I've just reorganized my private images into subfam & tribe.

I know that's the likeliest possibility but am told there are others as well. I could move it to subfamily level but the idea of breaking this relatively small family into six subfamilies was not greeted with enthusiasm when I broached it in the forums section.

I'm hiding this comment here instead of going w/ guns blazing into the forums. I've been poking at the Coccinellidae a lot recently, and would really like some more organization by subfamily, especially the Scymninae. I looked at your linked forum topic from 2007 and the replies thereto; much of the "don't do it" response pointed out that Coccinellidae isn't a huge family and not worth breaking down further.

Okay, the last reply in that post was August 9, 2007. Since that date, 14 genera* have been added to Coccinellidae (7 of them in Scymninae). I haven't counted the number of species added, but it's certainly more than 14. Perhaps Coccinellidae is getting large enough to broach the idea again?

Are you are still interested in Coccinellidae subfamily divisions on the Guide, or no longer think it's a good idea? If you do think it's a good idea, do you think it's any more likely to be approved 2 years and 14 genera later? I have only been on the Guide for a few months, I'm neither an expert nor an editor, and I don't want to go around breaking etiquette and raising a ruckus. At least not w/o some advice from the more experienced and level-headed!



*Anovia, Brumoides, Coccidula, Didion, Hyperaspidius, Microweisea, Macronaemia, Naemia, Rodolia, Stethorus, Nephaspis, Nephus, Zagloba, Zilus.

I suggest you post a similar comment on that forum. Your argument about the expansion of genera deserves consideration and the earlier decision deserves RE-consiteration.

Thanks for the encouragement, it's a forum topic in Taxonomy now.

I also steered people there from a discussion about subdividing Scymini in another forum, where it was getting out of hand.

It always seems to come back to the little brown Scymninae and their oddball larvae...