The morphology of the skeleton and musculature of the male genitalia of the subfamily Aphnaeinae (Lycaenidae), distributed mainly in the Afrotropical region, were studied in comparison with their organization in other ancient taxa of the family Lycaenidae. The position of Aphnaeinae in the system of the family Lycaenidae is discussed based on the analysis of the new comparative morphological characters and with reference to literature data. The genital musculature of males of representatives of not closely related genera of Aphnaeinae was studied for the rst time: Phasis thero (Linnaeus, 1764), Chrysoritis pyroeis (Trimen, 1864), and Aloeides pierus (Cramer, [1779]). It has been established that the composition and topography of their muscles, in contrast to the previously studied Middle Asian species Cigaritis epargiros (Eversmann, 1854), correspond to the general plan of the structure of the nymphaloid group of families (Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae), revealing archaism in comparison with such early branchings of the family Lycaenidae as the subfamilies Curetinae and Riodininae. A symplesiomorphic similarity of the musculature features of Aphnaeinae and Lipteninae (Liptenini) has been established. It was shown that the subfamilies Aphnaeinae, Poritiinae s. str., Lipteninae, and Miletinae are united by such a common feature of the genital skeleton as the lower wall of the saccus elongated into a narrow caudal plate (saccus directed caudal). However, it remains unclear whether this character is a synapomorphy of these subfamilies or it arose as a result of parallel evolution and is a homoplasy.