Seeking sense out of sameness: a genus-level phylogeny of Phalacridae, and revision of the New World Eustilbini (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea)

A phylogenetic classification is presented for the family Phalacridae, in which we recognize 34 valid genera. The phylogenetic results were based on the analysis of 106 morphological characters and 18S rDNA gene sequences using maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. The Eustilbini were rendered monophyletic with moderate to high support in all analyses. This group of cryptic ascomycete fungus feeders contains nearly 200 described species worldwide, and is the largest tribe of Phalacridae. The New World fauna of Eustilbini consists of about 100 described species. However, many of these have proved to be synonyms and a wealth of new species await description. Genera within this tribe are poorly characterized, and fine-scale phylogenetic and revisionary methods are necessary to resolve within-tribe relationships.