Phylogeny of the tribe Empoascini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) based on morphological characteristics, with reclassification of the Empoasca generic group

Abstract

A morphology‐based phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Empoascini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) is presented for 58 of 83 formerly recognized genera based on 99 morphological characters of adults. The results support excluding the New World Beamerana generic group from Empoascini. The remaining genera of Empoascini were recovered as a monophyletic sister group of Dikraneurini. Previously recognized tribes Jorumini and Helionini are derived from within Empoascini and are considered synonyms of the latter tribe. Three previously recognized informal generic groups, the Empoasca group, Alebroides group and Usharia group were paraphyletic but the Ficiana group was recovered as monophyletic based on five synapomorphies. Genera previously placed in the Alebroides group represent at least six independent lineages, indicating that the hind wing character separating this group from the Empoasca group (CuA and MP veins free) is highly homoplasious. Empoasca (sensu lato) is also paraphyletic. Thus, twelve previously recognized subgenera of Empoasca are elevated to genus status and five species groups of Empoasca from the New World are recognized as separate new genera. Sikkimasca Dworakowska, 1993 is treated as synonym of Marolda Dworakowska, 1977 based on the phylogeny. Biogeographic analysis suggests that Empoascini most likely first evolved in the Oriental region and spread to other biogeographic realms more recently by multiple independent invasions.

Structural Features and Phylogenetic Implications of 11 New Mitogenomes of Typhlocybinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

“…Inter-tribe relationships of the five monophyletic tribes are identical to the one obtained in the Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) based phylogenomics [6], with Alebrini sister to Empoascini as the basal branch, followed by the branch of Dikraneurini sister to Erythroneurini, and finally the branch with members of Typhlocybini and Zyginellini, indicating the relationships among the five monophyletic tribes are to some extent stable. It is different from the sister-group relationship of Empoascini to Dikraneurini that proposed by Zhang (1990) and Xu (2021) based on morphological data and Dikraneurini to Typhlocybini and Zyginellini proposed by Chen (2021) based on molecular data [9,57,61]. Inter-tribe relationships of the five monophyletic tribes are identical to the one obtained in the Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) based phylogenomics [6], with Alebrini sister to Empoascini as the basal branch, followed by the branch of Dikraneurini sister to Erythroneurini, and finally the branch with members of Typhlocybini and Zyginellini, indicating the relationships among the five monophyletic tribes are to some extent stable.…”

Mitogenomic phylogeny of Typhlocybinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) reveals homoplasy in tribal diagnostic morphological traits

“…In Empoascini, all genera have ocelli, except Beamerana and Paulomanus . The latter genera, which have hind wing venation identical to that of many Empoascini, nevertheless grouped with Typhlocybini in a recent morphology‐based phylogeny and were tentatively placed in the latter tribe (Xu et al, 2021 ). Few genera in Typhlocybini have ocelli, for example, Hiratettix and Caknesia , but we were able to include only the former in our analyses and it occupies a relatively derived position within the tribe, suggesting that ocelli were lost and regained at least once in this tribe (Figure 4a ).…”

“…Beamerana and Paulomanus. The latter genera, which have hind wing venation identical to that of many Empoascini, nevertheless grouped with Typhlocybini in a recent morphology-based phylogeny and were tentatively placed in the latter tribe (Xu et al, 2021).…”

The Value of Citizen Science in Increasing Our Knowledge of Under-Sampled Biodiversity: An Overview of Public Documentation of Auchenorrhyncha and the Hoppers of North Carolina

“…In our search of the literature, we found 10 publications that listed noteworthy records of 17 species that are specified as being either documented by individual citizen scientists (1 species; McKamey and Sullivan-Beckers, 2019) or contributions made to online citizen science platforms in North America (BugGuide or Hopper Site; Table 1). We also located one publication (Leavengood et al, 2017) containing a noteworthy record that was found by a member of the public but a These species are currently unplaced within the tribe Empoascini, as they were not treated in the latest revision of the tribe (Xu et al, 2021), which redefined its component genera. b This publication was not found in our initial search of the literature, since it does not include any reference to citizen science, and instead was found when we were looking for information on the year this species was introduced in California.…”