Phylogenetics
Guides
Asphondyliini
Asphondyliini is a tribe of gall midges within the family Cecidomyiidae, comprising approximately six genera and at least 100 described species. Members are distributed across multiple biogeographic regions including the Neotropics, Palearctic, and Oriental regions. The tribe is characterized by gall-inducing behavior on diverse host plants, with documented associations across numerous angiosperm families including Fabaceae, Malpighiaceae, Lauraceae, and Verbenaceae. Several genera within the tribe have been subject to recent taxonomic revision based on phylogenetic analyses.
Athetini
Athetini is a large tribe of rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) comprising at least 50 genera and 430 described species. The tribe is taxonomically complex, with ongoing research into its limits and internal relationships; it was not recovered as monophyletic in molecular phylogenetic studies. Multiple independent origins of coastal habitat specialization have been documented within the tribe.
Balclutha caldwelli
Balclutha caldwelli is a leafhopper species in the family Cicadellidae, described by Blocker in 1967. It is one of several Balclutha species documented in Florida, United States, where it has been subject to molecular analysis through COI barcode sequencing. The genus Balclutha comprises small, often colorful leafhoppers commonly known as microleafhoppers.
Balclutha frontalis
Balclutha frontalis is a leafhopper species in the family Cicadellidae, subfamily Deltocephalinae. It is one of several Balclutha species documented in Florida, United States, where COI barcode data have been generated for phylogenetic studies. The species has been recorded from California and Mediterranean localities including Turkey (Adana, Antalya, Aydin) and Greece (Athens). As a member of the genus Balclutha, it likely shares characteristics with other microleafhoppers in the group, though species-specific ecological details remain limited.
Barronopsis floridensis
Barronopsis floridensis is a funnel weaver spider in the family Agelenidae, originally described from Florida. It belongs to the large-bodied B. texana species group, characterized by robust morphology and distinct genitalic structures. Phylogenetic analysis places it in a clade with B. arturoi, sister to a clade containing B. texana and B. jeffersi. The species has been documented in the southeastern United States and the Bahama Islands.
Boletina
fungus gnats
Boletina is a species-rich genus of fungus gnats in the family Mycetophilidae, characterized by a mainly Holarctic distribution. The genus has historically been taxonomically challenging due to morphological similarities among species and paraphyletic relationships with related genera including Aglaomyia, Coelosia, and Gnoriste. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies and taxonomic revisions have clarified some relationships, though the genus remains under active investigation. Boletina species are particularly diverse in northern Europe, where ongoing research continues to reveal new species.
Callicorini
Eighty-eights and Allies
Callicorini is a tribe of nymphalid butterflies within the subfamily Biblidinae, commonly known as "eighty-eights and allies" due to distinctive wing patterns resembling the numerals "88" in some species. The tribe includes the genus Perisama, a species-rich group predominantly restricted to Neotropical cloud forests in the Andes, as well as Diaethria and related genera. Phylogenetic studies indicate Miocene divergence between major lineages, with subsequent radiation correlated to Andean orogeny. Members exhibit diverse wing color patterns, though these have proven less geographically stable than historically assumed.
Carpophilinae
Carpophilinae is a subfamily of sap beetles (Nitidulidae) comprising at least 70 described species across six genera: Amphicrossus, Aphenolia, Carpophilus, Caplothorax, Epuraea, Nitops, and Urophorus. Recent phylogenetic studies have reclassified the group, elevating Caplothorax to generic rank and confirming the monophyly of Nitops, Urophorus, and Caplothorax. The subfamily exhibits multiple independent origins of anthophily (flower-visiting behavior), a trait that has evolved convergently across lineages.
Coenura
Coenura Bigot, 1857 is a genus of flies in the family Pelecorhynchidae. A 2023 phylogenetic study restored the genus for six southern South American species formerly placed in Pelecorhynchus; those species formed a monophyletic group in analyses combining three genes with 112 morphological characters. The study associated the group with a Chilean distribution. Species counts differ among current taxonomic resources, so the treatment being followed matters.
Crambini incertae sedis
Crambini-incertae-sedis is a provisional tribal designation within the subfamily Crambinae (Crambidae). It comprises genera and species that have been historically placed in the tribe Crambini but lack definitive phylogenetic placement due to insufficient morphological or molecular data. These taxa are morphologically heterogeneous, preventing confident assignment to established tribes such as Crambini sensu stricto or Argyriini. The group serves as a taxonomic holding category pending further systematic revision.
Ectemnia invenusta
unattractive black fly
Ectemnia invenusta is a species of black fly in the family Simuliidae, characterized by autapomorphic structural and behavioral traits that distinguish it from other black fly genera. The species is primarily northern in distribution and its immature stages occupy rocky rivers. It has been studied for its distinctive cocoon-spinning behavior, which provides phylogenetically informative characters linking it to other black fly taxa.
Epyrinae
Epyrinae is a subfamily of parasitoid wasps within the family Bethylidae (Hymenoptera). The subfamily contains the tribe Sclerodermini, which has been subject to recent taxonomic revision due to phylogenetic analyses revealing paraphyly and polyphyly in several genera. Members of this subfamily are characterized by specific morphological traits used in cladistic analyses, with 72 female characters documented for Sclerodermini alone. The group has a worldwide distribution with 13 genera currently recognized in Sclerodermini, though generic boundaries remain under investigation.
Gargarini
Gargarini is a tribe of treehoppers (family Membracidae, subfamily Centrotinae) containing over 400 species across 28 genera. First described by William Lucas Distant in 1908, it represents one of the most species-rich tribes within the primitive subfamily Centrotinae, which occurs in both Old and New Worlds. Members are characterized by highly diverse pronotal structures, including suprahumeral horns and posterior pronotal processes that range from simple to complex morphologies. Molecular phylogenetic studies place Gargarini as sister to the tribes Leptocentrini, Hypsauchenini, Centrotini, and Leptobelini, with diversification estimated in the Late Cretaceous approximately 79.6 million years ago.
Grapholitini
Grapholitine moths, Leafroller moth tribe
Grapholitini is a tribe of tortricid moths comprising approximately 1200 described species. The tribe contains numerous economically significant agricultural pests that damage fruits and seeds. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have resolved the tribe into two major lineages—a Dichrorampha clade and a Cydia clade—with the genus Grapholita found to be polyphyletic. The tribe likely originated in the Nearctic, Afrotropical and Neotropical regions during the middle Eocene (ca. 44.3 Ma).
Grapsus
lightfoot crabs
Grapsus is a genus of lightfoot crabs in the family Grapsidae, comprising eight recognized species distributed across tropical and subtropical rocky shorelines. Members are characterized by their flattened bodies and long, slender legs adapted for rapid movement across intertidal rocks. The genus has been extensively studied for mitochondrial genome architecture and phylogenetic relationships within the Grapsoidea superfamily.
Hydririni
Hydririni is a tribe of moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae (family Crambidae) comprising approximately 104 species across eight genera. The tribe is primarily Neotropical in distribution, with most species described from tropical Central and South America. Adults range from narrow- to broad-winged, with wing patterns varying from inconspicuous brown and ochre to more colorful displays. Hydririni is characterized by distinctive genitalic synapomorphies: females possess an appendix bursae on the corpus bursae, and males typically exhibit hair scale patches on the anterior edge of abdominal sternite 8. The tribe forms part of the paraphyletic 'non-euspilomeline' group within Spilomelinae.
Incertae sedis
Incertae sedis is a taxonomic term used to indicate that a taxon's placement within a higher classification is uncertain or unresolved. It does not represent a biological group but rather a placeholder status pending further research. The term applies to taxa whose relationships to other groups remain unclear due to insufficient morphological, molecular, or fossil evidence.
Lerema
Clouded Skipper
Lerema is a genus of skipper butterflies in the family Hesperiidae, subfamily Hesperiinae. The genus includes the Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius), a grass skipper whose complete mitochondrial genome has been sequenced and characterized. Phylogenetic analysis places Lerema within the grass skipper clade, specifically as sister to Asian genera Potanthus and Polytremis. The genus is established in North America with documented occurrence in Texas.
Listroderes
vegetable weevils
Listroderes is a genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Cyclominae. The genus includes at least 170 described species, though some sources suggest a smaller core group. Several species, particularly Listroderes costirostris (vegetable weevil), are significant agricultural pests with broad host ranges. The genus is characterized by distinctive body vestiture of subcircular to suboval scales. Species are native to southern South America, with some introduced widely through human activity.
Lucidotini
fireflies, lightning bugs
Lucidotini is the largest tribe of fireflies (Lampyridae), comprising approximately 34 genera and 849 species—nearly one-third of all described firefly species worldwide. The tribe is taxonomically challenging due to overlapping diagnostic features across taxonomic levels and historical reliance on homoplastic morphological characters. Recent phylogenetic studies incorporating terminalia and genital traits have substantially improved genus-level delimitations within the group.
Neodexiopsis
house flies
Neodexiopsis is a genus of muscid flies (family Muscidae) established by Malloch in 1920. It is one of the two most species-rich genera in the tribe Coenosiini, with at least 80 described species. The genus has been subject to taxonomic revision, particularly in relation to species previously placed in the genus Austrocoenosia. Species-level taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships within Neodexiopsis have been investigated using morphological characters of adult flies, including male and female genitalia structures.
Neoephemeridae
large squaregill mayflies
Neoephemeridae is a small family of mayflies in the suborder Furcatergalia, containing approximately 13-17 described species across four genera: Neoephemera (Nearctic), Ochernova (Central Asia), Leucorhoenanthus (West Palearctic), and Potamanthellus (East Palearctic and Oriental). Nymphs are characterized by distinctive fimbriate (fringed) dorsal-oriented gills on abdominal segments, giving rise to the common name "large squaregill mayflies." The family has a disjunct Holarctic-Oriental distribution with recent findings in southwestern and northwestern China linking previously isolated genera biogeographically.
Nepticuloidea
Pygmy Leafminer Moths
Nepticuloidea is a superfamily of minute monotrysian Lepidoptera comprising two families: Nepticulidae (pygmy moths) and Opostegidae (white eyecap moths). Members are among the smallest moths worldwide, with wingspans of only a few millimetres. The superfamily is characterized by prominent eyecaps covering the compound eyes. Molecular phylogenetic studies indicate the group originated in the early Cretaceous, approximately 100 million years ago, coinciding with angiosperm diversification.
Nitidulinae
sap beetles
Nitidulinae is a subfamily of small beetles within the family Nitidulidae, commonly known as sap beetles. The subfamily contains approximately 110 genera and at least 70 described species, though taxonomic revision is ongoing. Members are primarily associated with fungal substrates, particularly large-bodied Basidiomycetes, and exhibit diverse feeding habits including phallalophagy in some lineages. The group has been subject to recent phylogenetic study focusing on body convexity as a morphological trait and host-use patterns.
Octotemnus
tree-fungus beetles
Octotemnus is a genus of minute tree-fungus beetles in the family Ciidae. Species in this genus are specialist fungivores that inhabit and feed on the fruiting bodies of polypore fungi. Research on Octotemnus laminifrons has revealed substantial cryptic species diversity, with multiple genetically and morphologically distinct species previously hidden under one name. Some species have been documented to significantly reduce the reproductive fitness of their host fungi through feeding damage to the spore-producing hymenium.
Onthophagini
Onthophagine dung beetles
Onthophagini is a large and ecologically significant tribe of dung beetles within the family Scarabaeidae. The tribe comprises approximately half of the world's dung beetle fauna, with the genus Onthophagus alone containing over 2,300 species worldwide. Members are found on every continent except Antarctica. The tribe originated from a single common ancestor shared with the Oniticellini, with which it forms a monophyletic group. While many dung beetles are known for ball-rolling behavior, Onthophagini species exhibit diverse feeding strategies including specialization on fungi, carrion, and dead millipedes, with some species living in close association with termites and ants.
Opatrini
darkling beetles
Opatrini is a tribe of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) comprising approximately 281 genera and about 4,000 species, representing one of the most species-rich lineages within the family. The tribe was historically placed in subfamily Tenebrioninae but was transferred to the resurrected subfamily Blaptinae in 2021 based on phylogenetic analyses. The fossil genus Eupachypterus from Eocene Oise amber demonstrates that Opatrini-like morphology has persisted for over 50 million years. The tribe includes several subtribes, with molecular studies supporting the monophyly of Blapstinina and revealing complex relationships among geographically distributed genera.
Palaemon
Glass Shrimps
Palaemon is a genus of caridean shrimp in the family Palaemonidae, commonly known as glass shrimps. The genus is widely distributed across marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats in temperate and tropical regions. Molecular studies suggest the conventional circumscription of Palaemon is likely paraphyletic, with related genera Palaemonetes, Exopalaemon, and Couteriella nested within it. Phylogenetic relationships in this group correspond more closely with geographic origin than with traditional genus-level taxonomy.
Panscopus
broad-nosed weevils
Panscopus is a genus of broad-nosed weevils in the family Curculionidae, containing more than 30 described species distributed across North America. Phylogenetic studies indicate that sister species and ancestral lineages exhibit disjunct geographic distributions that correlate with geological and paleoecological events. Divergence events are estimated to have occurred between the late Eocene and Miocene, suggesting the genus originated by or before the Eocene with most cladogenesis in the middle to late Tertiary.
Pemphigini
Pemphigini is a tribe of gall-forming aphids within the subfamily Pemphiginae. The tribe comprises two subtribes: Prociphilina, which typically induces pseudo-galls on leaves, and Pemphigina, which forms both pseudo-galls and true galls at various locations on host plants including leaf-petiole joints, petiole midpoints, and branches. Molecular phylogenetic studies indicate that Pemphigina is monophyletic, though the monophyly of Pemphigini as a whole is not supported. Gall morphology in this group appears to have evolved from open pseudo-galls to closed galls, with progressive relocation to more protected positions on the host plant.
Phintelloides
Phintelloides is an accepted genus of Asian jumping spiders in the family Salticidae. It was erected in 2019 after genetic and morphological work separated a group of superficially similar South Asian spiders into distinct evolutionary lineages. Eleven species were listed in a 2022 catalog treatment, with records from India, Sri Lanka, and farther east across Asia. The genus is notable for showing why species that look alike may require both structural and molecular evidence for reliable classification.
Physocyclus
cellar spiders
Physocyclus is a genus of cellar spiders (family Pholcidae) established by Eugène Louis Simon in 1893. The genus comprises 38 recognized species distributed across multiple continents, with the highest diversity in Mexico. Two distinct species groups are recognized: the globosus group (11 species) and the dugesi group (21 species), distinguished by morphological and biogeographic patterns. The type species, P. globosus, has been widely introduced globally through human activity.
Protoptilinae
Protoptilinae is the most diverse subfamily of Glossosomatidae, the saddle- or tortoise-case-making caddisflies. The subfamily contains 18 genera with a strikingly disjunct global distribution: five genera occur in the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions, while the remaining thirteen genera are restricted to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Members construct portable cases from mineral or plant material. The subfamily has undergone extensive taxonomic revision based on adult morphology and molecular phylogenetics, resulting in several new synonymies and refined generic diagnoses.
Rhysophora
Rhysophora is a genus of shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae) in the tribe Discomyzini, distributed primarily in the Neotropics with two Nearctic species. The genus was revised in 2015 following discovery of four new Neotropical species, confirming its monophyly and establishing Helaeomyia as its sister group. Species diversity is greatest in South America.
Spilomelinae
Pearl Moths
Spilomelinae is a species-rich subfamily of Crambidae (crambid snout moths) containing approximately 4,180 described species in 351 genera worldwide, making it the most diverse group among pyraloid moths. Formerly treated as tribe Spilomelini within Pyraustinae, it was elevated to subfamily status based on phylogenetic studies. The subfamily includes numerous agricultural pests as well as the invasive box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis).
Syneches
hybotid dance flies
Syneches is a genus of hybotid dance flies (family Hybotidae) comprising over 140 described species worldwide. These small predatory flies are part of the diverse dance fly assemblage, characterized by their compact body form and agile flight. The genus has been documented from tropical to temperate regions across multiple continents. Mitochondrial genome sequencing of Syneches medoganus has provided phylogenetic insights supporting Hybotinae as sister group to Tachydromiinae.
Syrphini
hoverflies
Syrphini is a globally distributed tribe of hoverflies (family Syrphidae) comprising approximately 37 recognized genera and hundreds of species. Members exhibit classic hoverfly morphology with compact bodies, large compound eyes, and the characteristic hovering flight behavior. The tribe is taxonomically diverse, with particularly notable patterns in the Neotropical region where species are concentrated in two large, highly diverse genera, contrasting with other zoogeographic regions where moderate-sized genera predominate. The group has been subject to recent taxonomic revision, with eight new genera and multiple subgenera described in recent decades.
Taxonus
Taxonus is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, subfamily Allantinae. It is recognized as the largest and most complicated genus within the Allantinae. The genus contains approximately 8 described species, with additional species described from Asia. Taxonus is placed in the tribe Allantini and forms the subtribe Taxonina, which is sister to the subtribe Allantina.
Temnostoma barberi
Bare-bellied Falsehorn
Temnostoma barberi is a Nearctic syrphid fly (hoverfly) described by Curran in 1939. The species exhibits Batesian mimicry of hymenopterans, with adults showing behavioral mimicry by moving their forelegs in front of the head to simulate wasp antennae. It is closely related to T. daochus, and both species form a lineage sister to the rest of the genus Temnostoma. The species has a strikingly different mimicry pattern compared to T. daochus, contributing to understanding of evolutionary plasticity in wasp mimicry.
Theridion
tangle-web spiders
Theridion is a large genus of tangle-web spiders (family Theridiidae) with nearly 600 described species distributed worldwide. The genus has historically served as a wastebasket taxon for theridiid species lacking a colulus that did not fit into other genera. Notable species include T. grallator, the Hawaiian happy face spider, recognized for its distinctive abdominal color patterns, and T. nigroannulatum, one of few spider species known to live in social groups and hunt cooperatively. Molecular studies have revealed that Theridion as traditionally defined is para- or polyphyletic, with Hawaiian representatives representing at least two independent colonization events from different continental sources.
Trechus
Trechus is a large genus of ground beetles (Carabidae) comprising over 1,000 described species. The genus is distributed across the Palearctic, Near East, and highlands of East Africa. The name derives from the Greek word *trécho*, meaning "I run." Species occupy diverse habitats including floodplain meadows, alpine zones, and volcanic highlands.
Trogloderus skillmani
Trogloderus skillmani is a newly described species of psammophilic darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae: Amphidorini) from the eastern Great Basin and Mohave Desert regions of the western United States. Described in 2019 by Johnston as part of a comprehensive phylogenetic revision of the genus, it is one of six new species recognized in a genus previously considered monotypic. The species is restricted to dunes and sandy desert habitats. Molecular phylogenetic analysis dates the most recent common ancestor of Trogloderus to approximately 5.2 million years ago, with current species having diversified during the mid-Pleistocene driven by geographic features of the Intermountain Region.
Tychius
leguminous seed weevils
Tychius is a large genus of weevils (Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Tychiini) containing over 630 described species. The genus is distributed across the Palearctic (approximately 240 species), Afrotropical (45 species, mainly South Africa), Nearctic, and Oriental regions. All species with documented biology are associated with legume host plants in the subfamily Papilionoideae (Fabaceae), particularly tribes Genisteae, Loteae, Galegeae, Trifolieae, and Vicieae. Several species have been introduced from Europe to North America, where they feed on introduced and native legumes.
Zaeucoilini
Zaeucoilini is a tribe of parasitoid wasps within the subfamily Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera: Figitidae), formally established in 2008 based on phylogenetic analysis and morphological characters. The tribe comprises twelve genera of Neotropical eucoilines previously allied with the informal Zaeucoila genus group. Members are primarily parasitoids of agromyzid leaf-mining flies, with at least one lineage having shifted to parasitizing tephritid fruit flies.