| Belinae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Rhicnobelus metallicus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Belidae |
| Subfamily: | Belinae Schönherr, 1826 |
| Tribes | |
Belinae are a Gondwanan subfamily of beetles which belong to the belids, primitive weevils of the family Belidae. Like in other belids, their antennae are straight, not elbowed as in the true weevils (Curculionidae). The Belinae make up the bulk of the diversity of living belid genera. They are found in the Australia-New Guinea-New Zealand and South America.
Of the three tribes placed here, the Pachyurini appear to hold the most primitive genera, while the Agnesiotidini might be the most advanced one. The overall delimitation of tribes is not entirely robust though, and particularly the placement of the diverse Belini in respect to the Agnesiotidini is somewhat uncertain. The belids as a whole are of Jurassic origin, and the Belinae must thus date from the Late Jurassic or at most Early Cretaceous, roughly some 150 million years ago.[1]
- ^ Marvaldi et al. (2006), Ming et al. (2006)