PEET: Partnership for Training New Experts on Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera)

New York State Museum Institute, Albany NY

Investigators

Abstract

Auchenorrhyncha (cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers, spittlebugs, and treehoppers) is a diverse and economically important but poorly studied group of mostly sap-sucking insects. Approximately 42,000 species are known, but recent sampling suggests that the true number of extant species may be many times higher. The number of experts (taxonomists) capable of identifying these insects has declined precipitously in recent decades, and this trend has only recently begun to be reversed through a previous NSF PEET award focused on training new experts in Membracoidea (leafhoppers and treehoppers), the largest of the four main groups of Auchenorrhyncha. The new project will build on the success of the previous award by training experts in the other three groups: Cicadoidea (cicadas), Cercopoidea (spittlebugs), and Fulgoroidea (planthoppers). The project represents a partnership between the New York State Museum, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Connecticut, and an international team of collaborators, including retirees, with expertise covering all major auchenorrhynchan taxa. Specific goals include: (1) train at least one new expert in the systematics of each of the four Auchenorrhyncha superfamilies; (2) develop Internet-accessible databases for species of Cercopoidea, Cicadoidea, and selected groups of Fulgoroidea to complement those already developed for Membracoidea; (3) obtain Auchenorrhyncha specimens suitable for morphological and molecular study from poorly sampled areas known to harbor diverse faunas; (4) complete species-level morphology-based revisions of species descriptions within each of the four superfamilies; (5) disseminate results (identification keys, descriptions, phylogenies or genealogy trees, geographic distribution maps and nomenclatural data) through traditional publication and the Internet. Innovative aspects of the project include its coordinated approach to training, involving several experts with complementary expertise; the use of advanced tools for the efficient synthesis of taxonomic information and production of improved classifications and identification tools in electronic and traditional formats; and the applicability of the anticipated phylogenetic results to basic conceptual issues in systematics and evolution. All biological research depends on accurate species identifications and taxonomic classifications that reflect, to the extent possible, phylogenetic relationships. By improving the human resources and scientific infrastructure needed to meet these needs for a large and poorly studied group of plant-feeding insects, this project will have lasting impact on many areas of basic and applied biology. The personnel and products resulting from this project will serve as resources for the basic biological research community, the large community of economic and ecological entomologists working toward improved methods for diagnosing and managing agricultural pests, and the community of conservation biologists interested in conserving threatened species and habitats. Benefits to society at large include the education of a new generation of biological scientists with specialized expertise, dissemination of improved educational tools via the Internet, improved food security through accurate identification of plant disease vectors and other pests, and improved detection of environmental threats such as invasive species.