Basal-lineage
Guides
Amblycheila schwarzi
Mojave giant tiger beetle
Amblycheila schwarzi, the Mojave giant tiger beetle, is a flightless, nocturnal tiger beetle species described by Walther Horn in 1904. It is one of the largest tiger beetles in North America, with adults reaching 25–38 mm in length. The species is considered an adelphotaxon (sister-group) to all other tiger beetles, representing a basal lineage within the group. It inhabits grassland and prairie habitats in the southern United States, where adults are active at night and larvae construct deep burrows in clay soils.
Anapleus
clown beetles
Anapleus is a genus of clown beetles in the family Histeridae, comprising approximately 16 described extant species. The genus was first described by Horn in 1873 and has been documented from the mid-Cretaceous period (ca. 99 Ma) through fossil specimens in Kachin amber, indicating an ancient origin. Extant species are distributed across Europe, Asia, North America, and Central America. The genus is characterized by an ovate body form, which has been hypothesized to represent a basal lineage within Histeridae.
Aplomerus
A small genus of parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Xoridinae (Ichneumonidae). The genus exhibits a disjunct distribution across North America, Japan, and southeast Asia. Eight species are currently recognized, including two described from the Oriental region (Thailand and Vietnam) and one from Japan. Aplomerus is considered a basal lineage within Xoridinae.
Atelestidae
Atelestidae is a small family of flies in the superfamily Empidoidea, comprising approximately four extant genera. The family was formally established in 1983, having previously been classified within Platypezidae or as incertae sedis. Phylogenetic studies indicate Atelestidae represents the sister group to all other living Empidoidea, making it the most basal lineage of this diverse superfamily. The family includes both extant and fossil taxa, with the genus Alavesia known from Cretaceous amber and discovered alive in Namibia in 2010. The monophyly of the family remains incompletely resolved, with the genus Meghyperus likely requiring taxonomic revision.
Bathysmatophorini
Bathysmatophorini is a small, basal tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Errhomeninae. Species are characterized by robust bodies and dull brown or grey coloration. The tribe was historically classified within Evacanthinae due to morphological similarities. Many females exhibit reduced, non-functional wings. The group is considered rare and has limited distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Heterogastridae
Heterogastridae is a family of seed bugs in the superfamily Lygaeoidea, comprising approximately 20–23 genera and 97–100 species. The group has been variously classified as subfamily, tribe, and subtribe, but is currently recognized at family rank. Members possess a distinctive midgut M4 region with two rows of crypts housing Caballeronia bacterial symbionts, representing a stable and specific mutualistic association. The family forms a basal lineage of Lygaeoidea alongside Pachygronthidae.
Phyllolabis
Phyllolabis is a genus of crane flies in the family Limoniidae, subfamily Limnophilinae. The genus was established by Osten Sacken in 1877 and contains approximately 50 described species distributed across the Holarctic region. Larval and pupal stages were first described in 2017 for P. mongolica, revealing morphological similarities to Austrolimnophila, Epiphragma, and Dactylolabis. Based on immature stage characters, Phyllolabis has been reclassified as a basal lineage within Limnophilinae s.l.
Superstitionia donensis
Superstition Mountains Scorpion
Superstitionia donensis is a small scorpion species endemic to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is the sole member of its family Superstitioniidae, distinguished by a unique trichobothrial pattern and reduced number of pectinal teeth. The species inhabits rocky desert terrain and is primarily nocturnal. Its venom is considered mild to humans.
Timema
Timemas
Timema is a genus of small, wingless stick insects representing the sole extant member of the family Timematidae and suborder Timematodea. Native to mountainous regions of western North America, these insects are considered the sister group to all other stick insects, making them evolutionarily significant as a basal lineage. The genus exhibits remarkable diversity in reproductive mode, with five of twenty-one species being parthenogenetic, including two species that have reproduced asexually for over one million years—the longest known asexual period for any insect. Timema species display sophisticated cryptic coloration matching their host plants, with color morphs including green, gray, brown, and striped variants that have been extensively studied as models for ecological speciation and natural selection.