Riodinidae
Metalmarks
Andrew V. Z. Brower 
     
	
	 
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close boxIntroduction
Riodinidae are a pantropical family, with the majority of species occurring in the neotropics.Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships
The tree shown is implied by classifications of Harvey (1987), Corbet et al. (1992), Campbell et al. (2000), Hall (2003) and Lamas (2004), and should be viewed as an informal hypothesis in need of corroboration.
Nomenclature
Although Erycinidae Swainson 1827 appears to be a senior name to Riodinidae Grote 1895, the type genus Erycina Fabricius 1807 is a junior homonym of Erycina Lamarck 1805 (a genus of bivalve mollusk). A family-group name cannot be based on a generic name that is a junior homonym (ICZN Article 39), so Swainson's Erycinidae is invalid. The Commission ruled (ICZN opinion 1073, 1977) that the family group name for this taxon should be Riodinidae Grote 1895 (1827), based on the replacement generic name Riodina that was selected by Westwood [1851], even though there are alternative family-group names with priority (e. g., Nemeobiinae Bates [1868]; Mesosemiini Bates 1859). (Bates employed Erycinidae as the family-group name for these subordinate taxa). This is one of the more confusing puzzles in butterfly nomenclature.
References
Ackery, P. R., R. de Jong, and R. I. Vane-Wright. 1999. The butterflies: Hedyloidea, Hesperioidea, and Papilionoidea. Pages 264-300 in: Lepidoptera: Moths and Butterflies. 1. Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbook of Zoology Vol. IV, Part 35. N. P. Kristensen, ed. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York.
Bridges CA. 1988. Catalogue of family-group and genus-group names (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Charles A. Bridges, Urbana, IL.
Campbell, D. L., Brower, A. V. Z. & Pierce, N. E. 2000. Molecular evolution of the wingless gene and its implications for the phylogenetic placement of the butterfly family Riodinidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). Mol. Biol. Evol. 17, 684-696.
Corbet AS, Pendlebury HM, and Eliot JN. 1992. The butterflies of the Malay Peninsula. Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
Devries, P. J. 1997. The Butterflies of Costa Rica and Their Natural History: Riodinidae. Princeton University Press, N. J.
Hall, J. P. W. 2003 Phylogenetic reassessment of the five forewing radial-veined tribes of Riodininae (Lepidoptera: Riodininae. The Royal Entomological Society 28, 23-37.
Harvey, D. J. 1987. The higher classification of the Riodinidae (Lepidoptera). vii + 215 + [1] pp. Ph. D . Thesis, University of Texas, Austin.
Lamas G ed. 2004. Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist: Part 4A Hesperioidea - Papiionoidea. Gainesville: Scientific Publishers/Association of Tropical Lepidoptera.
Title Illustrations

| Location | Rio Grande, Texas, USA | 
|---|---|
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen | 
| Source | Red Bordered Pixie | 
| Source Collection | Flickr | 
| Image Use |  This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License - Version 2.0. | 
| Copyright | © 2008 crookrw | 
| Scientific Name | Calephelis virginiensis | 
|---|---|
| Location | Okeechobee County, Florida, USA | 
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen | 
| Source Collection | BugGuide.Net | 
| Image Use |  This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License - Version 2.0. | 
| Copyright | © Jeff Hollenbeck | 
| Scientific Name | Rhetus arcius | 
|---|---|
| Location | El Naranjo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico | 
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen | 
| Identified By | Gill Carter | 
| Life Cycle Stage | adult | 
| View | dorsal | 
| Source | Arcius Swordtail | 
| Source Collection | Neotropical Butterflies | 
| Copyright | © 2003 Gill Carter | 
About This Page
	
	
        
       
    
    
	 
 
    
	Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
				Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Andrew V. Z. Brower at 
            
Page copyright © 2007
    
	     Page: Tree of Life 
    Riodinidae .  Metalmarks. 
    Authored by 
    Andrew V. Z. Brower.         
	The TEXT of this page is licensed under the 
    
    Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media 
    featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available 
    for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the 
    relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and 
    redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright 
    Policies.
    Page: Tree of Life 
    Riodinidae .  Metalmarks. 
    Authored by 
    Andrew V. Z. Brower.         
	The TEXT of this page is licensed under the 
    
    Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media 
    featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available 
    for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the 
    relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and 
    redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright 
    Policies.
- Content changed 01 January 2008
Citing this page:
Brower, Andrew V. Z. 2008. Riodinidae . Metalmarks. Version 01 January 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Riodinidae/12174/2008.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

 
			
	    
		 
        	
	
		 
			
	
		





 
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