Family is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy; it is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as being the "walnut family".
The insect family Aeshnidae, sometimes called aeshnids, comprises the hawkers. They are the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe and are among the largest dragonflies on the planet. This family represents also the fastest flying dragonflies of the order of the dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata).
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdomens exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is currently recognized as the largest extant family of beetles. It is an ancient group, with fossilized rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago, and possibly even earlier if the genus Leehermania proves to be a member of this family. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles, and commonly encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.
Eugène Louis Simon was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, but also on birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider taxonomist in history, describing over 4,000 species.
Palaephatoidea is a superfamily of insects in the order Lepidoptera with a single family, Palaephatidae with seven known genera. These "Gondwanaland moths" exhibit a disjunct distribution occurring mainly in South America, with four species in eastern Australia and Tasmania and one in South Africa. The larvae spin together leaves of Proteaceae (Ptyssoptera) or Verbenaceae (Azaleodes) . Palaephatoidea, a typical monotrysian group, is one two main candidates as the sister group of most of the Lepidoptera, the Ditrysia.
Corylophidae is a family of minute hooded beetles, sometimes called minute fungus beetles, in the order Coleoptera. There are about 18 genera and at least 120 described species in Corylophidae.
Choreutidae, or metalmark moths, are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order whose relationships have been long disputed. It was placed previously in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea in family Glyphipterigidae and in superfamily Sesioidea. It is now considered to represent its own superfamily. The relationship of the family to the other lineages in the group "Apoditrysia" need a new assessment, especially with new molecular data.
Pierre Nicolas Camille Jacquelin Du Val was a French entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera.
Félicien Chapuis was a Belgian doctor and entomologist. He specialised in Coleoptera and finished the text of Genera des coléoptères by Théodore Lacordaire (1801—1870) when Lacordaire died. He wrote:
The Lipotrophidae are a family of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa. Species in this family infect insects.
Neoptychodes trilineatus is a species of flat-faced longhorn beetles in the subfamily Lamiinae.
Mionochroma elegans is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Olivier in 1790. It is known from Guadeloupe, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Lucia.
Leptostethini is a weevil tribe in the subfamily Entiminae.
Ophryastini is a weevil tribe in the subfamily Entiminae.
Peritelini is a weevil tribe in the subfamily Entiminae.
Prypnini is a weevil tribe in the subfamily Entiminae.
Tanymecini is a tribe of broad-nosed weevils in the beetle family Curculionidae. There are about 12 genera and at least 20 described species in Tanymecini.
Thecesternini is a weevil tribe in the subfamily Entiminae.
Tetanocerini is a tribe of flies in the family Sciomyzidae. There are at least 120 described species in the tribe.
