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. <i>Amydetes</i> and <i>Memoan</i> are exclusively South American, but <i>Magnoculus</i> spans South and Central America. The enigmatic <i>Cheguevaria</i>, the type of Cheguevariinae, has been recovered close to <i>Magnoculus</i>, but their relationship to <i>Amydetes</i> and <i>Memoan</i> 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. <i>Cheguevaria</i> 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. <i>Photoctus</i> 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 <i>Magnoculus</i> and <i>Photoctus</i>, 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