilus flavescens Olivier, 1790: 1 . = Cochleoctonus Mielzinsky, 1824: 74 .

Type species. Cochleoctonus vorax Mielzinsky, 1824: 74 .

Diagnosis. The closest relative to Drilus is Malacogaster which differs in subparallel-sided lateral margins of pronotum (convex in Drilus ) and short sharp edges at lateral prothoracic margins (almost complete in Drilus ). Furthermore, all Malacogaster species have serrate antennae, whilst many Drilus (including the type species) have slightly flabellate antennae, and the vast majority of Malacogaster (including the type species M. passerinii Bassi, 1834 ) have apparently shortened elytra and exposed terminal abdominal segments ( Reitter 1894, Kundrata & Bocak 2007). Drilus differs from Paradrilus in the considerably shorter antennomere 2 than antennomere 3 (subequal lengths in Paradrilus ) and from Selasia by the deeply emarginate or v-shaped frontal margin of mesoventrite (slightly concave in Selasia ).

Distribution. Most Drilus are distributed in the Mediterranean and the Caucasus, where they have very limited ranges probably due to limited dispersal propensity and number of dispersal barriers. Two European species, Drilus concolor Ahrens, 1812 and D. flavescens , are widely distributed (Bocak 2007).

Remarks. The taxonomy of Drilus is mostly based on single descriptions by various authors. As the primary types are lost in many cases, it is difficult to revise the genus. The diagnostic characters of Drilus and Malacogaster are valid at least for the Mediterranean species, but the Afrotropical fauna needs further study. Most Malacogaster have black colored head and elytra and yellowish to red pronotum. Similarity in coloration lead some authors to placement of Drilus species in Malacogaster .