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Dirini

Dirini is one of the tribes in the butterfly subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. Consisting of 29 species in 6 genera, the group's members are exclusively found in southern Africa. Initially distinguished by having a forewing cell length shorter than half the length of the forewing, the morphological synapomorphy that links the members of the Dirini together is the presence of the scaphium on the male genitalia. The group is remarkable for its restricted distribution within South Africa and Lesotho, with a single species whose distribution extends into Zimbabwe. It is closely affiliated with the tribe Melanitini, of whom the Neotropical Manataria hercyna is closest related to the Dirini as a whole.

Description
Members of the tribe are endemic to southern Africa, with the group consisting of 29 species in 6 genera. The larvae of the members feed on grasses. ==Systematics and taxonomy==
Systematics and taxonomy
Per Peña & Wahlberg, 2008, the tribe is around 25 million years old. The initial point of radiation for the tribe was just before or at the Oligocene-Miocene transition around 29-24 Ma. Manataria hercyna was confirmed to be a sister taxon of the tribe, with that relationship supported by previous analyses Peña et al. in 2006, and Peña & Wahlberg in 2008. ==Distribution==
Distribution
Members of the tribe are noted for their remarkable degree of endemism, being found almost exclusively in South Africa and Lesotho, with a single member whose distribution extends into eastern Zimbabwe. They are almost all found on high-lying ground, but are described by Price et al. as not a truly montane group, occurring on slopes from the south and east and from elevations at in the north and west. Members of the tribe are found in South Africa's Succulent Karoo region and grasslands, which are dominated by C3 producing grasses, with the exception of Paralethe dendrophilus, which inhabits coastal and Afromontane forests. ==Genera==
Genera
Genus, species, and subspecies list derived from Price et al. 2010, Price et al. recognizes Torynesis hawequas as a subspecies of Torynesis mintha (as Torynesis mintha hawequas), Genomic testing conducted in 2023 by Zhang et al. revealed that Serradinga was better suited as a subgenus of Dingana. ==Footnotes==
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