Systematics and phylogeny of the plant bug tribe Orthotylinae: Austromirini (Heteroptera: Miridae)

The Austromirini is a poorly studied tribe of plant bugs (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae) that was originally described from Australia, comprised of four genera and six species. The systematics of this group was funded under the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory (PBI) program of the US National Science Foundation. It has revealed a species-rich taxon comprised of 35+ genera and 250+ species. It is now known from Australia, New Guinea and Hawaii. A phylogeny of the group will be presented, that shows two major clades: 1) o a complex of myrmecomorphic taxa, and 2) a clade of non-myrmecomorphic taxa. The historical biogeography, host plant relationships, and evolution of ant-mimicry will be presented.