We should all learn from the coleopterists in Bugguide. They decided to collect at least one specimen from each of the families in that group and they are almost there. Wouldn't it be ironic that the order with the largest number of families complete that list before anybody else?
Here are the families still missing from Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. I used Nomina Nearctica for the first two and All Leps for the last one. I am sure that there are some mistakes, so please, let me know. The thing is, let us go out there and try to get those families in Bugguide!
If somebody wants to work on a similar list for Hemiptera, feel free to do it; otherwise, I may try to do it myself at a later time.
Diptera See Keith Bayless update at 179556
Hymenoptera (5 families)
Anaxyelidae (only 1 species: cedar wood wasp,
Syntexis libocedrii)
Liopteridae [Cynipoidea]: 3 spp. in 2 genera in our area
Tetracampidae (4 species)
Lepidoptera (3 families)
Lypusidae
Sematuridae (only 1 species,
Anurapteryx crenulata Barnes and Lindsey 1919)
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Update, April 18, 2010. We are almost there. Then we will start filling in the gaps in lower taxa.
Update, April 19, 2010. For the
Hemiptera wish list see v belov's comment below.
Update, March 1st, 2011. We added another Hymenoptera:
Signiphoridae last October.
Update, January 14, 2017. We added another Hymenoptera:
Mymarommatidae last June.