Phylogenetics
Guides
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.