However, within a broad genus Attalea, there most probably exist monophyletic entities corresponding closely to taxa previously considered at the generic level. As a matter or fact, when attempting to identify a species of this group of palms, the distinction of four entities corresponding to the genera Attalea, Scheelea, Orbignya and Maximiliana, as it was adopted in Genera Palmarum (Uhl and Dransfield, 1987),