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Theclinae Swainson 1831

Hairstreaks

Andrew V. Z. Brower
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taxon links [up-->]Hypotheclini [up-->]Luciini [up-->]Theclini [up-->]Remelanini [up-->]Eumaeini [up-->]Ogyrini [up-->]Oxylidini [up-->]Arhopalini [up-->]Hypolycaenini [up-->]Zesiini [up-->]Catapaecilmatini [up-->]Cheritrini [up-->]Loxurini [up-->]Iolaini [up-->]Deudorigini [up-->]Amblypodiini [up-->]Tomarini [up-->]Horagini [down<--]Lycaenidae Interpreting the tree
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Containing group: Lycaenidae

Introduction

The hairstreaks are an extremely diverse lycaenid subfamily, well-represented in all regions and particularly in the tropics. Many species possess "tails" on the apices of the hindwings that authors have hypothesized act as a false head, distracting the attention of predators away from the more vital body parts (see Robbins, 1980, 1981).

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

The hypothesis of relationships among tribes is based on Eliot's (1973) intuitive phylogeny. Note that Eliot viewed Theclinae as a subfamily at that point (he demoted the group to a tribe in Corbet et al. 1992). According to R. K. Robbins (pers. comm., 2008), Eliot's 1992 reduction in rank of the hairstreaks, blues and coppers has not been adopted by most lycaenid researchers, and so these taxa are here ranked as a clade of subfamilies.

Other Names for Theclinae Swainson 1831

References

Corbet, A. S., Pendlebury, H. M. & Eliot, J. N. 1992 The butterflies of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur: Malayan Nature Society.

Eliot, J. N. 1973 The higher classification of the Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera): a tentative arrangement. Bull. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist. (Ent.) 28, 371-505, 6 pls.

Robbins, R. K. 1980 The lycaenid "false head" hypothesis: historical review and quantitative analysis. J. Lepid. Soc. 34, 194-208.

Robbins, R. K. 1981 The "false head" hypothesis: predation and wing pattern variation of lycaenid butterflies. Amer. Nat. 118, 770-775.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Callophrys gryneus
Location Abbeville County, South Carolina, USA
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Source juniper hairstreak
Source Collection Flickr
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License - Version 2.0.
Copyright © 2004 kim fleming
Scientific Name Strymon melinus
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Source Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
Source Collection Flickr
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License - Version 2.0.
Copyright © 2006 Lollie Dot Com
About This Page


Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Andrew V. Z. Brower at

Page: Tree of Life Theclinae Swainson 1831. Hairstreaks. 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.

Citing this page:

Brower, Andrew V. Z. 2008. Theclinae Swainson 1831. Hairstreaks. Version 24 April 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Theclinae/106372/2008.04.24 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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