Himalaya
Guides
Amphichroum
Amphichroum is a genus of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) in the subfamily Omaliinae and tribe Anthophagini, established by Kraatz in 1857. The genus comprises approximately 32 described species distributed across montane regions of Asia, with significant diversity in the Himalayan region, Tibet, and southwestern China. Recent taxonomic revisions have added numerous species from China, particularly from Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Species are primarily known from high-elevation mountain localities.
Anthobium
Anthobium is a genus of rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini) established by William Elford Leach in 1819. The genus has undergone extensive taxonomic revision, with multiple former genera (Deliphrum, Lathrimaeum, Eudeliphrum, Arpediopsis) synonymized under Anthobium. Species are organized into numerous species groups including atrocephalum, fusculum, gracilipalpe, nigrum, morchella, reflexum, consanguineum, crassum, tectum, algidum, morosum, fortepunctatum, and convexior groups. The genus is distributed across the entire Palaearctic region, with highest diversity in mountainous areas of China, the Himalayas, and Nepal.
Deinopteroloma
Deinopteroloma is a genus of rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini) established by Jansson in 1946. The genus was transferred from Silphidae to Staphylinidae based on morphological evidence and is now classified within the Anthobium group of genera. Species occur in the Pacific Northwest of North America, the Nepal Himalayas, northeastern Burma, China (Sichuan, Yunnan), and northern Vietnam. The genus includes at least nine described species, with several new species described from China and Vietnam in 2016.
Dioryctria
Conifer Coneworm Moths, Coneworm Moths
Dioryctria is a genus of snout moths (family Pyralidae) described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1846. Commonly known as conifer coneworm moths, the genus contains approximately 40 species in North America, with 25 occurring in western regions. Larvae of most species feed within conifer cones, though some species infest shoots, branches, or bark. Several species are significant forest pests, causing damage to pine, spruce, fir, and cedar trees through cone and seed destruction, shoot boring, and deformation of tree crowns.
Mecistocephalidae
Mecistocephalidae is a monophyletic family of soil-dwelling centipedes constituting the sole family of the monotypic suborder Placodesmata. With approximately 170 species across 11 genera, it ranks as the third most diverse family in Geophilomorpha. The family exhibits a distinctive trait among geophilomorphs: leg-bearing segment numbers are generally fixed within species and identical between sexes, ranging from 41 to 101 pairs. Most species inhabit tropical and subtropical regions, though some extend into temperate zones. The genus Mecistocephalus dominates the family with roughly 130 species, most possessing 49 leg pairs.
Patrobini
Patrobini is a tribe of ground beetles (Carabidae) established by Kirby in 1837. Members include subtribe Deltomerodina, which contains genera such as Deltomerodes characterized by slender medium-sized bodies (8.5–12.0 mm), dorsally pubescent tarsi, and distinctive genitalia morphology. The tribe occurs in alpine and high-elevation habitats across the Himalayas and adjacent regions.
Xantholininae
Xantholininae is a subfamily of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) comprising approximately 28 genera and over 100 species in North America alone, with additional diversity in the Palearctic and other regions. The group has been subject to extensive taxonomic revision due to historical confusion in genus-level classification, with multiple synonymizations required to stabilize nomenclature. Members are characterized by specific morphological features that distinguish them from other staphylinid subfamilies, though detailed biological studies remain limited compared to taxonomic treatments.