Idolus Desbrochers des Loges, 1875

Etzler, Frank E. & Seibert, Catherine E., 2022, Checklist of the Elateridae (Coleoptera) of Montana, USA, with Taxonomic Notes, The Coleopterists Bulletin 76 (3), pp. 449-477 : 473

Idolus Desbrochers des Loges, 1875 .

Species in this genus appear under the names Agriotella Brown, 1933 , Betarmon Kiesenwetter, 1863 , and Drasterius Eschscholtz, 1829 in older literature. Confusion has existed in the past over the type species of this genus, but we are in complete agreement with the observations and type designation by Méquignon (1930). Méquignon (1930: p. 94) noted that Athous picipennis Bach, 1852 is the type of Idolus by monotypy. Brown (1933) thought this was in error when he described Agriotella , while also noting the similarity of North American species to A. picipennis . However, Sánchez-Ruiz (1996: p. 190) re-examined the literature and confirmed Méquignon’s designation, and synonymized Agriotella with Idolus . Recognition of such a genus creates a unified Holarctic concept and stabilizes the taxonomy. Records of Idolus bigeminatus (Randall) in Montana (e. g., Mank 1934) are misidentifications of Idolus occidentalis (Brown) .