New perspectives on the classification of Neotropical spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopidae: Tomaspidinae) based on a combined molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis

Cercopoidea, are classified into five families: Cercopidae, Aphrophoridae, Clastopteridae, Machaerotidae and Epipygidae. Their common name, spittlebugs, refers to the habit of nymphs to cover themselves in a spittle-like mass that protects them from predators, parasites, and desiccation. This foam is composed of air bubbles trapped in plant fluid discharged by the insect’s digestive system, and other substances produced by the Malpighian tubules. Cercopidae, the largest group in the superfamily, comprises nearly 1,400 species, they are known for their bright color pattern. Several species are important agricultural pests, especially of pasture grasses, sugar cane, and rice. Cryan and Svenson (2010) provided the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of Cercopoidea, in which the monophyly of the New World Cercopidae is corroborated, however the classification of Cercopoidea remains problematic at nearly all higher categories – the number of the families is disputed, and the classification at subfamily and tribal levels are in taxonomic disarray or abandoned. The current classification of Cercopidae, proposed by Fennah (1968), divides the family into two subfamilies: the Old World Cercopinae, and the New World Tomaspidinae. The latter comprises four tribes with 60 genera and 475 species. In a taxonomic checklist of Tomaspidinae, Carvalho & Webb (2005) indicated that the current classification is in need of revision. The present study investigates the evolutionary relationships of the Neotropical, with the main objectives to: 1). reconstruct the phylogeny of Tomaspidinae based on combined molecular data and morphological characters; and 2). use the resulting phylogeny to test Fennah’s tribal classification of Tomaspidinae.