Systematics
Guides
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.
Batrachideinae
groundhoppers, pygmy grasshoppers
Batrachideinae is a taxonomically stable subfamily of pygmy grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) characterized by antennae with 18–22 segments, distinguishing them from other Tetrigidae which have fewer than 16. The subfamily comprises approximately 25 genera in three tribes with pantropical distribution across the Americas, Africa, tropical Asia, and Australia. It is particularly diverse in the Neotropical region, where the genus Scaria exhibits complex biogeographic patterns linked to Amazonian diversification and Andean uplift.
Belonopterygini
Ant-loving Lacewings
Belonopterygini is a tribe of green lacewings within the family Chrysopidae, commonly known as Ant-loving Lacewings. Members of this tribe exhibit myrmecophilous associations, with larvae living in arboreal ant nests. Larvae possess distinctive morphological adaptations that appear to defend them against ant aggression. The tribe includes at least the genus Italochrysa, with species documented from Australia and Europe.
Cionini
Cionini is a tribe of weevils (Curculionidae: Curculioninae) distributed across the Palaearctic region. The tribe includes at least two well-studied genera, Cionus and Stereonychus, with 61 species currently recognized in Cionus alone. Larvae of this tribe exhibit distinctive morphological features that distinguish them from related groups, including reduced numbers of cranial and epipharyngeal setae, one-segmented labial palpi, absent labral rods, and swollen pedal lobes. Members are primarily associated with plants in the family Scrophulariaceae.
Corixoidea
water boatmen, pygmy water boatmen
Corixoidea is a superfamily of aquatic true bugs (Nepomorpha) containing two families: Corixidae (water boatmen) and Micronectidae (pygmy water boatmen). Members are exclusively aquatic, inhabiting ponds, slow-moving streams, and other freshwater bodies. The superfamily is distinguished by adaptations for underwater life including modified antennae with mechanoreceptive and chemoreceptive sensilla, and diverse feeding strategies ranging from detritivory to predation. Corixidae is the larger family with approximately 500 species worldwide, while Micronectidae contains smaller-bodied species with distinct antennal morphology supporting its family-level recognition.
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.
Crossidius suturalis minutivestis
A subspecies of longhorn beetle in the genus Crossidius, described by Linsley in 1957. It occurs in the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent areas of central California. Adults emerge in late summer and early fall to feed on flowers of their host plant, Isocoma acradenia var. bracteosa. The subspecies name refers to its relatively small size compared to other members of the species.
Cydnus
Cydnus is a genus of burrower bugs (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) in the tribe Cydnini, subfamily Cydninae. The genus was established by Fabricius in 1803 and is characterized by morphological features including pegs on head margins, hair-like setae on pronotum lateral margins, an anterior submarginal impressed line on the pronotum, and a triangular scutellum broader than long. The fossil genus Eocenocydnus shows affinity to Cydnus based on shared morphological traits.
Enicospilus americanus
A member of the Enicospilus americanus species complex in the family Ichneumonidae. This parasitoid wasp is one of seven species in the complex recognized from eastern North America. The species was originally described by Christ in 1791 and remains taxonomically valid.
Epanusia
Epanusia is a genus of encyrtid wasps established by Girault in 1913. It belongs to the subtribe Platencyrtina within the tribe Discodini. The genus is part of the large and diverse family Encyrtidae, which contains numerous parasitoid species associated with various insect hosts. A redescription of Epanusia xerophila from Canada has been published, but biological information remains limited.
Eutinobothris pilosellus
Eutinobothris pilosellus is a bat-associated cimicid bug formerly classified in the genus Cimex. Fossil remains from the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves in Oregon, dating to 5,100–11,000 years ago, represent the oldest known specimens of the genus Cimex/Eutinobothris. Unlike Cimex lectularius, this species has not been documented as a human parasite. The species remains extant and continues to parasitize bats in western North America.
Flirteinae
Flirteinae is a subfamily of harvestmen in the family Cosmetidae. It was defined in a morphology-based study and is placed within Opiliones. Published treatments list Flirtea, Paecilaemana and Paecilaemella. Recent work on Paecilaemella shows that the group remains an active subject of systematic research in South America.
Galacticoidea
Galacticoid Moths
Galacticoidea is a monotypic superfamily of Lepidoptera containing the single family Galacticidae. These moths were historically classified within several different superfamilies before molecular and morphological studies established their distinct placement at the base of Apoditrysia, a major clade of Lepidoptera. The superfamily remains poorly studied, with limited ecological and biological data available.
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.
Lygaeoidea
Seed Bugs and Allies
Lygaeoidea is a large superfamily of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) containing approximately 16 families and over 4,600 described species worldwide. Members are commonly known as seed bugs and allies. The superfamily includes economically important groups such as the big-eyed bugs (Geocoridae), which are predators used in biological control, as well as numerous seed-feeding species. The family-level classification underwent substantial revision in 1997 by Thomas J. Henry, with most families previously treated as subfamilies of Lygaeidae. The systematic position of Piesmatidae (ash-gray leaf bugs) remains somewhat uncertain, having been placed in its own superfamily in some classifications.
Lypusidae
Lypusidae is an accepted family of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The family has been a taxonomic puzzle because its placement changed as researchers compared adult, larval, and pupal characters. A major reassessment transferred Lypusa from the older Tineoidea arrangement into Gelechioidea and treated the relevant group as Palaearctic. Family-level statements should remain separate from the biology of any one member species.
Mallos
Mexican Social Spiders
Mallos is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Dictynidae, first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. The genus is notable for including social spider species, particularly *Mallos gregalis*, which lives in groups and communicates through web vibrations. These spiders produce cribellate silk, a type of woolly, non-sticky silk used in prey capture. The genus has been the subject of systematic research, including studies on their spinning apparatus evolution.
Mesembrinellidae
Mesembrinellidae is a family of calyptrate flies in the order Diptera. It is a strictly Neotropical lineage, so its native range is confined to tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas rather than being worldwide. The family was historically treated as part of Calliphoridae, but molecular work supports it as a distinct lineage within Oestroidea. A 2019 revision recognized 53 valid extant species and three valid genera.
Miralidae
Miralidae is an extinct family of hemipteran insects known from fossils in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The family was described in 2020 and has also been treated under the name Dinglidae. Later work placed it among psyllomorphs within Sternorrhyncha, the hemipteran suborder that includes psyllids, whiteflies, aphids, and scale insects. The known record represents ancient insects preserved in amber rather than a living population that can be observed today.
Ochrotrichiinae
microcaddisflies
Ochrotrichiinae is a subfamily of microcaddisflies within the family Hydroptilidae, comprising approximately 430 species across nine genera. The subfamily is most diverse in the Neotropics, with additional representation in the Nearctic and Australasian regions, including an endemic genus in New Caledonia. Phylogenetic analyses support its monophyly with the exclusion of Dibusa. The subfamily originated in the New World during the early Cretaceous, approximately 116 million years ago, with subsequent dispersal to Australasia via trans-Antarctic routes.
Ommatidiotinae
Ommatidiotinae is a subfamily of Caliscelidae, a group of planthoppers placed in the superfamily Fulgoroidea. The name covers a higher taxonomic group rather than one single insect species, so its members can differ in appearance, distribution, and natural history. Published classifications place the subfamily within Hemiptera and Auchenorrhyncha. Molecular studies of planthoppers show that relationships among several fulgoroid groups are still being investigated, which is important context when interpreting higher-level classifications.
Phasmatidae
stick insects, walking sticks
Phasmatidae is a family of stick insects characterized by extreme elongation of the body and limbs to resemble twigs or branches. Members range from small species to the largest insects known, with Phobaeticus chani reaching 567 mm total length. The family exhibits remarkable crypsis through body form, coloration, and behavior, including swaying movements that mimic branches in wind. Many species possess defensive chemical glands when camouflage fails. The family has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with six subfamilies recognized in Phasmatidae sensu stricto.
Phylinae
phyline plant bugs
Phylinae is a large subfamily of plant bugs (Miridae) comprising approximately 400 genera and over 2000 species worldwide. The subfamily underwent significant taxonomic revision in 2013, reorganizing tribal classifications and establishing nine currently recognized tribes. Members exhibit diverse host plant associations, with many species specialized on particular plant families. The subfamily includes economically significant species, some of which are predators while others are phytophagous.
Protoitidae
Protoitidae is an extinct family of tiny chalcidoid wasps known from Barremian Lebanese amber. The family was established from Early Cretaceous fossils and contains Protoita and Cretaxenomerus. Ten species were newly described in the family treatment, with one additional species transferred into the family. Fossil preservation leaves much of its biology unknown.
Quediina
Quediina is a mega-diverse subtribe of rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) comprising hundreds of species globally, with exceptional species richness in north and south temperate regions. The subtribe has historically been defined by convention rather than clear synapomorphies, and recent phylogenetic studies have demonstrated polyphyly, leading to major taxonomic revisions. Formerly quediine genera from the Afrotropical region have been reassigned to unrelated lineages within Staphylinini. The subtribe includes economically important genera such as Quedius and Bolitogyrus.
Saropogon coquilletti
Saropogon coquilletti is a species of assassin fly (family Asilidae) first described by Back in 1909. It belongs to the genus Saropogon, which was reviewed for Nearctic species north of Mexico by Charlotte Herbert Alberts as part of her dissertation research on assassin fly systematics. Like other members of the Asilidae, this species is a predatory fly with venomous capabilities. The species is part of a group that has received recent taxonomic attention due to the discovery and description of related new species in the southwestern United States.
Selonodon compositus
Selonodon compositus is a species of click beetle in the family Cebrionidae, endemic to the southern United States. The species was originally described by Fall in 1934 and has undergone taxonomic revision, with three former species (S. emarginatus, S. knausi, and S. bruesi) now synonymized under this name. As a member of the genus Selonodon, it belongs to a group of 25 recognized species within this North American genus.
Sparganothini
Sparganothini is a tribe of tortrix moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricinae) containing approximately 20 genera distributed primarily in the New World. The tribe includes economically significant species and has been the subject of multiple systematic revisions. Greatest species richness occurs at middle elevations (500–1500 m) in Central and South America. Several genera have been extensively studied, including Amorbia (29 species), Sparganothoides (32 species), and Amorbimorpha (at least 12 species, with 2 formally described).
Stenamma
cryptic leaf-litter ants
Stenamma is a genus of cryptic ants in the family Formicidae, subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus was long thought to be restricted to temperate regions, but extensive Neotropical collections have revealed a major radiation in Middle America with 40 recognized species, 33 of them newly described. Species are notably adapted to cool, wet environments at mid to high elevations, where they can become the dominant ant genus in leaf-litter samples—contrary to the typical ant pattern of decreasing diversity with elevation.
Stenomorpha
Stenomorpha is a large genus of darkling beetles (family Tenebrionidae) comprising more than 160 described species and subspecies. The genus was established by Solier in 1836 and belongs to the tribe Asidini within subfamily Pimeliinae. Species-level taxonomy has been historically neglected, with no modern revision for nearly 175 years until recent work by Keller (2008) and others. The genus exhibits notable diversity in the southwestern United States and Mexico, with some species occurring in specialized habitats including California vernal pools and the Cuatrociénegas Protected Area in Coahuila, Mexico.
Theraphosidae
tarantulas, bird spiders, birdeaters
Theraphosidae is a family of large, often hairy spiders commonly known as tarantulas. The family comprises approximately 900 described species distributed across tropical, subtropical, and arid regions worldwide. Tarantulas are characterized by their substantial size, with some species reaching leg spans up to 30 cm, and their longevity—females of certain species can live 20 to 30 years. They are primarily nocturnal predators that employ diverse hunting strategies including ambush from burrows, active pursuit, and arboreal hunting. The family exhibits considerable ecological diversity, with species occupying terrestrial burrowing, arboreal, and even cave-dwelling niches.