In flight, many of these butterflies have the habit of flapping their wings, so the (usually) bright upperside and the
cryptic underside alternate for the observer, then gliding for prolonged distances, with the motionless wings held outstretched. The common names of some Limenitidinae – "
aeroplanes", "
clippers", or "
gliders" – refer to this flight pattern.
Systematics
The
Biblidinae are sometimes merged here. The present subfamily is also sometimes included as a
tribeLimenitidini in the
Nymphalinae. But in fact, their closest living relatives seem to be the
Heliconiinae.[1]
The Limenitidinae are traditionally divided into four
tribes, of which the
Parthenini are the most
basal lineage and the others form a close-knit and more
apomorphic radiation. While this basic layout is likely to be fairly correct, a few genera cannot be easily assigned to the three "modern" tribes and seem to be somewhat intermediate. In particular, the delimitation of the
Limenitidini versus the
Neptini is in need of more study.[2]
Genera and selected species
The genera of Limenitidinae, sorted per tribe in the presumed
phylogenetic sequence and with some
species also listed, are:[2]