Plastocerus angulosus (Germar, 1844) (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Dendrometrinae): an enigmatic click beetle with a convoluted taxonomic history

Abstract

Plastocerus angulosus (Germar, 1844) is one of the only two species of genus Plastocerus Schaum, 1852 within the monogeneric click beetle tribe Plastocerini. It is distributed in the area comprising Greece, Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Lebanon (first record for Lebanon published here). Due to the slightly modified morphology of P. angulosus, this taxon has a convoluted taxonomic history and was earlier classified in various families and even superfamilies. However, recent phylogenies place it in Elateridae: Dendrometrinae. In this study, we review the morphology, intraspecific morphological and genetic variability, sexual dimorphism, systematics, bibliography, and distribution of P. angulosus. Our results show rather low morphological and relatively high genetic variability in this species. Females, which are larger than males and differ mainly in the antennae and abdominal ventrites, are not so rare as previously thought. Further field research should focus on the discovery of immature stages to describe their morphology and understand their biology and ecology.