Originally described as Psammoryctides minutus by Brinkhurst (1965), he (Brinkhurst, 1971) subsequently judged this taxon to be species incerta sedis based upon some uncertainty in the distal narrowing of the ejaculatory duct. After a reassessment of previously dissected specimens, Loden (1978) recommended that this taxon be reinstated as valid. This species was placed in a new genus, Varichaeta, by Brinkhurst (1981). It was later discovered that the name Varichaeta was preoccupied (Varichaeta Speiser, 1903 in Diptera), so Brinkhurst and Kathman (1983) established the name Varichaetidrilus for the three known species at that time -- Varichaetadrilus pacificus (Brinkhurst, 1965) new combination (type species), Varichaetadrilus nevadana (Brinkhurst, 1965) new combination, and Varichaetadrilus israelis (Brinkhurst, 1965) new combination. Brinkhurst and Wetzel (1984, p. 48) stated that Psammoryctides minutus needed to be reassigned to Varichaetadrilus (the abstract stated that this name change was a new combination, although no additional explanation or diagnostic justification was provided). The following year, Brinkhurst (1985) established Varichaetadrilus minutus (Brinkhurst, 1965) as a new combination for Psammoryctides minutus, including explanation and diagnostic justification. Brinkhurst (1987) then synonymized Varichaetadrilus nevadanus with Varichaetadrilus minutus (Brinkhurst, 1965), with V. nevadanus as the junior synonym; both species were originally described as new to science in the same paper, but because the description of minutus appeared on p. 125, and the description of nevadana appeared on p. 127, the name minutus has priority