The planthopper genus Philatis (Hemiptera: Issidae) is one of the relatively few insect taxa that has radiated in the Galapagos archipelago from the arrival of a single ancestor species. The genus is flightless and nineteen species have been described from the islands - mostly as single-island endemics (and several species await description from islands where none have been described). However, aside from slight variation in head shape and size, all Galapagos species are morphologically cryptic. The male and female genitalia are very similar, but do offer some characters that may aid species identification.
As part of an ongoing study into the taxonomy of Philatis, samples have been collected from several island populations that are putatively distinct species. We will present the preliminary results from a molecular phylogenetic analysis of this genus, including nucleotide sequence data from a portion of the mitocondrial protein coding gene cytochrome oxidase and a portion of the 28S rDNA. Early results show few differences among the putative species, suggesting the populations are very closely related.
A first recording of a courtship song has now been made and this approach will hopefully lead to further insights into this genus and its speciation. Future work also involves collecting issid species and populations in mainland Ecuador in the hope of finding species closely-related to the Galapagos Philatis.
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