Relict-fauna
Guides
Acanthopteroctetes
Acanthopteroctetes is a genus of archaic sun moths in the family Acanthopteroctetidae, the sole genus within the superfamily Acanthopteroctetoidea. This group represents one of the most basal lineages within the lepidopteran clade Coelolepida. Species are small, diurnal moths with reduced wing venation. The genus was established by Braun in 1921.
Dyspnoi
Dyspnoan Harvestmen
Dyspnoi is a suborder of harvestmen (Opiliones) comprising approximately 43 extant genera and 356 described species across eight families. The group is organized into three superfamilies: Acropsopilionoidea, Ischyropsalidioidea, and Troguloidea. Dyspnoi represents one of the most biogeographically conserved higher groups of harvestmen, with distribution patterns suggesting relictual status as paleo-European mainland fauna. Members possess distinctive defensive scent glands with complex functional anatomy involving hidden ozopores and specialized secretion discharge mechanisms.
Hypochilidae
Lampshade Spiders
Hypochilidae is an ancient and relict family of true spiders (Araneae) containing two genera: Hypochilus (11 species, North America) and Ectatosticta (22 species, Asia). The family originated in the Late Jurassic and exhibits a classic inter-continental disjunct distribution. These spiders are considered among the most primitive of araneomorphs, retaining plesiomorphic traits including two pairs of book lungs in most species. They are microhabitat specialists with naturally small geographic distributions and low vagility, making them important subjects for conservation and biogeographic research.
Ithonidae
moth lacewings, giant lacewings
Ithonidae is a small family of neuropteran insects comprising ten living genera and over a dozen extinct genera known from fossils. The family represents one of the most primitive lineages within Neuroptera. Adults are medium to large-sized with distinctive wing venation. Larvae exhibit a highly unusual grub-like (scarabaeiform) body form with stout mandibles, unique among lacewings, and lead a subterranean lifestyle. The modern distribution is notably disjunct, with genera occurring in Australia, the Americas, and Asia, while fossil evidence indicates a formerly broader global range from the Early Jurassic to Late Eocene.
Leptonetidae
cave spiders
Leptonetidae is a family of small, primitive haplogyne spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1890. The family comprises approximately 22 genera and 400 species, though taxonomic boundaries have been revised recently with elevation of Archoleptonetinae to family rank (Archoleptonetidae). Leptonetids are characterized by their small size (2-5 mm), reduced eye number, and adaptation to dark, moist microhabitats. They represent a relict fauna with origins dating to the Cretaceous period and exhibit complex biogeographic patterns across the Holarctic.
Neduba propsti
Santa Catalina Island Shieldback, Catalina shield-back cricket, Propst's shieldback
Neduba propsti is a shield-backed katydid endemic to Santa Catalina Island, California. The species was described in 1981 and is one of nine previously described species in the relict genus Neduba, which underwent comprehensive taxonomic revision using molecular phylogenetics, morphology, calling song analysis, and karyotypes. Like other Neduba species, it represents part of a diversification pattern shaped by cycles of allopatric isolation and secondary contact in western North America.
Paratimia conicola
Paratimia conicola is a species of longhorn beetle in the family Cerambycidae, tribe Atimiini. It was described by Fisher in 1915. The genus Paratimia is small and poorly documented, with species known from western North America. Atimiini beetles are generally associated with coniferous forests and are considered relictual in distribution.
Pelecinidae
pelecinid wasps
Pelecinidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea, containing only one living genus, Pelecinus, with three extant species restricted to the Americas. The family was highly diverse during the Cretaceous, with fossils from 43 species in a dozen genera found across North America, Europe, and Asia dating back to the early Cretaceous (121–124 mya). Today, the family is represented by a single genus with three species: Pelecinus polyturator (widespread from southern Canada through South America), P. thoracicus (Mexico), and P. dichrous (South America). All species are parasitoids of scarab beetle larvae.
Petaluridae
petaltails, graybacks
Petaluridae is a relict family of dragonflies (Anisoptera) representing one of the most ancient lineages of extant dragonflies, with fossil records dating to the Jurassic period over 150 million years ago. The family comprises 11 extant species in five genera, divided into two major clades: a Laurasian clade (Tachopteryx, Tanypteryx) distributed in eastern and western North America and Japan, and a Gondwanan clade (Petalura, Phenes, Uropetala) found in Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. Petaltails are notable for their specialized larval habitats and extended development times, with most species persisting as independent lineages for 70–75 million years.
Pityomacer
Pityomacer is a genus of weevils in the family Nemonychidae, a small family of primitive weevils. The genus was established by Kuschel in 1989 and contains species associated with coniferous hosts. Members of this genus are part of the relictual lineage of Nemonychidae, which represents one of the earliest diverging lineages of weevils. The genus is poorly documented in public sources, with minimal observational records available.
Plectreurys
Plectreurys is a genus of ecribellate, haplogyne spiders in the family Plectreuridae, one of only two extant genera in this family. Species possess eight eyes—unusual among ecribellate haplogynes, which typically have six. They are nocturnal, sedentary hunters that inhabit silken tubes and rarely leave them. Males develop distinctive coupling spurs on the tibia of leg I, used during mating. The genus comprises 23 described species distributed across the southwestern United States, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.