Revision of the Neotropical Treehopper Genus Horiola (Homoptera: Membracidae)

CHANI POSSE, M.; POGUE, M. G.; ERWIN, T. L.

Mar del Plata

Congreso; IV CONGRESO ARGENTINO DE ENTOMOLOGÍA (IVCAE); 1998

Sociedad Argentina de Entomología

The published work on Horiola (Homoptera: Membracidae: Tragopini) is extremely limited. In these works, the only character used to separate species is the pronotum color pattern. At the species level pronotal shape and color pattern are the most diagnostic features in the family. In Horiola, pronotum color pattern presents an extraordinary variation among members of the same species. In this analysis we include more external morphological characters in order to test the utility of pronotal features in classification at the species level. Specimens were collected using canopy fogging from a plot 1 ha in size in lowland rainforest of eastern Ecuador. Morphological characters used were derived from the genitalia and pronotum color pattern. For our cladistic analysis of Horiola, all characters were polarized using Anobilia (Membracidae: Tragopini) as the outgroup. The evolution of multistate characters were hypothesized by morphocline analysis. All data were analysed using HENNIG 86.Twenty five characters were established. Those characters which are conservative at the species level but are not shared with the outgroup are included in the description for the genus. The phylogenetic analysis shows Horiola ferruginea as the basal lineage; Horiola ferruginea and sp.6 are sister groups and