The tribe Pyrophorini (sensu Costa, 1975) comprises 144 species and 19 genera that occur in Neotropical, Southern Neartic and Australian Regions. They have been traditionally recognized as a monophyletic group, sharing as a presumed synapomorphy the bioluminescent organs. I present here a cladistic analysis of the tribe, based on the adult morphology. This study resulted in eight alternative phylogenetic hypotheses. The most parsimonious cladograms show that Pyrophorini (sensu Costa, 1975) is paraphyletic, because it includes, among the descendants of its most recent ancestor, six genera of Heligmini: Meroplinthus Candèze, 1891, Schistogyne Costa, 1975, Agnostelater Costa, 1975, Paraphileus Candèze, 1881, Euplinthus Costa, 1975 and Compsoplinthus Costa, 1975. The presence of a pair of bioluminescent organs on pronotum is corroborated as synapomorphy for the tribe, but this condition was lost three times independently and it was acquired homoplastically at least once in the internal group. The genera Pyrearinus Costa, 1975, Deilelater Costa, 1975, Lygelater Costa, 1975 and Ptesimopsia Costa, 1975 were subdivided in species groups that were included as terminal taxa in the analysis; they resulted polyphyletic. Four new genera were recognized: Genus B gen n., Genus C gen n., Genus D gen n. and Genus E gen n. For an undescribed species is also proposed the Genus A gen n. The monophyly of the Oceanic and Neotropical genera is confirmed, their disjunction is, probably, due to the tectonic of Gondwana, during the Mesozoic. The consensus cladogram show the following phylogenetic relationships for the tribe Pyrophorini sensu novo: ((Noxlumenes (Nyctophyxis + Cryptolampros)) + (Gênero A the gen. n. (Pyrophorus (Fulgeochlizus (Meroplinthus (Ptesimopsia paralella (Ptesimopsia (Hapsodrilus (Pyroptesis Sooporanga))))) + ((Gênero B gen. n., Pyrearinus, (Phanophorus+Hypsiophthalmus)) + (Gênero C gen. n. (Gênero D gen. n. (Coctilelater (Agnostelater (Paraphileus (Euplinthus (Campsoplinthus (Hifo (Opselater, group melanurus, Lygelater, L. bifossulatus, Deilelater, (Photophorus + Ignelater), (Gênero E gen. n. (V. sirius comb. n. (V gemmiferus + Vesperelater))))))))))))))))). A new composition is proposed for the tribe Pyrophorini, including now 159 species and 30 genera subdivided in two subtribes, Nyctophyxina Costa, 1975 and Pyrophorina Candèze, 1863. Taxonomic revisions of all genera, including new characters mainly of the metanotum, mesoventrite, aedeagous and illustrations for most of them are also given.