Systematics of Amydetinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Amydetinae is a subfamily of Neotropical fireflies with 53 species distributed in three genera. Amydetine diversity is underestimated and understudied, and its taxonomy is yet to be clarified by phylogenetic studies. Amydetes and Memoan are exclusively South American, but Magnoculus spans South and Central America. The enigmatic Cheguevaria, the type of Cheguevariinae, has been recovered close to Magnoculus, but their relationship to Amydetes and Memoan remains elusive since these were never included together in phylogenetic analyses. Here, we inferred the first phylogenetic relationships of Amydetinae using 38 taxa – covering 10 of 12 subfamilies – and 87 morphological characters. Our matrix included all three Amydetinae genera, as well as historically related genera, in addition to three new genera and five new species. Cheguevaria is consistently recovered in – not sister to – Amydetinae, suggesting this is a highly modified Caribbean member of this lineage and putting into question the Cheguevariinae subfamily status. Photoctus is also consistently recovered in Amydetinae, confirming its placement in this subfamily for the first time under a phylogenetic framework. Our results support a redefinition of Amydetinae sensu novum. Thus, we propose new definitions and diagnoses for Amydetinae and its constituent genera. We also redescribe the type species of the genera Magnoculus and Photoctus, to inform updated diagnoses and help stabilize the taxonomy of Amydetine genera. We also present an identification key for Amydetinae s.n. genera. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CBB20012-AB5F-49FD-93B1-37F1AE9A730A