REVSYS: Revisionary Synthesis of the Leafhopper Tribe Empoascini (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae)

该项目将利用新开发的电子工具，综合关于小绿叶蝉族约1 000个物种的形态、地理分布和分类命名的信息。 该叶蝉族是一个生态和经济上重要的植物吸汁昆虫类群，分布于世界各地。 物种的鉴定目前很困难，因为相关信息要么分散在文献中，要么未发表，只存在于博物馆标本标签上。 本计画的具体目标包括：（1）将小绿叶蝉属各种的形态与分布资料输入网际网路相关资料库;（2）利用该资料库建立线上互动式辨识检索表、种描述、分布图、寄主植物关联表;（3）出版小绿叶蝉属与种的传统分类学专著;及（4）将先前为修订分类学研究而开发的分类学软件升级，使其功能更全面，更易于使用。透过提供改良的电子工具，进行分类学修订研究，该项目将有助于消除生物研究的分类障碍，使分类学家能够更有效地进行修订，识别键。 通过综合生态数据并首次对这一大群食草昆虫进行全面的分类处理，该项目将促进对具有实际或潜在经济重要性的物种的检测、识别和管理。

This project will use newly developed electronic tools to synthesize information on the morphology, geographic distribution, and taxonomic nomenclature for the approximately 1,000 species of the leafhopper tribe Empoascini. This leafhopper tribe is an ecologically and economically important group of plant sap-sucking insects distributed worldwide. Identification of species is currently difficult because relevant information is either scattered throughout the literature or unpublished, existing only on museum specimen labels. Specific goals of this project include (1) entering morphological and distributional data for each species into an internet-accessible relational database; (2) using the database to create on-line interactive identification keys, species descriptions, distribution maps, and tables of host-plant associations; (3) publishing traditional taxonomic monographs for genera and species of Empoascini; and, (4) upgrading taxonomic software developed as part of a previous REVSYS project to make it more versatile and user-friendly.By providing improved electronic tools for taxonomic revsionary studies, this project will help remove the taxonomic impediment to biological research by enabling taxonomists to become more efficient at producing revisions and identification keys. By synthesizing ecological data and providing the first comprehensive taxonomic treatment of this large group of plant-feeding insects, the project will facilitate detection, identification, and management of species of actual or potential economic importance.