The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

of the Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies). They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies. The true number of the Satyrinae

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

is estimated to exceed 2,400.

Overview

They are generally weak fliers and often shun bright sunlight, preferring moist and semishaded habitats. The caterpillars feed chiefly on monocotyledonous plants such as palms,

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es, and bamboos. The Morphinae are sometimes united with this group. The

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

and

systematics Systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phy ...

of the subfamily are under heavy revision. Much of the early pioneering work of L. D. Miller has helped significantly by creating some sort of order. '' Dyndirus'' (Capronnier, 1874) is a satyrid '' incertae sedis''. Other than this

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

, according to the latest studies on the classification of Nymphalidae, all satyrines have been assigned to one of the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

s, at least preliminarily.Savela, Markku (2007)
Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms: Satyrinae
Version of 2007-MAY-12. Retrieved 2007-MAY-31.) For detailed lists, see the tribe pages.

References

External links

Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic

Tree of Life: Satyrinae

Insect Life Forms - Satyridae

Butterflies and Moths of North America

Butterflies of America
{{Authority control - Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval Butterfly subfamilies

Overview

References

Further reading

External links