Scientific name Eumaeini Rank Tribe | Superfamily Papilionoidea | |
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Lower classifications | ||
The Eumaeini are a tribe of gossamer-winged butterflies (family Lycaenidae). They are typically placed in the subfamily Theclinae, but sometimes considered a separate subfamily Eumaeinae. Over 1,000 species are found in the Neotropical realm
Systematics
As not all Theclinae have been assigned to tribes, the genus list is preliminary. However, much progress has been made in sorting out the profusion of synonymous taxa, and at least some degree of stability has been achieved in the early years of the 21st century. While there is no good phylogenetic hypothesis yet for the subfamily, groups of at least apparently related genera have been delimited. They are sometimes called "sections", but do not correspond to the taxonomic rank of section (the section in which the gossamer-winged butterflies are placed is the Cossina); if validated as clades and assigned taxonomic rank, they would qualify as subtribes.
There is still much work to be done, including the splitting of such notorious "wastebin taxa" as Callophrys, and the establishment of a robust phylogenetic and evolutionary scenario. Pending this, the groups are listed here in the presumed phylogenetic sequence, while genera are simply sorted alphabetically.