Riodinidae

Riodinidae is a family of butterflies commonly known as metalmarks, named for the small, metallic-looking spots on their wings, comprising approximately 1,532 species in 146 genera. The family is most diverse in the Neotropics but also occurs in the Nearctic, Palearctic, Australasian, Afrotropical and Indomalayan regions, with species ranging from about 12 to 60 millimeters in wingspan and colors spanning muted temperate tones to iridescent tropical blues and greens. Like the related Lycaenidae, male metalmarks have reduced forelegs, and the hindwing venation includes a thickened costal vein reaching the humeral angle along with a short humeral vein; the family also shows unusually variable chromosome numbers, ranging from nine to 110. Riodinidae participates in mimicry more than most other butterfly families of comparable size, with many species mimicking toxic moths across several distinct mimicry rings.