Using Combined-Evidence Phylogenetics to Inform a Revised Classification of Spittlebugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cercopoidea)

昆虫总科(俗称刺虫)是一类以植物为食的昆虫，普遍存在于大多数陆地生态系统中。在世界范围内，口蹄疫对甘蔗、玉米、水稻和改良牧草等草本作物造成严重的经济损失，导致疫区农业减产高达70%。尽管这很重要，但这个昆虫群体的进化史几乎是未知的。这个项目代表了一项使用传统比较形态学方法和现代DNA测序技术对唾液细菌进化的大规模调查。该项目的成果将包括重建唾虫主要谱系之间的进化关系，解释观察到的世界范围内唾虫地理分布和寄主植物关系的模式，以及改进的、可在互联网上访问的唾虫识别工具。了解由该研究产生的唾虫进化对于控制几种已知的作物害虫以及控制未来新的唾虫害虫的爆发将特别重要。这项工作将为整合已进行的大量关于个别唾虫物种的生物学和生态学的科学研究提供一个框架。将开发的鉴定工具将对研究这些昆虫的科学家以及受这些昆虫影响的农业环境中的工作人员具有相当大的价值。此外，通过这项研究进行的尖端进化分析将为其他动植物群体的类似研究提供模式。该项目将为几名学生提供几乎所有学术水平的培训，增加下一代系统昆虫学专家。

The insect superfamily Cercopoidea (commonly called spittlebugs) is a group of plant-feeding insects found ubiquitously in most terrestrial ecosystems. Worldwide, spittlebugs inflict heavy economic damage on grass crops such as sugar cane, corn, rice, and improved pasture grasses, causing up to 70% reduction in agricultural yields in infested areas. Despite this importance, the evolutionary history of this insect group is virtually unknown. This project represents a large-scale investigation into the evolution of spittlebugs using both traditional comparative morphological methods and modern DNA sequencing technology. The results of this project will include a reconstruction of evolutionary relationships among the major lineages of spittlebugs, interpretations of observed patterns of worldwide spittlebug geographical distribution and hostplant affiliations, and improved, internet-accessible tools for spittlebug identification.The understanding of spittlebug evolution generated by this research will be of particular importance to the control of several known crop pests, as well as for the control of future outbreaks of novel spittlebug pests. This work will provide a framework for integrating the considerable number of scientific studies that have been conducted on the biology and ecology of individual spittlebug species. The identification tools to be developed will be of considerable value to scientists studying these insects, as well as workers in agriculture environments affected by these insects. Additionally, the cutting-edge evolutionary analyses carried out through this research will serve as a model for similar studies on other plant and animal groups. This project will provide training for several students at virtually all academic levels, adding to the next generation of experts in systematic entomology.