Lycaeninae, the coppers, 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 gossamer-winged butterflies (Lycaenidae). The relationships of the

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family (biology), family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of ...

are not fully resolved. Sometimes the Polyommatinae and Theclinae are included in the Lycaeninae; in particular the Theclinae tribe

Eumaeini 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 S ...

contains many similar taxa. Consequently, the delimitation of the Lycaeninae is by no means definitely resolved; many genera await conformation of placement. Regardless, it is today generally considered better to restrict the Lycaeninae to the immediate relatives of the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

genus ''

Lycaena ''Lycaena'' is a genus of butterflies. The genus range is Holarctic, with the exception of four species found in New Zealand, two in South Africa, one in New Guinea and one in Java. It is commonly divided into several subgenera, such as ''Antipod ...

'', and one or two

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

s close to that group.Brower (2008)

Taxonomy

The Lycaeninae ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

'' can be divided into two

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: *Heliophorini ** '' Heliophorus'' – sapphires ** '' Iophanus'' ** '' Melanolycaena'' *Lycaenini ** '' Athamanthia'' ** '' Gaeides'' (often included in ''Lycaena'') ** '' Hyrcanana'' ** ''

'' – typical coppers ** '' Phoenicurusia'' A few genera included in the Lycaeninae in the most extensive circumscriptions are now placed in subfamilies as distinct as the Poritiinae. Finally, there are some genera of uncertain status as regards their

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 ...

and taxonomic validity. They might, if valid, be members of the

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

Lycaeninae, but this requires confirmation: * '' Alciphronia'' * '' Apangea'' * '' Kulua'' * '' Mirzakhania'' * '' Nesa''

Footnotes

References

* (2008): Tree of Life Web Project &ndash
Lycaeninae
Version of 2008-APR-29. Retrieved 2009-FEB-18.

External links

Butterflies and Moths of North AmericaButterflies of America
Butterfly subfamilies Taxa named by William Elford Leach {{Lycaeninae-stub

Taxonomy

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links