Forest-insects
Guides
Solenopterini
Solenopterini is a tribe of longhorn beetles within the subfamily Prioninae. Members are characterized by robust, often large-bodied forms adapted to wood-boring life histories. The tribe includes several genera distributed primarily in the Neotropical region, with some representation in the Nearctic. Solenopterini species are associated with dead or decaying hardwoods and are of occasional economic significance as timber pests.
Sosylus
Sosylus is a genus of dry bark beetles in the family Bothrideridae, containing approximately eight described species. These beetles are significant natural predators and parasites of ambrosia beetles (family Platypodidae). The genus has been documented in New Guinea and other regions, with species exhibiting distinctive triungulin-type first-instar larvae—a mobile larval form rare among beetles.
Steganinae
Steganinae is the smaller of two subfamilies in the fruit fly family Drosophilidae, established by Hendel in 1917. The subfamily is monophyletic but lacks a single diagnostic morphological character distinguishing it from the larger Drosophilinae. Members display diverse feeding behaviors, with some species exhibiting zoophilic habits unusual for drosophilid flies. The subfamily includes approximately 350 described species across multiple tribes and subtribes, though phylogenetic relationships remain partially unresolved.
Temnostoma
Falsehorn Flies
Temnostoma is a genus of hoverflies (Syrphidae) renowned for their sophisticated Batesian mimicry of wasps. Adults possess overall morphological resemblance to hymenopterans, including darkened wing margins that mimic the folded wings of vespid wasps at rest. A distinctive behavioral adaptation involves waving the forelegs in front of the head to simulate wasp antennae. The genus comprises approximately 25 described species distributed across the Holarctic region, with larvae that are saproxylic—developing in wet, decaying wood where they feed on microorganisms.
Tetratomidae
polypore fungus beetles
Tetratomidae is a small family of beetles in the superfamily Tenebrionoidea, commonly known as polypore fungus beetles. The family was historically classified within Melandryidae but is now recognized as distinct based on larval and adult morphological characters. Members are found worldwide and are specialized consumers of fungal fruiting bodies. The family includes several extant genera as well as fossil genera from Cretaceous amber deposits.
Valenzuela
lizard barklice
Valenzuela is a large genus of barklice in the family Caeciliusidae, commonly known as lizard barklice. The genus contains at least 300 described species, making it one of the most diverse genera within Psocodea. Some species are known from Eocene fossils in Poland and Russia, indicating a long evolutionary history. Members of this genus are small, winged or wingless insects that inhabit bark and leaf litter environments.
Wroughtonia necydalidis
Wroughtonia necydalidis is a species of parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, subfamily Helconinae. It belongs to a genus of braconid wasps known for attacking wood-boring beetle larvae. The species epithet references its association with the longhorn beetle genus Necydalis. Like other members of Helconini, it likely functions as a koinobiont endoparasitoid of cerambycid beetle larvae.
Xiphydriidae
wood wasps, swordtail sawflies
Xiphydriidae is a family of approximately 150 species of wood wasps distributed worldwide across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and other regions. Adults are distinguished by their globose (dome-shaped) heads borne on long, slender necks, with body lengths ranging from 6–21 mm. Larvae are wood borers in dead or dying trees and branches, where they feed on symbiotic fungi rather than wood directly. The family has a fossil record extending to the mid-Cretaceous, with the oldest known fossils from this period.
Xylitini
Xylitini is a tribe of darkling beetles within the family Melandryidae, established by C.G. Thomson in 1864. Members of this tribe are primarily associated with dead and decaying wood, where they develop as larvae. The tribe includes several genera of small to medium-sized beetles that are part of the broader saproxylic beetle community.
Zygomyia
Zygomyia is a genus of fungus gnats (family Mycetophilidae) established by Winnertz in 1863. The genus comprises at least 80 described species. Members are small, delicate flies associated with fungal habitats.