The families of the Coreoidea (exclusive of the Stenocephalidae) were considered in morphological and systematic detail, and the following conclusions were drawn:

The Rhopalidae appears to be the least advanced of the 3 families studied; the Coreidae is the most advanced, and the Alydidae is intermediate but specialized in several respects.

The family Rhopalidae is composed of 2 subfamilies, of which the Rhopalinae (tribes Rhopalini, Myrmini, and Harmostini) is the least advanced, and the Serinethinae stat. nov. (= Leptocorini) is the most advanced. The Myrmini and the Serinethinae evolved independently from the Harmostini, which is derived from the Rhopalini.

The subfamilies of the Alydidae are the Alydinae (= Alydini), which appears to be the more advanced, and the Micrelytrinae (Micrelytrini and Leptocorisini). The Micrelytrini is the most generalized alydid group.

The family Coreidae consists of the subfamilies Pseudophloeinae, Meropachydinae, Coreinae, and Agriopocorinae. The Pseudophloeinae is the most generalized; the Meropachydinae is closely related to the Coreinae; and members of the subfamily Agriopocorinae were not available for study.

Major groupings of the tribes of the Coreinae are proposed, based on the appendages of the conjunctiva. The Acantholybas-group includes only the genus Acantholybas Breddin, and is related to the Pseudophloeinae. The other tribal groups are more closely related. The Chariesterus-group is the least advanced and may be divided into 2 subgroups, 1 containing the tribes Chariesterini and the Spartocerini, and the other containing part of the Colpurini and part of the Acanthocorini. The Homoeocerus-group contains 3 subgroups, the first with the Homoeocerini, the next with the Discogastrini, and the last (tentatively) with the Latimbini.

The Coreus-group is closely related to the Homoeocerus-group and also contains 3 subgroups. In the first are the tribes Amorbini, Petascelidini, and Daladerini; in the second are the Mictini and the Dasynini; and in the third are the Coreini, Chelinideini, Gonocerini, Cloresmini, and the remainder of the Acanthocorini. The most advanced is the Acanthocephala-group. The first of its 2 subgroups contains the tribes Acanthocephalini and the Leptoscelidini, and the second contains the Anisoscelidini.

Males of the Coreine tribes Pryllomorphini and Hydarini were not available, and therefore these tribes are not placed.