Charles R. Bartlett

Evolution of Delphacidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea): combined-evidence phylogenetics reveals importance of grass host shifts.

The planthopper family Delphacidae is a speciose lineage of phloem‐feeding insects, with many species considered as pests of economic significance on essential world food commodities (including rice, maize, wheat, barley and sugar cane). Despite their economic importance, evolutionary relationships among delphacids, particularly those within the speciose tribe Delphacini, are largely unknown. Presented here are the results of a phylogenetic investigation of Delphacidae based on DNA nucleotide sequence data from four genetic loci (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, wingless and cytochrome oxidase I) and 132 coded morphological characters. The resulting topologies are used to test the higher classification of Delphacidae and to examine evolutionary patterns in host–plant associations. Our results generally support the higher classifications of Delphacidae proposed by Asche, Emeljanov and Hamilton, and suggest that the rapid diversification of the Delphacini was associated with host shifts to, and within, Poaceae, and specifically from C3 to C4 grasses.

Systematics of Hadropygos n.g., Metadelphax Wagner and New World Toya Distant (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

Abstract New World members of the genera Toya Distant and Metadelphax Wagner are here revised and the genus Hadropygos n. g. described from South America. Generic limits are discussed, with particular comparison to Syndelphax Fennah. A key to treated genera and species is provided. The type species of Toya, T. attenuata Distant from Sri Lanka, is illustrated and discussed. Among the New World Toya, T. boxi (Muir) and T. venilia (Fennah) are retained in the genus; two species are transferred to Toya from Delphacodes Fieber, Toya idonea (Beamer) new comb. and T. nigra (Crawford) new comb., with Delphacodes axonopi Fennah placed as a new junior synonym of T. nigra. Three new species of New World Toya are described (T. goliai n. sp., T. dietrichi n. sp., and T. recurva n. sp.). Toya iaxartes (Fennah), described from a single specimen from St. Lucia, is here considered nomen dubium as it appears to have been described from a malformed or parasitized specimen. Metadelphax, restored as a genus by Ding (2006), consists of five species: M. propinqua (Fieber) (type species), M. argentinensis new comb., here transferred from Toya, M. pero, here transferred from Syndelphax, M. wetmorei (Muir and Giffard) new comb., here transferred from Delphacodes, plus M. dentata n. sp. Metadelphax bridwelli (Muir), transferred from Toya by Ding (2006), is returned to Toya. Hadropygos n. g., with the single species, H. rhombos n. sp., from the Neotropics bears comparable features to Toya and Metadelphax. Lectotype designations are made for Toya attenuata Distant and Delphax propinqua Fieber. Collectively, 3 genera are treated: Hadropygos n. g., with a single new species, Metadelphax with 5 species (1 new), and Toya with 7 New World species (3 new), excluding T. iaxartes as a nomen dubium.

TREEHOPPER DIVERSITY (HEMIPTERA: MEMBRACIDAE) OF LITTLE ORLEANS, ALLEGANY CO., MARYLAND

Abstract Fifty-six species (23 genera) of treehoppers (Membracidae) are recorded from the vicinity of Little Orleans, Maryland, with date and host-plant data. Eleven of the species represent new state records for Maryland, bringing the total number of species recorded for the state to 81. These data document annual collecting efforts since 1993 by the authors and others in connection with the informal treehopper conferences initiated by the late T. K. Wood. Photographs are given for 12 species representing 7 genera.

Diversity in New World Stenocranine Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

ABSTRACT. The diversity of stenocranine planthoppers and their reported host plants is reviewed and discussed with particular reference to the New World fauna. A new species of Obtusicranus and two new genera (Frameus n. g. with 5 new species, Tanycranus n. g. with 1 new species) are described and illustrated. These taxa are the first stenocranine planthoppers known from Mexico and South America. Members of Frameus and Tanycranus are remarkable for having a greatly elongated head. A key to New World genera of stenocranine planthoppers and keys to species for the genera Obtusicranus and Frameus are provided. Stenocranus maculipes (Berg) described from Argentina is not a stenocranine, but is in the Delphacini and is here referred to incertae sedis. Stenocranus luteivitta (Walker) is not a Stenocranus, and is here referred to Delphacodes. The specimen reported by Hamilton (2006) from Illinois as the Asian genus Terauchiana is here found to be Kelisicranus arundiniphagus.

A REVIEW OF THE PLANTHOPPER GENUS NILAPARVATA (HEMIPTERA: DELPHACIDAE) IN THE NEW WORLD

ABSTRACT The delphacid genus Nilaparvata, previously recorded in the New World only from Puerto Rico and Nicaragua, is here reported from a variety of localities from Wisconsin and New Hampshire in the United States, south to Bolivia and Paraguay. Euides gerhardi is here transferred to Nilaparvata, and a revised key and diagnoses for the four New World species are provided.

LepNet: The Lepidoptera of North America Network

The Lepidoptera of North America Network, or LepNet, is a digitization effort recently launched to mobilize biodiversity data from 3 million specimens of butterflies and moths in United States natural history collections (http://www.lep-net.org/). LepNet was initially conceived as a North American effort but the project seeks collaborations with museums and other organizations worldwide. The overall goal is to transform Lepidoptera specimen data into readily available digital formats to foster global research in taxonomy, ecology and evolutionary biology.

A new genus and species of delphacid planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) from Central America with a preliminary regional species list

The new genus Ampliphax, assigned to the Delphacini, is described and illustrated with a single new species A. grandis from Costa Rica and Panama. Ampliphax grandis is a large species with a projected head. DNA barcode data suggest, among currently barcoded taxa, an affinity to the genus Bostaera. A checklist of the delphacid species from Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua based on literature and specimen records is provided.

Systematics of Caenodelphax Fennah (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) and Description of the New Genus Flavoclypeus

ABSTRACT Caenodelphax Fennah was reviewed with reference to putatively allied species in the polyphyletic genus Delphacodes Fieber. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony of 34 morphological features for 15 ingroup and 3 outgroup taxa found that Caenodelphax sensu stricto did not group with putatively allied Delphacodes. Caenodelphax is here redefined as monotypic, and Flavoclypeus new genus is described to accommodate a clade of 8 species (6 transferred from Delphacodes and 2 transferred from Caenodelphax). Caenodelphax philyra was found to be a junior subjective synonym of Caenodelphax teapae.

An Annotated Checklist of the Delphacid Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) of Florida with the Description of Three New Species and the New Genus, Meristopsis

ABSTRACT An annotated checklist of the 128 delphacid planthopper species of Florida, including host data, is presented based on combined specimen and literature records. The list includes 39 genera with 7 new combinations, 6 new synonymies, 3 new species and 16 new state records. The new genus Meristopsis (Delphacini) is here described with 2 new species, M. rhamphis and M. melanosteptos. Muellerianella meadi sp. nov. is also described.

Planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) Diversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abstract Planthoppers from Malaise traps (22 traps operated continuously over 3 years at 11 sites) were investigated as a component of an ongoing all-taxon biotic inventory of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Malaise samples contained 2,195 specimens representing 55 species from 7 families. Elevation patterns and seasonality of planthoppers from the Malaise traps are also presented. Based on Malaise trap data, species accumulation curves and 9 estimators of species richness anticipated 57–81 species, a higher number than predicted in our previous study (Bartlett & Bowman 2004), but lower than the cumulative species list, currently including 97 species in 10 families based on 6,860 specimens. None of the data sets based on single sample methods produced estimates of species richness that were greater than the observed diversity from the compiled species list. Species richness estimates between 95–124 were obtained by combining the Malaise trap sample data with Bartlett and Bowmans (2004) sweep sample data and additional data from 2006, although two estimators still remained below the observed richness of 97 species for the Park. Implications of these findings are discussed.