Preliminary phylogenomic analyses reveal multiple reversions to nocturnal behavior and morphology within the primarily diurnal tribe Adesmiini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

This article focuses on the phylogenetic relationships and evolution of diurnal activity within the darkling beetle tribe Adesmiini (Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae), a group prominent in African and western Palearctic deserts. Using genomic data from 529 protein-coding genes across 43 species representing 10 of 11 Adesmiini genera, the study reveals that five currently recognized genera (Adesmia, Metriopus, Onymacris, Physadesmia, and Stenocara) are not monophyletic, indicating a need for taxonomic revision. Ancestral state reconstruction suggests that Adesmiini were primitively diurnal, with at least four independent shifts to nocturnal or crepuscular activity, supported by morphological traits such as eye shape. The findings also clarify generic relationships and highlight the sister tribe relationship between Adesmiini and the primarily diurnal tribe Zophosini, contributing to a better understanding of evolutionary adaptations to desert environments in this beetle group.