Within the treehopper family Membracidae, the largest and only cosmopolitan subfamily is the Centrotinae. A phylogenetic analysis is needed to provide a sound classification at the tribal level. Of nearly 200 centrotine genera, more than 160 have been examined from collections worldwide. For this analysis, representative species from each genus (preferably the type species) were coded using morphological characters from the head, thorax, and abdomen including male and female genitalia and abdominal fine structure based on scanning electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using PAUP*. All males of the indigenous Australian fauna examined to date have a quadrate style that extends ventrally, a character state that helps group them in the analysis. Most of the Australian genera were previously not placed at the tribal level. Characters important in inferring higher level relationships include: shape of the frontoclypeus, scutellum, pronotum, female ovipositor, and male style; forewing venation; leg chaetotaxy; and features of the abdominal dorsum.
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA