The insect superfamily Cercopoidea (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) comprises four families (Cercopidae, Aphrophoridae, Clastopteridae, and Machaerotidae) that collectively are called froghoppers or, more commonly, spittlebugs. While spittlebug immatures are conspicuous and relatively well known to science, spittlebug adults are more enigmatic and often cannot even be associated with their nymphal stages. The richest spittlebug species diversity is found in the Old and New World tropics, although many species range throughout temperate regions. Worldwide, cercopoids inflict heavy economic damage to such crops as improved pasture grasses, alfalfa, pines, and peaches; additionally, spittlebugs are considered the most important pest insects of Neotropical sugar cane. Relatively little is known about spittlebug biodiversity, and even less is known about cercopoid evolution: currently, there is no phylogenetic hypothesis for the superfamily or any included subgroup. The intent of this research project is to conduct a molecular phylogenetic investigation of the spittlebug superfamily Cercopoidea, with emphasis on generic sampling, to determine relationships among genera, tribes, and families. The ultimate goal is to construct a stable and predictive worldwide classification for the family, establishing the origins and inter-relationships of its major lineages. Preliminary data consist of nucleotide sequences from the nuclear structural genes 18S and 28S rDNA and the mitochondrial protein coding genes cytochrome oxidase I and II, sequenced from exemplar taxa representing all four cercopoid families. Preliminary results from combined data parsimony analyses will be presented and evaluated with respect to the current classification of Cercopoidea.
Species 1: Homoptera Cercopidae
Keywords: molecular phylogeny, Cercopoidea
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