Melpomene is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Grammitidoideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).

[1] It is native to the Neotropical realm in the Americas and Africa.

[3] The genus name of Melpomene is named after Melpomene, the Greek mythology being, the muse of chorus, who eventually became the muse of tragedy.

[4] The genus was circumscribed by Alan Reid Smith and Robbin C. Moran in Novon Vol.2 (Issue 4) on page 426 in 1992.

[6] As of February 2020[update], the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World accepted the following species:[2]