Nymphalini is a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

of nymphalid brush-footed

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

. Common names include

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

s, anglewings, commas, and

tortoiseshell Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced from the shells of the larger species of tortoise and turtle, mainly the hawksbill sea turtle, which is a critically endangered species according to the IUCN Red List largely because of its ...

s, but none of these is specific to one particular

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

. The name anglewing butterflies is an English translation of a Latin term ''papiliones angulati'', Denis_&_ Denis_&_Ignaz_Schiffermüller">Schiffermüller.html" ;"title="Ignaz_Schiffermüller.html" ;"title="Michael_Denis.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Michael Denis">Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller">Schiffermüller">Ignaz_Schiffermüller.html" ;"title="Michael_Denis.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Michael Denis">Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller">Schiffermüller/nowiki>, ([1775, 1776]). Based on an overall similarity in the angulate wing shape, a collective name: ''Papiliones angulati'' was employed for ''Papilio atalanta'', ''P. antiopa'', ''P. cardui'', ''P. c-album'', ''P. io'', ''P. polychloros'', ''P. urticae'', ''P. xanthomelas'', ''P. vaualbum'', ''P. levana'' and ''P. prorsa''. The term ''papiliones angulati'' is applied as a collective taxon name, which therefore needs no type species as specified in Article 42.3.1 of the

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the ...

. ''Papiliones angulati'' has thus been re-defined to apply only to a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

: ''Nymphalis

sensu lato ''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 co ...

'', and to specifically exclude ''Papilio atalanta''

Vanessa Vanessa may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Vanessa'' (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais * ''Vanessa'', a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole * ''Vanessa'', a 1952 instrumental song written by Bernie ...

''], ''P. cardui'' [→ ''Cynthia (butterfly), Cynthia''], ''P. levana'', and ''P. prorsa'' [→ '' Araschnia'']. This Monophyly, monophyletic group of nymphaline butterflies inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere are characterized by a jagged outline of their wings and the ability to survive the winter months as adults in an obligatory hibernal

diapause In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press It ...

, hiding in various shelters (e.g., crevices, hollows, cavities, even unheated buildings). The signature mark of all butterflies is the cryptic colour and maculation (spots) of the ventral (under) side of their wings, serving to conceal the hibernating butterfly against the substrate on which it rests.

Genera

Listed alphabetically:Nymphalini
Tree of LifeTribe Nymphalini
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' * ''

Aglais ''Aglais'' is a Holarctic genus of brush-footed butterflies, containing the tortoiseshells. This genus is sometimes indicated as a subgenus of ''Nymphalis ''Nymphalis'', commonly known as the tortoiseshells or anglewing butterflies, is a ge ...

'' Dalman, 1816 – tortoiseshells * ''

Antanartia ''Antanartia'', commonly called (African) admirals, is a genus in the family Nymphalidae found in southern Africa. They live along forest edges and are strongly attracted to rotting fruit and plant juices. For other admirals see genus, '' Vanessa ...

'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 – African red admirals * '' Araschnia'' Hübner, 1819 * '' Hypanartia'' Hübner, 1821 – mapwings * '' Inachis'' – European peacock (now in ''Aglais'') * '' Kaniska'' Moore, 1899 – blue admiral (often in ''Polygonia'') * '' Mynes'' Boisduval, 1832 * ''

Nymphalis ''Nymphalis'', commonly known as the tortoiseshells or anglewing butterflies, is a genus of brush-footed butterflies. The genera '' Aglais'', ''Inachis'', ''Polygonia'' and '' Kaniska'', were sometimes included as subgenera of ''Nymphalis''

'' Kluk, 1781 – anglewings, tortoiseshells * ''

Polygonia ''Polygonia'' (from Greek language, Greek πολύς - ''polys'', "many" and γωνία - ''gōnia'', "angle") is a genus of butterflies with a conspicuous white mark on the underside of each hindwing, hence the common name comma. They also have ...

'' Hübner, 1819 – anglewings, commas * '' Symbrenthia'' Hübner, 1819 – jesters * ''

'' Fabricius, 1807 – red admirals, Kamehameha butterflies, painted ladies The

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''

Tigridia ''Tigridia'' , is a genus of bulbous or cormous flowering plants belonging to the family Iridaceae. With common names including peacock flowers, tiger-flowers or shell flowers, they have large showy flowers; and one species, '' Tigridia pavonia' ...

'' is sometimes placed here as a very basal offshoot close to ''

Colobura ''Colobura'' is a butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae found from Mexico to South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in t ...

'', sometimes in the related tribe

Coeini Coeini is a tribe of brush-footed butterflies.Tribe Coeini ...

Prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

genera only known from

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s are: * †'' Jupitella'' Carpenter, 1985 * †'' Mylothrites'' Scudder, 1875

References

*Korshunov, 1995. utterflies of the Asian part of Russia. A handbook''Dnevnye babochki Aziatskoi chasti Rossii. Spravochnik''.:202 pp. (re: Roddia) *Kudrna, O. & J. Belicek, 2005. The ''Wiener Verzeichnis'', its authorship, publication date and some names proposed for butterflies therein. Oedippus 23: 1-32. (re: Schiffermüller names) *Linnaeus, C. 1758. ''Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Clases, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Symonymis, Locis. Tomis I.'' 10th Edition Syst. Nat. (Edn 10). (re: ''N. antiopa, P. c-album, P. c-aureum, I. io, N. polychloros, A. urticae'') Nymphalinae Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Butterfly tribes {{Nymphalinae-stub